Canterbury is an important historic town in South West England in the district of Kent. Canterbury is 53 miles from London and 15 miles from Dover, where you can cross the channel by ferry (see Crossing the English Channel). The population of Canterbury is about 44,000.
How to Get to Canterbury
Canterbury has two train stations: East and West. Canterbury East hosts trains from London Victoria, Canterbury West from Charing Cross, Victoria and Waterloo stations. You can rent bikes at the Canterbury West station.
The bus station is located at High Street near the city walls. There are frequent buses to London and Dover, as well as Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, and Whitstable.
Car parks are located just inside the city walls; there are also Park and ride sites outside of Canterbury.
What to See in Canterbury
There is lots to see inside the city walls of Canterbury, which are Roman and rebuilt in the 14th century. (The city was an important stop on the trade routes to London.) The Roman Museum is on Butchery Lane. It's at the level of the Roman town, meaning underground, a mix of excavated real objects and reconstructions, not to mention the preserved remains of a Roman town house with mosaics.
Canterbury Cathedral, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes St. Augustine's Abbey and St. Martin's Church, was the site of Thomas Becket's murder in 1170, and the cathedral containing Becket's shrine became a leading place of Pilgrimage; Chaucer told tales of the pilgrims in "The Canterbury Tales." Canterbury Cathedral is still one of the most visited sites in England.
Along the walls is Canterbury's Norman castle, established in the 1080s, becoming a jail by the 13th century.
St. Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury is a ruined monastery originally founded in 598 AD by the Roman abbot Augustine, who was sent by the Pope to convert the heathen Anglo-Saxons. It's about a 5 minute walk east from the town center--you can continue from there to St. Martin's Church if you wish.
The Museum of Canterbury has been wedged inside the Poor Priest's Hospital, a building of 14th century origin. It offers exhibits on the history of Canterbury, from the time before the Romans to the medieval.
Inside St, Margaret's Church on St. Margaret's Street there is an exhibition based on the Canterbury Tales. A visit can last between 40 minutes and 1 hour.
Weather in Canterbury
Summers are quite pleasant in Canterbury, but bring a raincoat; it rains throughout the year, especially in winter. The average high temperature for July in Canterbury is 20 degress C, or about 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tourist Information and Canterbury Walks
You can find tourist information opposite the Cathedral, where tickets are sold for walks guided by Canterbury Tourist Guides as well as River Boat Tours and information on self-guided walking trails.
You might find that you can save a bit of money by purchasing a Canterbury Attractions Passport at the Visitor Center to visit the Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, the Canterbury Tales exhibit and one of the city's museums.
Canterbury Visitor Centre
The Buttermarket
12-13 Sun Street
Canterbury
Kent
CT1 2HX
Opening Times
Monday to Saturday, 9.30am - 5pm,
Sunday, 9.30am - 4.30pm
