Canterbury Cathedral in Kent's cultural capital city Canterbury
Museum of Kent Life Maidstone
Margate Main Sands Beach, one of the many blue flag beaches around the Kent Thanet Coast
Historic Dockyard Chatham on the Medway
Walking trails along the White Cliffs of Dover, Kent Channel Coast
Stunning Leeds Castle nr Maidstone Kent
Sissinghurst Gardens in the Kent Weald
The Pantiles, Royal Tunbridge Wells Kent
Golden Sands at Viking Bay Beach Broadstairs Thanet CoastFamous as the 'Garden of England', Kent gardens including Sissinghurst Castle Gardens are world renowned. Kent contains a host of beautiful heritage attractions including World Heritage Canterbury Cathedral and St Augustine Abbey ruins, Rochester and Dover Castle, the Historic Dockyard Chatham and the Georgian Pantiles in Royal Tunbridge Wells. Long a gateway into England, always at the frontline of defence and with close links to royalty and London, Kent has many spectacular castles including most popular Leeds Castle near Maidstone and Hever Castle in the South West Corner, historic home of Anne Boleyn.
Stunning Blue Flag Kent sandy beaches are around the far east Thanet Coast with seaside hotspots Margate and Broadstairs particularly popular with families. Kent is also famous for its beer and hopping, made apparent by the iconic Kent Oast cone houses around the county. Take a tour of agricultural museums exploring Kent's hopping history and visit the Shepherd Neame brewery at Faversham to sample some of Kent's famous real ales. Kent farmers markets, organic and local produce, festivals and agricultural shows all feature heavily on Kent's calendar with big events like the Canterbury International Festival and the Kent County Show attracting huge crowds.
Beautiful Kent heritage city Canterbury is one of England's most historic cities with ancient links to the journey of St Augustine and the birth of Christianity in Britain. Tightly compact and easy to navigate on foot, St Augustine's Abbey and Canterbury Cathedral form part of the city's UNESCO World Heritage site. Canterbury Cathedral is the international centre of the Anglican Church and dominates the city centre. A tour inside to view the Cathedral's awe inspiring gothic nave and the spot marking where Becket's tomb once was is not to be missed.
Canterbury's great historic gateway Westgate is where thousands of pilgrims have trod on their way to the cathedral. This great historic city in Britain contains a wealth of historic buildings including poor priest houses, ancient inns and hospitals. Other strings to Canterbury's bow as a great city break is the great Canterbury arts scene, theatre, chic cafe culture, organic and local produce markets and fantastic shopping.
Things to do in Mid-Kent include visits to famous Kent gardens like Sissinghurst or take a tour of beautiful Leeds Castle around Maidstone. Tenterden is home to the popular Kent & Sussex Steam Railway and top Kent family attractions feature in the area including the open air Museum of Kent Life. The Kent Showground around Maidstone hosts one of England's top annual agricultural shows, the Kent County Show.
The North Kent Coast contains some of Kent's most popular attractions. Head to the North Kent Medway towns of Rochester and Chatham which offer numerous attractions including the family friendly Historic Dockyard Chatham and Dickens World Chatham, Rochester castle and Rochester cathedral and numerous heritage buildings linked to Charles Dickens.
Take a brewery tour of the Shepherd Neame brewery in historic market town Faversham or head to pretty coastal Whitstable which offers a superb choice of arts and crafts shopping and is famed for its annual summer oyster festival and arts scene. Friendly family seaside resorts along the North Kent Coast include Herne Bay which is popular with families and has a delightful long beach promenade with pavilion, pier and seal watching boat trips. To the north of Rochester sits the Hoo Peninsula, a haven for waterbirds and home to two RSPB nature reserves.
Always a strategic area of defence, the Kent Channel Coast has a fascinating history featuring famous names like Sir Winston Churchill. Dover is just 21 miles from Calais and the European mainland and has a long history in the frontline of defence from the period of the Cinque Ports through to the 20th Century and two World Wars. Essential visiting, Dover Castle ranks as one of Europe's most famous fortresses and inclusive in a tour of Dover Castle are guided tours around the Secret Wartime tunnels underneath the Dover Castle site. The stretch of coast from South Foreland along the White Cliffs of Dover to Folkestone and Samphire Hoe, where the North Downs meets the sea, is one of the UK's spectacular heritage coastlines. Here the chalk cliffs reach upto 300 feet in places and you can walk this dramatic and iconic stretch of coast via the Saxon Shore Way.
The famous historic Cinque Ports in Kent including Sandwich, Deal, Romney, Hythe and Dover were at the frontline of defence and major ports. Both Deal and Walmer Castles were built to defend these important ports. Napoleonic Martello towers are also a significant feature along the coastline and Sandwich particularly is rich in historic buildings including the Guildhall which hint and its Cinque port past. Dover Ferry Port today is one of the busiest passenger ferry ports in the UK served by a choice of ferry companies. Pick up Eurotunnel at Folkestone for the fast 35 minute channel crossing with car. A host of wildlife awaits in the stunning Romney Marsh area which boasts numerous walking and cycling trails. Head to the Romney Marsh Visitor Centre at New Romney and the RSPB centre at Dungeness to find out more.
West Kent has the stunning High Weald countryside at its core around Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and Westerham. This region of Kent is where you'll find some of the county's most famous Kent gardens, historic castles and houses, vineyards and outstanding golf courses. Main historic centre Royal Tunbridge Wells is famed for its stunning Georgian architecture particularly the Pantiles walkway and for its spa heritage - the Chalybeate Spring still produces its therapeutic waters.
Offering a great choice of quality accommodation, Sevenoaks is perfectly placed for exploring the Kent Downs and the Weald and has a number of famous homes nearby including the Sackville family home Knole and Sir Winston Churchill's historic home Chartwell in Westerham. Enjoy summer jousting events at Hever Castle, historic home of Anne Boleyn and stunning Kent Gardens at Scotney, Penshurst and Groombridge. This is one of the National Trust's busiest areas. Many famous gardens and houses are National Trust owned, including Sissinghurst, Chartwell and Knole, so it's well worth considering joining the National Trust if you're touring the region. To the North West sits Dartford and Gravesend, gateways into Kent and London. Take boat trips along the Thames from Gravesend into the heart of London and visit Dartford's acclaimed museum to find out more about the famous Swanscombe skull, the oldest human remains uncovered in Europe, found just outside Dartford. The mammoth Bluewater Shopping Centre, Europe's largest retail outlet, sits just outside Dartford.
The Thanet Coast has inspired great artists like JMW Turner who thought the sunsets around Margate Bay the most spectacular in the UK. Fun family seaside resorts around Thanet include legends like Margate with its beautiful Blue Flag sandy beach, seaside cafes and premier art gallery the Turner Gallery. Margate's elegant peaceful neighbour Westgate-on-Sea offers a great choice of luxury heriage seaside B&Bs. More spectacular Kent Blue Flag beaches feature at beautiful Broadstairs, also famously home to the Dickens House museum. Enjoy world class sailing regattas at Ramsgate Marina. Stunning sandy Ramsgate beach is also a Kent Blue Flag beach.
