Luxury holidays in Canterbury

Home to Britain’s most famous cathedral and its oldest school (which counts Christopher Marlowe among its former pupils), Canterbury is a hive of history and tradition. Inhabited in some form or another since paleolithic times, Canterbury rose to prominence in 1170, when Thomas Becket was martyred in the cathedral, marking it out as a major pilgrimage site. The storytellers in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales make the journey for the same reason, but these days most people come for the wealth of history, charming Huguenot houses and the Kentish countryside, where England’s best sparkling wines are made.
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When to go

Canterbury is a year-round destination, but the surrounding countryside will be at its best in spring and summer.

Getting there

  • Planes

    The closest airport is London Gatwick, around 90 minutes’ drive from the city gates.

  • Trains

    The city’s main train station, Canterbury West, can be reached from London St Pancras in under an hour.

  • Automobiles

    Many visitors arrive by car, and it certainly pays to have your own set of wheels if you plan to explore rural Kent.