Canterbury

The spiritual heart of the Church of England, with a World Heritage cathedral and a medieval old town, plus the White Cliffs of Dover, Whitstable and the Thanet coast nearby.

Canterbury lies in Kent in south-east England and is the spiritual centre of the Church of England. Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church are jointly listed as a World Heritage Site, and the old town, ringed by medieval walls, is easily explored on foot: the Westgate Towers, the little lanes off King's Parade, punting on the River Stour and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales make up the classic city experience. Canterbury is also a great base for day trips: to the north is Whitstable, for oysters and sunsets; to the north-east, the Thanet coast offers Margate (Turner Contemporary, the Shell Grotto and Dreamland amusement park), Broadstairs and Botany Bay; to the south-east are the White Cliffs of Dover, Dover Castle and South Foreland Lighthouse, as well as the two Tudor castles of Deal and Walmer and the historic town of Sandwich. The climate is mild and April–October is the best time to visit; the seaside gets busy in summer, while in winter the cathedral and museums remain open but many coastal sights have shorter hours. High-speed trains from London St Pancras reach Canterbury West in about 55 minutes, and there are also regular trains from London Victoria; most nearby towns are served by train or bus, though a car gives more flexibility. Allow 2–3 days: one for the old town, one for the White Cliffs and Dover Castle, and one for the coast at Whitstable or Margate. The old town has plenty of cobbled streets, and on Sunday mornings the cathedral is open for worship only. Leeds Castle, about 45 km away, is covered under the London destination.

Top sights

• Canterbury Cathedral – The mother church of the Church of England and a World Heritage Site, famous for the shrine where Becket was martyred, medieval stained gla…
• River Stour Punting – Glide along the River Great Stour in a flat-bottomed punt through the old town, while your boatman shares Canterbury's history and legends…
• Whitstable – A seaside town famous for oysters, with colourful beach huts, seafood stalls at the harbour, independent shops, and lovely sunsets.
• White Cliffs of Dover – Britain's iconic chalk sea cliffs, with clifftop paths overlooking the English Channel and Dover harbour, and France visible on clear days.
• Dover Castle – A massive fortress known as the 'Key to England', with the Great Tower of Henry II and secret WWII tunnels as its two main highlights.
• St Augustine's Abbey – The ruins of an abbey founded in 598 by St Augustine, the birthplace of Christianity in England and part of a World Heritage Site.
• St Martin's Church – The oldest church in continuous use in the English-speaking world, with Roman brick still visible in its walls and part of a World Heritage…
• Westgate Towers – The largest surviving medieval city gate in England, completed in the 14th century, with a rooftop viewpoint over the old city of Canterbur…
• Westgate Gardens – A riverside garden in the old town along the River Stour, with flower beds, ancient city walls and a huge oriental plane tree, ideal for a…
• Canterbury Roman Museum – An underground museum built on the site of the ancient Roman town, whose main attraction is the Roman mosaic floors preserved in situ.
• The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge – Canterbury's municipal museum and library, housed in a Tudor Revival building with collections of art, folk history and city history.
• The King's Mile & Palace Street – A cluster of independent shops just north of the cathedral; the leaning John Boys House on Palace Street is a popular photo spot.
• The Canterbury Tales Experience – Set inside the medieval St Margaret's Church, it brings Chaucer's famous work to life with projections, animated figures and live actors.
• Eastbridge Hospital – A 12th-century hospice that offered food and lodging to pilgrims, built over the River Stour, and still home to elderly residents.
• Dane John Gardens & City Walls – A Georgian-era garden at the southern end of the old town, where you can climb a Roman mound and walk along the top of the medieval city wa…
• Canterbury Castle – The remains of a stone castle keep built after the Norman Conquest, one of England's earliest royal castles.
• Marlowe Theatre – A modern theatre named after the playwright Marlowe, regularly staging West End touring musicals, ballet and Christmas pantomimes.
• Howletts Wild Animal Park – A wildlife park famous for holding the largest captive group of western lowland gorillas in the world, only about 6 km from the city centre.
• Wingham Wildlife Park – A popular family wildlife park in east Kent, with a dinosaur park, birds of prey, primates and an outdoor playground.
• Chilham – One of Kent's most photogenic Tudor villages, with half-timbered old houses around a square, often used as a film location.
• South Foreland Lighthouse – A Victorian lighthouse at the eastern end of the White Cliffs walk, where you can climb the tower, with the famous Mrs Knott's tearoom near…
• Turner Contemporary – A contemporary art gallery on the Margate seafront, built on the site where the painter Turner once stayed, with free admission and “Turner…
• Dreamland Margate – One of England's oldest amusement parks, whose vintage wooden roller coaster, the Scenic Railway, is a protected heritage structure.
• Shell Grotto – An underground passage accidentally discovered in 1835, with its walls covered in around 4.6 million shells, and its origins still a myster…
• Broadstairs & Viking Bay – A seaside town beloved by Dickens, with the golden sands of Viking Bay, retro ice cream parlours and the clifftop Bleak House.
• Botany Bay – A beach framed by chalk cliffs and sea stacks, with rock pools revealed at low tide; one of the most photogenic beaches on the Kent coast.
• Reculver Towers & Roman Fort – The remains of a medieval twin-towered church on the site of a Roman fort on the coast, long used as a navigation landmark for sailors.
• Deal Castle – A Tudor coastal fort built by Henry VIII, whose plan resembles a Tudor rose when seen from above, a model of this type of coastal defence f…
• Walmer Castle and Gardens – A Tudor coastal fort converted into the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, where the Duke of Wellington died, with…
• Sandwich – One of England's best-preserved medieval towns, an ancient port of the Cinque Ports, with timber-framed old houses and riverside gates.

Where to eat

• The Fordwich Arms – A Michelin one-star pub on the River Stour in Fordwich, England's smallest town, serving creative modern British cookin…
• The Corner House – A popular British restaurant on Dover Street outside the city walls, showcasing Kent produce, named Kent Restaurant of…
• The Goods Shed – A farmers' market and restaurant in a converted Victorian railway goods shed beside Canterbury West station, serving Ke…
• Il Posticino – A regional Italian eatery run by an Italian couple, hidden on the first floor of Dover Street, with good-value set menu…
• The Cook's Tale – Formerly The Ambrette in Canterbury, known for Odia (eastern Indian) flavours and creative fusion dishes, and considere…
• Tiny Tim's Tearoom – A 1930s-style tearoom on St Margaret's Street in the old town, famous for its oversized scones and extensive tea list…

Itineraries

• Sussex and Kent Coast in – East from Brighton: white cliffs, the 1066 battlefield and the old town of Rye, on to Canterbury.