Travel Answers

Canterbury seems to be promoted as a day trip from London. Is there enough to do there for 4 days? Arrving by train/bus - no car.

How much will a single adult bus fare cost me from Canterbury route No 3X to Maidstone?

I am moving to Canterbury for a temporary job and would like to know any pros and cons about the place before I go. Any factual information will help a great deal, personal experience and personal opinions of the place would help also. Any feedback about the schools, the transportation, places to go, safety of the town, etc. would be much appreciated.

Can someone suggest a tourgroup or website I can contact that MIGHT do a daytrip from Canterbury to both Scotney Castle and Bodiam Castle? Without breaking the bank? We don't drive, must rely upon minivan tours or somesuch. Also posting in London thread, since we can take a train from London or start our tour from there.

Hi, We'll be staying in Canterbury for 2 days, and since the coast is so close we'd like to take a Stagecoast bus to one of the nearby beach towns. Which is prettiest/most scenic or most worth visiting, in your opinion? Some options are Herne Bay, Whitstaple, Ramsgate, and Broadstairs. From Broadstairs is it easy to get to the beach with white cliffs? Thank you for your help. Cathy

First, I would like to thank anyone who responds to this question. My wife and I will be departing Dover for a cruise in July and are arriving one day early. We plan to rent a car and go to Canterbury to see the Cathedral leaving in the early afternoon. I went on the Cathedral website to see about purchasing tix in advance and, it seems, that can't be done. Now my question: With only a half day to work with, can anyone provide me with some basic information re: parking, entrance to the Cathedral, events (Evening Song?) and any suggestions for a nice pub/restaurant for dinner prior to our return to Dover? Again, thank you in advance to anyone who provides some insights/opinions/suggestions, etc.

We are visisting a relative at Uni in Canterbury, travelling down from Yorkshire early on the Saturday morning. We will be finished with our visit at about 3-4pm. We can't decide whether to stay overnight in Canterbury (all the hotels have mixed reviews :( )or whether to go back up into London (we have rail tickets to return home from London to Yorkshire at 8.30 sun eve). Or we wondered if Ashford was a nice place to stay? I dont know the area at all and can only find Ashford as a station that the Canterbury to London train stops at. As an aside, we have pre-booked rail tickets for £24 each (single) from Wakefield to Canterbury. We have checked the websites for the fares into London and its about £25 each one way!!!! What a rip off.

What would you have a class of 15-year olds do and see in Canterbury? These would not be English children and the visit would be, say... 2 days.

If you wanted to tour around Cantebury for the day, is there a hotel or place that you can check your luggage that would keep it for several hours? thanks, george

Hey All, We are planning a day trip to Canterbury in end of December from Wembley. It takes around 1.30 hrs one-way. Is one day enough for Canterbury and do you suggest any other cities of interest that I can club in with Canterbury? Thanks.

Hello, My friend and I are planning a day in Canterbury as my friend is very interested in the "Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer. We are travelling by train and would like to have some recommnedations on good places to eat (our lunch) as well as exploring the city. We are planning to see the Cathedral but would like to know more about the Chaucer trail and the history. Our local bookshops didn't yield any copies of either the book or the film except for modern interpretations. As my nephew is studying at the university we are hoping he can guide us in the city.

Hi. We are disembarking in Dover from a cruise on April 28th. We'd like to spend some time in Dover, then go to Canterbury, tour on our own there and stay overnight. Since we'll be hauling our luggage around, is there anywhere in Dover we could leave the luggage while we go to the castle, etc., before taking the train, or other transportation, to Canterbury? Also suggestions for good B&B's in Canterbury and the best way to get to Heathrow from Canterbury would be appreciated. Thanks! I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to ask about Dover.

Hello everyone. I'll be visiting London in about two weeks (for the third time), and I think it's about time I pay a visit in attractions outside of London. I'll be traveling on public transportation so would it be wise to plan a day trip combining Dover castle and Canterbury.? If it is possible, which one should be my first stop, if my journey begins in London? What is the best route and means of transportation? I'd appreciate some other ideas for daytrips outside of London (already traveled to Windsor, Rochester and Chatham). Thank you very much for your time and attention, Rony

Do you know of any restaurants in Canterbury that cater for a gluten free diet, or at least have a menu that identifies whether the meal contains gluten or not. Thank you Wendy Green

Hello I will be visiting Canterbury shortly and will be arriving at Dover around 11:00. As I am staying around Canterbury I wanted to know if there was a nice scenic drive from Dover to Canterbury which may take 2-3 hours perhaps taking in some of the coast. I don't mind going out of my way if there are any nice little towns to see. I will be driving on a Sunday and would also like to stop off at a little pub for a traditional lunch if anyone can suggest a children friendly place. Thank you for help. Dave

How long does the train from Cantebury to London take? Thanks!

