With the right train, most of Kent is accessible for weekend getaways from London. We had a wet, cold, and reasonably pleasant December trip covering Canterbury, Rochester, and a bit of Gravesend.

Canterbury

Canterbury is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular destination – it’s quite compact and accessible, the kind of place that would make sense for a day-trip excursion from a cruise ship. 

It’s very touristy, in a fairly cheerful way. 1 day is plenty to see all the major sites:

• Canterbury Castle is covered with scaffolding and largely not visible – apparently has been like this for years.
• ***Canterbury Cathedral, which is very impressive. It’s huge – long in particular, though big overall, almost feeling like multiple cathedrals stacked end to end. Great stained glass. The Norman crypt is the largest in Britain, with capitals of grotesque musicians and beasts. The choir, rebuilt by William of Sens after 1174, is where French Gothic entered England — the transition, dated and documented by an eyewitness account.
• The river walk, which even in winter is rather pretty, around the historic center.
• **St Augustine’s Abbey (where Christianity started in England): St. Augustine’s Abbey was originally created as a burial place for the Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent, and is part of the Canterbury World Heritage Site, along with the cathedral and St Martin’s Church. We viewed from afar, the site was closed due to weather.
• **St. