iTravelUK > Travel Guide > England > Southeast > Kent
Broadstairs
The little seaside town perches on the hillside with a long, steep road passing through and old stone arch which leads to Viking Bay. Originally called Main Sands, the bay was renamed in 1949 when the Danes re-enacted Hengist's passage to the Isle of Thanet in 449AD.
Herne Bay
Herne Bay saw its heyday in the Victorian era when Londoners came here in droves in a fashionable search for refreshment from the sea air. Nowadays the place has sleepy, peaceful ambience about it. Tourists generally come here to visit two main attractions, the offshore seal colony and the ruins of a Roman Fort at Reculver.
Whitstable
Whitstable is a beautiful, historic fishing village. The town makes the bulk of its revenue from the sea in much the same way as it did back in Roman times. Head down to the working harbour, where you'll see fishermen bringing in their catch or buy some fresh oysters from the local fishmarket for a mere 40p a piece.
Margate
a new cargo inundated the town in the 18th century when boatloads of holiday makers came to try out Benjamin Beale's wonderful, new innovation. A local inventor, he patented a bathing machine which allowed for therapeutic and modest bathing.
Rochester
Lying some 50km from London, Rochester overlooks the River Medway. It is a historic town which gained importance from its strategic position on the London to Dover road.
Ramsgate
The seafront is lined by stately, red-brick Victorian and Georgian buildings looking over the only Royal Harbour in England. Tourists are drawn here on visits to Hugin, the Viking Ship while others are pilgrims who come to visit the St. Augustine Cross, the site which marks the beginning of Christianity in England.
Sandwich
the name of this historic, riverside town made its name into the world's culinary repertoire by the habits of John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. A man too fond of gambling to stop to eat, it is said he preferred his meat between two slices of bread.
Canterbury
The religious capital of Britain, Canterbury stood in the central stage of an often turbulent history. The centuries saw repeated sacking by the Danes, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and targeting by the Baedeker Raids, the infamous Nazi plan to obliterate Britain's historic sites. Despite the turbulence, Canterbury survived and is now home to one of Britain's Unesco World Heritage Sites. The awe-inspiring, Canterbury Cathedral, ruins of St. Augustine's Abbey and the ancient St. Martin's Church are all protected heritage areas.
Dover
Strategically located just 21 miles from Calais and continental Europe, Dover's thriving port and gleaming white cliffs have played an essential role in the development of England and its psyche. Not merely a port, Dover boast some of the country's great attractions, a Bronze Age boat, the incredible Dover Castle and the record-breaking South Foreland Lighthouse.