England · United Kingdom
Where to stay in Canterbury
Canterbury is a city in England, United Kingdom, home to about 55,000 people. This guide covers 1 hotel in Canterbury, with about 82 rooms between them. Every one carries a published guest score, and the list below is ordered by it.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 1
- Best months
- June to September
- Nearest airport
- SEN42 km · London Southend Airport
- Currency
- GBPpound sterling
- Time zone
- Europe/London
- Language
- Cornish, English, Irish
About
About Canterbury
Canterbury ( KAN-tər-bər-ee or -berr-ee) is a city and UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Canterbury district, county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. Lying on the River Stour not far from its mouth on the Strait of Dover, the city has a mild oceanic climate.
Canterbury is a major tourist centre in the county of Kent. Even though it was bombed relentlessly during the Second World War (The Blitz), it still contains many ancient buildings, and modern building development within the medieval town centre is strictly regulated by officials at Canterbury. As a result of the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170, Canterbury became a major centre of pilgrimage, the backdrop of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in 1387 about pilgrims passing the time by sharing stories. There is a museum in Canterbury about the Tales.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Canterbury
See
Canterbury has an interesting mix of architectural styles, from genuine Tudor buildings to 1960s style office buildings. However there are architectural gems around every corner. There is no coherent style to the buildings as much of the city was demolished during bombing raids in World War II, but much has survived. The Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Dane John Gardens (by the city walls and around the corner from the Whitefriars development) are full of surprises, hosting events almost every weekend during the summer months. Examples include French and farmers markets with all types of cuisine.
- Canterbury Cathedral
- Cathedral Close
- Norman staircase
- St Martin's Church
- St Augustine's Abbey
- Canterbury Castle
- West Gate Towers
- Canterbury Roman Museum
- The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge
- Sidney Cooper Gallery
Do
- Canterbury Historic River Tours
- Kent CCC
- Bison Safari
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
The best-rated places to stay in Canterbury
Ordered by guest score as each operator publishes it, weighted by the number of reviews so a handful of perfect scores does not outrank thousands of very good ones. Scores are shown on their own scale.
| # | Place to stay | Rooms | Guest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travelodge Canterbury Chaucer Central hotel | 82 | 4.0/5 275 reviews |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
More hotels in Canterbury
55 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Broome Park | 1638 | 11.9 km |
| Fleur de Lis Hotel | 0.2 km | |
| Black Horse Inn | 0.6 km | |
| Blackfriars Monastery Guest House | 0.4 km | |
| Blue Anchor Inn | 0.5 km | |
| Cherry Tree Inn | 0.1 km | |
| Compasses Inn | 9.8 km | |
| Cross Keys Inn | 0.6 km | |
| Duke Of Cumberland Hotel | 9.9 km | |
| Four Horse Shoes Inn | 10.6 km | |
| House Of Agnes Hotel | 0.5 km | |
| Part Of The Rose And Crown Inn | 0.5 km | |
| Pilgrims Hotel | 0.3 km | |
| Seven Stars Hotel | 0.3 km | |
| Shakespeare Inn | 0.3 km | |
| The Anchor Inn | 6.2 km | |
| The Artichoke Inn | 4.8 km | |
| The Bell And Crown Inn | 0.4 km | |
| The Brewer's Delight Inn | 0.6 km | |
| The Bridge Arms | 4.9 km | |
| The Bun Penny | 11.1 km | |
| The Duke's Head Inn | 0.5 km | |
| The Evenhill | 5.7 km | |
| The Falstaff Hotel | 0.4 km | |
| The Flying Horse Public House | 0.5 km | |
| The George And Dragon Inn | 3.8 km | |
| The George Inn | 12.9 km | |
| The Grove Ferry Inn | 10.3 km | |
| The King's Head Inn | 1.0 km | |
| The Maiden's Head Inn | 0.5 km | |
| The Miller's Arms Public House | 0.5 km | |
| The Mitre Inn | 0.3 km | |
| The Monument Inn | 0.8 km | |
| The Palm Tree Inn | 11.5 km | |
| The Pier Hotel | 10.8 km | |
| The Queen's Head Hotel | 0.1 km | |
| The Rose Inn | 7.4 km | |
| The Ship Inn | 11.2 km | |
| The Sun Hotel | 0.3 km | |
| The Swan Inn | 3.9 km |
All 56 hotels in Canterbury, with their history and operators
When to go
The best time to visit Canterbury
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Canterbury are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; November is the wettest, with about 94 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Canterbury: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London Southend Airport (SEN), about 42 km from the city centre in a straight line; London City Airport (LCY, 75 km) and London Stansted Airport (STN, 89 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Canterbury is easily accessible from London by following the M2 south and east until it merges with the A2, linking Canterbury with Chatham, Gillingham and Sittingbourne to the north, and the port of Dover to the south. Another regional arterial road, the A28, travels eastwards to Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate and westwards to Ashford, the site of the Eurostar station for rail links to France, Belgium and the continent. Excellent park and ride facilities allow you to park inexpensively outside the city and take a bus into town.
Getting around
It is recommended to walk as the town centre is quite compact; it takes only 10 min to walk down the semi-pedestrianised high street. Cyclists are welcome in Canterbury; the first stage of the 2007 Tour de France finished in the city. However, dedicated cycle paths are relatively few. Local bike shop Downland Cycles (www.downlandcycles.co.uk) is located on the London-bound platform of Canterbury West train station. It offers bike rentals and sales.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SEN · London Southend Airport
LCY · London City Airport
STN · London Stansted Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Canterbury
Eat
Canterbury city centre is a veritable trove of low to mid-range restaurants and cafés – many different styles of cuisine are available at prices to suit most pockets.
Drink
There are a large selection of pubs inside the city walls. Canterbury offers many chain pubs (such as JD Wetherspoons) but also many smaller venues. Due to the layout of the city, it is possible to walk down its numerous small streets and find a great place for a drink. Canterbury is also very close to Faversham, a town closely associated with Shepherd Neame brewery (Britain's oldest brewers) and has many pubs which offer many locally brewed real-ales.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Canterbury
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 1 place
of 1 place
of 1 place
Questions
Canterbury: questions travellers ask
What are the best-rated hotels in Canterbury?
By published guest score: Travelodge Canterbury Chaucer Central (4.0 / 5 · 275 reviews · www.travelodge.co.uk (operator's own guest score)).
When is the best time to visit Canterbury?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Canterbury are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; November is the wettest, with about 94 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Canterbury?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London Southend Airport (SEN), about 42 km from the city centre in a straight line; London City Airport (LCY, 75 km) and London Stansted Airport (STN, 89 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Canterbury?
pound sterling (GBP).
Nearby
Destinations near Canterbury
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.