Hello everyone! First post. My family and I will be flying from the US in late September for an approximately 10-day stay in England. We have chosen to go the self-catering route and to make our "base" for travel in an apartment that is literally across the street from the West rail station in Canterbury (we have stayed in Ashford before). We intend to use the rail and bus services for our sightseeing tours to places such as Dover, Leeds Castle, Tenterden, etc., and for several day trips to London. We are unsure, as yet, of how many days we will actually be traveling by bus/rail, but I know we will be doing a lot of this kind of travel -- possibly as much as 10 days traveling by bus and rail. The total party will consist of four adults (one is a senior) and one 6-year-old child. The choices of multi-day rail passes are bewildering ... can any of you help in suggesting the best multi-day bus, rail and Underground tickets for the price? Are there any multi-day passes that combine any of these services? (Since we'll all be traveling together, it's OK if the suggestions are for multi-party passes.) Also (full of questions, here, yes), am I correct in assuming that most of the rail service in and around the southeast is second class, so no need to spring the extra money for first-class rail passes? (What is the difference between first and second class, anyway?) As for the arrival trip to Canterbury from Heathrow, I'm assuming we can hop on the Heathrow Express train to London, change trains in London, and take the Southeastern line to Canterbury West station via Ashford International. Is there any restriction to taking airline luggage on local trains? I'd hate to have to pay cab fare for that journey. (When we were last in the UK, I remember purchasing a one-day rail card at Ashford International that paid for all rail and Underground passage for one day -- and it wasn't expensive. Do they still offer things like that?) This will be my second time in the UK, and the first time we had hosts (via a sister city relationship with Ashford) who drove us everywhere we wanted to go in their personal cars. This time we want a little freedom to do what we want, when we want to -- hence the decision to rely on trains & buses without the hassle and worry of renting a car. Good idea? Bad idea? Suggestions? I await your expertise!

Looking forward to a cruise stop in Dover for 8 hours. Is it possible to make easy connections to Canterbury on our own? The ship excursions are very expensive.

I'm about to move to canterbury and am trying to hook up some accommodation before I go. I'm moving permanently but need somewhere to stay for a few months while I get settled. I've found a sharehouse via the internet which has some really friendly people staying in it, but it is located off Sturry Road down one of the subdivisions. I've heard this is a bad area, really grotty. Can anyone tell me if this is true?? I'd appreciate any advice on this part of town. Cheers.

I have a picture of a shrine with a man on his back with hands together as if in prayer. It was taken in the basement and I believe it held a real body within the statue of the man. Can you tell me who this is/what it is about? Thanks. I'm using this in an English class I'm teaching.

I know Canterbury very well ,Brought a friend to see.. Would like to book for two. Have tried to get brochure to bo told out of Print!! Has the name changed? I got on the internet.. Abode Canterbury A brochure would give all I want to know.... We would like probably October but no date fixed. Are all rates for Rooms fixed prices?? Breakfast not included for all rooms ?? Would it be difficult to book for October ??

Last September, my family visited England. We ate at many wonderful places. One particular favorite of ours was some cole slaw we had. My Dad swears he ate it at the Old Weavers Restaurant but I remember that he ate roast beef and had peas with gravy for his meal and I don't think that he had cole slaw with it. Now we are going crazy trying to have this settled between us! Does anyone know if they serve cole slaw there and if they do, would they serve it with a meal of roast beef? I appreciate any insight anyone might have in bringing peace to our family. Sincerely, E Byrne California

Hi. I'm really interested in doing the original walk traced in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Does anyone know anything about doing this? Are there companies that have this mapped out? I've seen lots of companies who will help out in the walk across the Lakes District, so I was hoping there would something similar - help finding accom, maybe shuttle bags, etc. If there aren't these sorts of places that help, has anyone done this walk? Is it something worth investigating? Thanks.

Hello I´m a Spanish student boy who wants go for two or three months to live in Canterbury. I wish to know if it´s easy to find a Job in this town. My level of English is very basic, but i can work like a waiter or cleaner in a hotel, not in dirct and intensive trat with people until i could speak and usdertand better than now. So, If someone could advised me i were very grateful.

Hi VT'ers Anyone know of a hotel in canterbury or nearby that has rooms for 3 adults and 1 child. I'm trying to keep the price down on my trip to france and could do with out booking 2 seperate rooms for a one night stop on the way to the ferry port. HELP cheers steve

Hi all, Rhineroll (Winfried) will be in Canterbury on July 10th. Can you make it for a meal and some drinks?? If you can I have posted a meeting in the meetings and events section. Look forward to seeing you.

Is it wise to take a gourp trip to Canterbury in the early winter so as to avoid the summer time crowdedness? Also, regarding the gardens in Canterbury are they only in bloom in the spring and the rest of the time deftly unattractive, or are there seasonal winter flowers that replace the spring flowers? (in other words how does the west gate garden look in the winter) Also, another question, are there any places (other than climbing west gate) where you can get a good view of the city from up high? Thanks, HRH