London has its fair share of pop-up beaches each summer, but nothing beats the proper sunshine-ice-cream-fish-and-chips-neon-lights-cheesy-music-arcade-games-doughnuts-on-the-pier British seaside. These Kentish seaside towns are all within easy reach of London, whether you're looking for bucket-and-spade sand or something a bit more sophisticated.
Visit Whitstable from London
Whitstable's popularity with Londoners has swelled in recent years, lending it something of a hip reputation. Its working harbour means oysters are plentiful around these parts; the dreamy pink Wheelers Oyster Bar is Wes Anderson-esque, and incredibly popular for photos. Throw in historic buildings and alleyways, and Whitstable is quite the charmer.
The prevalence of fishing boats and wooden fishing huts alongside the shingle beach, make for a postcard-perfect British seaside experience. Some are even available as overnight accommodation, if you fancy making a weekend of it. Whitstable High Street has a mix of chain shops and independent boutiques; swing by Bears Ice Cream Imaginarium, an inventive independent ice cream parlour five minutes' walk from the seafront. Follow them on Instagram for their latest flavours, which recently included honey, ginger & blackberry jam.
The beach itself is shingle beach — groynes stretching as far as the eye can see. If you're looking for a sandy beach, this isn't it. Often revealed on the mud flats in low tide is a large oyster farm. Curious? Don your wellies and take a tour, or visit during the town's annual oyster festival in September.
Get to know the local area better at the Whitstable Museum & Gallery, a small building on the high street packed with local history spanning the shipbuilding, fishing and oyster industries, and perhaps most surprisingly, the Invicta steam locomotive, built by George and Robert Stephenson in the 1820s. Alternatively, take a walk or cycle ride along the Whitstable Coastal Trail to visit more of the surrounds.
Getting to Whitstable from London
Southeastern trains run direct from both Victoria and St Pancras. Each route takes about 80 minutes.
Visit Margate from London
Jutting out into the North Sea like the wayward limb of Kent, Margate's come a long way since the heady 1982 days of Chas and Dave (and Rodney and Del Boy, seven years later) — the 2011 opening of the Turner Contemporary Gallery (free to visit!) cementing its cultural credentials.
Of course that sandy beach — one of the best in the south-east — is still there, and packed when the weather's half decent. It has a tidal pool if you don't fancy braving the wide open sea, and you'll still get your stick of rock or '99 if that's what you're after. But Margate's got cool, with plenty of vintage shops, bakeries and art galleries to keep weekend visitors and Instagrammers happy.
Attraction-wise, Dreamland's opened and closed many times since its massive resurgence in 2011, but at time of writing it's open again, having seen an increase in popularity after it appeared in 2022 film Empire of Light, starring Olivia Colman.
The Shell Grotto, buried under Margate's streets is a unique and mysterious collection of more than four million shells lining 70ft of underground passageways, and you can continue your subterranean adventures at the nearby Margate Caves. Or stay above ground and get your claws into the Crab Museum, apparently "Europe’s first and only museum dedicated to the world of the decapod" (and who are we to argue with a claim like that?). Vintage furniture shop Junk Deluxe is unique in its own way, drawing collectors from miles around, with plenty for the casual browser. And of course, the shelter where T.S. Eliot wrote The Wasteland still peers out over the shore. Maybe it'll inspire your own poem.
Fancy staying a little longer? Penny Rope is a prison cell-themed hotel room, set just a couple of blocks back from the seafront.
Getting to Margate from London
Direct Southeastern trains from both Victoria (around one hour 40 mins) and St Pancras (around one hour 30 mins).
Visit Broadstairs from London
Sandwiched between the better-known towns of Margate and Ramsgate, Broadstairs is often overlooked, but for our money, it's the best of the three. It doesn't tend to get quite as busy as Margate (yet), but its sandy, sheltered beach Viking Bay is one of the best in the south-east. It's also got a beautiful collection of beach huts for anyone seeking that Instagram shot, and some gorgeous houses peer down on the beach from the cliffs above.
If you can tear yourself away from the golden sands, head to Morelli's Gelato (which also has branches in Whitstable and Margate) to cool down before exploring the town centre. The Dickens House Museum celebrates the author's links to the area and his inspiration for parts of David Copperfield (keep your eyes open for other nods to his work in Broadstairs, including Bleak House, a bold name for a B&B).
Getting to Broadstairs from London
Southeastern runs direct trains from both Victoria and St Pancras, taking between one hour 20 mins and two hours.
Visit Ramsgate from London
Ramsgate boasts one of the largest marinas on the south coast, so if you're looking for somewhere to dock your yacht (aren't we all?), you know where to come. Though it's mainly a summer destination, it draws the crowds at Christmas too, when boat owners trim their vessels with festive lights. The harbour is the only one in the UK to be designated as a Royal Harbour, through you won't see many members of the Royal family around these parts.
Even if you've nary an inflatable dinghy to your name, there's still plenty to do. It's something of a typical seaside town, with amusement arcades, ample fish and chip shops, and it's worth walking to the end of the harbour arm if you're into sea views.
If it's a beach day you're after, head immediately north-east of the harbour for the golden strip of Ramsgate Main Sands. Otherwise, there's plenty to do in the town centre, including exploring a network of wartime tunnels.
