Canterbury Cathedral

First of all let me say that while there are tours which will take you to the cathedral from London along with a few other stops, you can totally do it yourself. Canterbury can be a super easy day trip for anyone who wants to get their feet wet in solo travel, or at least less reliant on tours. The old architecture makes for a charming stroll, it’s easy to navigate, and offers a whole host of cultural and historical sites to learn from. It’s two hours from London by train, meaning that if you are visiting London you can hop onto a train in Victoria Station in the morning and be in Canterbury with plenty of time left for exploration.

Finding Canterbury Cathedral is a bit trickier. I definitely suggest having a map open for this one, because had I not already known what I was looking for I might have missed it. You can definitely see the spires from far away, but finding the entrance to the cathedral becomes a bit tricky because of where it’s situated. Because it’s built within a cloister, the cathedral actually has a gate situated between two shops. When I say gate, I don’t mean your garden variety picket fence. I mean several stories high gates. Looking down the street in the picture above, you can see both the gates and the spires of the Cathedral. Those gates are where you’ll get your tickets. Be sure to book your tickets ahead of time, as of right now because of Covid the entrance is timed, and they are only booking up to two weeks in advance, and the cost is £12.50 for anyone over eighteen. Kids get in free with a paying adult.

There are volunteers scattered around the church who will be more than happy to answer your questions and give you little tidbits of history; Canterbury is full of it.

Although the site has been used since the Roman era, it’s most well known as the place where St. Thomas Becket was martyred in 1170, but the entire story of that martyrdom is a fascinating one. The crypts even have a special statue to commemorate the event. Personally I found it a bit eerie down there, as was the statue, so I wouldn’t recommend bringing very young children down there. You might also find the history of the church of England a rather fascinating one, as the Plantagenets, the family that would eventually be succeeded by the Tudors, were heavily involved with this particular cathedral. Canterbury was also host to monks, so there are plenty of rooms to explore that once belonged to the abbey including council chambers and gardens.

I would definitely recommend giving yourself not only plenty of time to go through the cathedral, but also time to wander through the town too. You’ll find a wide boulevard for shopping, boat tours of the canals which run through the city, bits of the old town fortifications which still remain, cemeteries and parks, and plenty of restaurants to suite your needs. Canterbury also has a rather unique Creams, a chain restaurant found in England. Most of them are decorated in purple and black, more 50s looking than anything else, but the one in Canterbury has full on Steampunk décor! For this trip make sure to wear a decent pair of walking shoes, as I’ve found of all the English cities I’ve visited, the cobble in Canterbury is the most likely to reach up and trip you! Remember to also plan your trip home as well, and know when the last train leaves Canterbury in the evening to get back to London, or wherever else you’re staying. As always, bring sunscreen, a raincoat or umbrella, and your sense of adventure!