Canterbury has been drawing visitors since the Middle Ages, when pilgrims walked here to the shrine of Thomas Becket. Today the Cathedral still dominates a small, walkable city of timber-framed streets, riverside gardens and Roman remains, and it is under an hour from London by high-speed train. Two days lets you see the World Heritage sites properly and still fit in a half-day at the coast. For places to stay and more ideas, see our Canterbury visitor guide.
Day one in Canterbury: the Cathedral and the medieval city
Morning: Canterbury Cathedral. Enter the precincts through the carved Christ Church Gate on the Buttermarket. The Cathedral is the mother church of the Anglican Communion and the place where Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170; the spot is marked in the north-west transept. Do not miss the Romanesque crypt, the medieval stained glass in the Trinity Chapel and the cloisters. Allow at least two hours. Entry is ticketed, and tickets can be booked online or bought on the day at the visitor centre. This is a working church, so parts may close for services and sightseeing hours are shorter on Sundays — check the Cathedral’s website for the day you plan to go. Choral Evensong is open to all and is a memorable way to hear the building in use.
Lunchtime: the King’s Mile and the lanes. North of the Cathedral, Palace Street and the surrounding lanes, promoted as the King’s Mile, are lined with independent shops and cafes in crooked old buildings. On the High Street, the Beaney House of Art and Knowledge combines the city’s museum, art gallery and library in a flamboyant Victorian building, and makes a good wet-weather stop.
Afternoon: the Westgate and the River Stour. Walk west along the High Street and St Peter’s Street to the Westgate, the largest surviving medieval city gate in England. The Westgate Towers Museum inside has a rooftop viewpoint; opening is limited and booking is advised, so check ahead. Beside it, Westgate Gardens follow the River Stour and are one of the prettiest public parks in Kent. In the warmer months, guided punts and rowing-boat tours run on the river from the city centre, passing under low bridges and behind the old Greyfriars and Blackfriars buildings. Services are seasonal and weather-dependent, so check with the operators outside summer.
Early evening: the Roman city. If time allows, the Canterbury Roman Museum on Butchery Lane is built around the remains of a Roman town house and its mosaic floors, below modern street level.
Day two in Canterbury: St Augustine’s Abbey, the walls and the coast
Morning: St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church. Canterbury’s World Heritage Site has three parts: the Cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church. The abbey, a ten-minute walk east of the centre, was founded shortly after St Augustine arrived in 597 to bring Christianity to the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Kent. Its extensive ruins are cared for by English Heritage. Outside the main season it usually opens at weekends only, so check the English Heritage website. A little further on, St Martin’s is widely described as the oldest church in the English-speaking world still in use; it is a parish church with limited visiting hours.
Walk back along the surviving section of the city walls to Dane John Gardens, where a mound gives a view across the rooftops to the Cathedral.
Afternoon: Whitstable or Dover. Canterbury is close to the sea. Whitstable, known for its oysters, working harbour and weatherboarded cottages, is a short bus ride north. Keen walkers and cyclists can follow the Crab and Winkle Way, a largely traffic-free route of about seven and a half miles along the line of one of the world’s earliest passenger railways. Alternatively, trains from Canterbury East reach Dover, with its castle and white cliffs, in around half an hour. See our English coast guide and England’s best coastal towns for more seaside ideas.
Where to eat and drink in Canterbury
For a city of its size, Canterbury eats well. The lanes around the Cathedral and the King’s Mile have the most atmospheric cafes and pubs, several in medieval buildings with low beams. The Goods Shed, a daily farmers’ market and food hall in a former railway building beside Canterbury West station, is the best-known address for local produce. Kent calls itself the Garden of England, so look for local apples, cherries and soft fruit in season, Kentish ales from the county’s hop gardens, English sparkling wine from nearby vineyards and Whitstable oysters. As a university city, Canterbury also has plenty of inexpensive places to eat.
Getting to Canterbury and getting around
The city has two stations on separate lines. High-speed trains from London St Pancras International run to Canterbury West in a little under an hour. Slower services from London Victoria arrive at Canterbury East, which is also the station for Dover. Both are within ten minutes’ walk of the centre. By road, Canterbury is just off the A2; the centre is largely pedestrianised, so use the Park & Ride sites on the edge of the city. Everything in this itinerary, apart from the coast, is reachable on foot.
When to visit Canterbury
Late spring and early summer are ideal: the gardens are in flower, the river tours are running and the Kent countryside is at its best. July and August bring language-school groups and day-trippers, so start early at the Cathedral. The Canterbury Festival, a long-established arts festival, takes place each autumn. Late November and December bring a Christmas market and carol services at the Cathedral; dates vary from year to year, so check before booking. In winter, some attractions reduce their hours and river tours largely stop.
What’s on in Canterbury
See what’s on in Canterbury for dated festivals, concerts and exhibitions, or browse the full UK events calendar. Planning a festive visit? Read our best UK Christmas breaks.
Plan your trip
- Check before you go: Cathedral visiting hours, winter opening at St Augustine’s Abbey and the Westgate Towers, and whether river tours are running.
- Prices: the Cathedral, abbey and museums charge for entry or have changing arrangements — confirm on each official site.
- With a third day: explore Dover and the White Cliffs, or the wider south of England.
- More cathedral cities: try two days in York or two days in Lincoln.
- Where to stay: see the Canterbury destination page for accommodation and local information.