Getting to Ramsgate from London
Southeastern runs direct trains from Charing Cross, Waterloo East, London Bridge, Victoria and St Pancras, all taking around two hours.
Visit Deal & Walmer from London
Deal and Walmer may have started as two separate towns — each with its own castle — but these days, it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. While Walmer Castle, which dates from Tudor times, and its gardens, are worth a visit, we recommend heading to Deal for the full seaside experience. After a refurbishment, the upper deck of Deal Pier is open again, and the town's pebble beach is available for those looking for a sunbathing spot or a dip in the sea.
Beyond that, it's very much your typical seaside town, albeit a smaller, more subtle version. Amusement arcades sit alongside fish and chip shops, pubs and cafes, and ample hotels and B&Bs. Yet rather than screaming their tourist-baiting credentials through neon signs, the quaint buildings are a mish-mash of pastel-hued, wooden boarded beauties. It's all interspersed with ways to while away your time including the Kent Museum of the Moving Image (cinema history, and currently, an exhibition about entertainer Norman Wisdom); Deal Museum (local, primarily maritime, history); and the Grade-II listed Deal Timeball Tower, previously used by ships to check their chronometers when the ball fell at 1pm each day.
Getting to Deal from London
Deal and Walmer stations are just four minutes apart, but Deal is closer to the action. Southeastern services direct from St Pancras take around one hour 40 minutes.
Visit Dymchurch and St Mary's Bay from London
One of the lesser-known entries on this list, these are two separate towns on Romney Marsh, but the mile or so walk between them is easily done on the tarmac seafront promenade. From past experience, we'd recommend bringing a kite (or purchasing one at one of the many seaside shops), if you're that way inclined.
In Dymchurch itself, the amusement park and various bars and cafes will satisfy any rock/candy floss cravings, with lilos and toys readily available from a number of shops with stripy awnings. The beach isn't the prettiest on this list (concrete Martello towers are the main landmarks on the shore) but good for a stroll.
The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway shuttles steam and diesel locomotives through the area, with seven stations to choose from. The City of London pub does a cracking Sunday roast (though at time of writing it's up for sale, its future uncertain).
Getting to Dymchurch from London
Ideally, you need a car from this one. The nearest stations are Folkestone West (Southeastern) and Ham Street (Southern), both several miles away.
Visit Herne Bay from London
Herne Bay literally has a museum called The Seaside Museum, so it was a shoo-in for this list. Once you've finished perusing the current exhibition, take a wander out on the pier and ride the helter skelter, or tuck into seaside snacks to make the most of Kent's northern coastline. The beach itself is shingle, with sand exposed at low tide.
For a more peaceful time, head out on the harbour arm — otherwise known as Neptune's Arm — for views out to sea, before swinging by 1940s-themed tearoom The Vintage Empire for coffee, cakes and snacks.
The town also has some of the best beach huts in Kent, providing a psychedelic backdrop to that pebble beach.
Getting to Herne Bay from London
Southeaster runs direct trains from both St Pancras and Victoria, each taking under 90 minutes.
Visit Folkestone from London
If you want sea air and seafood, Folkestone's the one. The Harbour Arm, a former railway track has been regenerated as a public space in recent years, with plenty of restaurants and bars — and an impressive viewpoint — jutting out into the sea, with a champagne bar in a lighthouse at the tip. Regular events take place in the summer, including live music and film screenings.
By far the best restaurant in town is Rocksalt, winner of numerous accolades and offering panoramic views over the harbour. You'll want to book in advance to make sure you get a table.
The town centre itself is fairly universal, with a few gems thrown in, including the Folkestone Museum, which covers local history from the Stone Age through to the arrival of the railways, and as a military base during wartime.
For beach time, head to Sunny Sands, a small stretch just east of the harbour which offers the town's only sand: the main Folkestone Beach further south is predominantly pebble.
Getting to Folkestone from London
The town is home to two stations. Folkestone Central is closest to the action and can be reached in around one hour direct from St Pancras, or one hour 45 minutes direct from Charing Cross, both on Southeastern.
Visit Dover from London
Being a port town, Dover isn't a quaint seaside village — and it often hits the headline for all the wrong reasons, related to transit through its ports. There is a stretch of beach on the Esplanade, but given that it's within the Harbour, you'd be better off heading to one of the other places on this list if you want a dip.
Do wander along the seafront though, for some bracing sea air, before getting stuck into what Dover does best — history. It's got historic buildings and attractions piled up high on top of those famous white cliffs, most of which are part of Dover Castle. It's got towers. It's got medieval tunnels. It's got a secret underground hospital. And on the other side of the harbour, views to France (on a clear day) from Western Heights
The town also has its own Tower Hamlets — nothing to do with the London borough, but somewhat reassuring if you're getting London withdrawal symptoms.
Head a couple of miles along the cliffs to visit South Foreland Lighthouse in the village of St Margaret's Bay. It was the first lighthouse to use an electric light, and is now owned by the National Trust.
Getting to Dover from London
Dover Priory station is just over an hour from St Pancras, or close to two hours from Charing Cross, both direct on Southeastern.
