Margate

Best things to do in Margate

1. 

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   1. A day trip to Canterbury

   • A full day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Families
   • No car needed
   • Rainy day

   The cathedral, founded in 597 and the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, forms a World Heritage Site with St Martin's Church and the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey. Thomas Becket was murdered in the cathedral in 1170, making the city a major pilgrimage destination.

   Check cathedral opening times and any entry arrangements on its own website before you travel; the sources here do not say.

   18,635 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Canterbury

2. 

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   2. Sandwich

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Couples
   • No car needed
   • Rainy day

   A medieval Cinque Port town on the River Stour that kept many original buildings. Highlights in Wikipedia include the 14th-century Barbican gate, the 1579 Guildhall, Fisher Gate from 1384 and the Guildhall Museum, which holds copies of Magna Carta.

   7,149 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Sandwich, Kent

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   3. Margate Shell Grotto

   • About 1 hour
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples
   • Rainy day

   An underground chalk passage and chamber covered in shell mosaics, about 2,000 sq ft in all. Its age, makers and purpose are unknown. It was rediscovered around 1835 and is a Grade I listed building with a museum room and cafe.

   Opening days change by season (autumn: daily for a short spell, then Thursday to Sunday). Check the official site for current times and how to buy tickets.

   6,502 readers a month

   Sources

   • Shell Grotto, official site
   • Wikipedia, Shell Grotto, Margate

4. 

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   4. Ramsgate Royal Harbour

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Families
   • Couples
   • No car needed

   Ramsgate has the only Royal Harbour in the United Kingdom, begun in 1749 and finished around 1850. The town also has Pugin's church and house, the Ramsgate Tunnels and the Main Sands beach, which won a Blue Flag in 2015.

   4,911 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Ramsgate

5. 

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   5. Broadstairs and Viking Bay

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Dickens Festival in June
   • Families
   • Couples
   • No car needed

   A seaside town where Charles Dickens stayed regularly from 1837 to 1859. Viking Bay is the main beach, patrolled by lifeguards in summer. The Dickens Festival is held each June, with Victorian costume.

   3,881 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Broadstairs

6. 

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   6. Dreamland Margate

   • Half a day
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families

   A seaside amusement park on a site used for rides since 1880, with a Dreamland name since 1920. It reopened in 2015. Its historic wooden Scenic Railway has been closed since 2024 and the park has said it will not reopen.

   The park runs seasonally. Check its official site for opening dates and ticketing; the Scenic Railway is not available.

   1,819 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Dreamland Margate
   • Time Out, Scenic Railway closing

7. 

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   7. Reculver towers and country park

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • No booking needed
   • Families
   • Active
   • Couples

   The twin towers of the ruined medieval church of St Mary stand on the site of a Roman fort, with church origins in 669. The surrounding country park covers about 26 hectares. The ruins are in the care of English Heritage.

   1,219 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Reculver

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   8. Richborough Roman Fort

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Families
   • Couples
   • Rainy day

   A Roman Saxon Shore fort near Sandwich with walls still several metres high, probably close to where the AD 43 invasion landed. It is cared for by English Heritage. A short walk away is an amphitheatre that could seat about 5,000, and an on-site museum shows finds.

   Check English Heritage for current opening times and ticketing; the Wikipedia source does not say.

   789 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Richborough Castle

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   9. Turner Contemporary

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • No booking needed
   • Rainy day
   • Couples
   • Families
   • No car needed

   A contemporary art gallery on Margate's seafront, opened on 16 April 2011 in a David Chipperfield building. The name honours the painter J. M. W. Turner's ties to the town. Entry is free, with donations welcome; open Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm, and bank holidays.

   The gallery's own site lists these hours; check it for changes or special exhibitions.

   590 readers a month

   Sources

   • Turner Contemporary, official site
   • Wikipedia, Turner Contemporary

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    10. Pegwell Bay

    • 1 to 2 hours
    • No booking needed
    • Families
    • Active
    • Couples

    A shallow inlet of the River Stour estuary between Ramsgate and Sandwich, part of it a nature reserve with mudflats and salt marsh used by migrating waders and wildfowl. A full-size Viking longboat replica stands on the cliff above.

    Access to the reserve is through Pegwell Bay Country Park.

    492 readers a month

    Sources

    • Wikipedia, Pegwell Bay

Just missed the list: North Foreland (11th by readers; the headland and lighthouse near Broadstairs); Botany Bay (12th by readers; a beach near Broadstairs)