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Kent

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An artist painting the coastline of the Dover Cliffs from the top of the chalky hill, Dover, United Kingdom.

© Mo Peerbacus/Alamy

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Overview

Kent isn’t described as the garden of England for nothing. Within its sea-lined borders you’ll find a fragrant landscape of gentle hills, fertile farmland, cultivated country estates and fruit-laden orchards. It could also be described as the beer garden of England as it produces the world-renowned Kent hops and some of the country’s finest ales and wines from its numerous vineyards. At its heart is spellbinding Canterbury, crowned by its enthralling cathedral. You’ll also find beautiful coastal stretches dotted with beach towns and villages, from old-school Broadstairs to gentrified Whitstable and the aesthetically challenged port town of Dover.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Leeds castle taken Just before the Sun appeared over the hill

    Leeds Castle

    Kent

    Leeds Castle, an immense moated pile just east of Maidstone,  is often considered the world’s most romantic castle. It's certainly one of the most visited…

  • Westerham England - August 21 2019; Chartwell country house of Winston Churchill now part of National Trust.

    Chartwell

    Kent

    The Chartwell Estate was home of Sir Winston Churchill from 1924 until his death in 1965. It offers a breathtakingly intimate insight into the life of…

  • MARGATE, ENGLAND - DEC 10, 2014 Turner Contemporary gallery, exhibition space, designed by David Chipperfield.

    Turner Contemporary

    Kent

    Turner Contemporary is a blockbuster art gallery, bolted together on the site of the seafront guesthouse where master painter JMW Turner used to stay…

  • Down, England - July 28, 2006: Down House, Charles Darwin's home, now a Museum, seen from the back garden.

    Down House

    Kent

    Down House, on the edge of the quaint Kent village of Downe, was Charles Darwin's home from 1842 until his death in 1882. It was here that he developed…

  • Dover Castle with tourists entering.

    Dover Castle

    Dover

    Occupying top spot, literally and figuratively, in Dover’s townscape, this most impressive of castles was built to bolster the country’s weakest point at…

  • Banksy Brexit Mural - removed

    Banksy Brexit Mural - removed

    Dover

    Despite voting leave, the poor port town of Dover is possibly the Southeast community set to suffer most post-Brexit. It was perhaps for that reason that…

  • Secret Wartime Tunnels

    Secret Wartime Tunnels

    Dover

    The biggest draw at Dover Castle is the secret wartime tunnels. The claustrophobic chalk-hewn passageways were excavated during the Napoleonic Wars and…

  • Richborough Roman Fort

    Richborough Roman Fort

    Kent

    Roman Britain began here amid the windswept ruins of Richborough’s Roman Fort, just 2 miles north of Sandwich. This is where the successful AD 43 invasion…

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Planning Tools

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Best Things to Do

Kent’s gentle hills and crystalline coast welcome travelers looking for oysters and breweries, cliffs and cathedrals, and more in this corner of England.

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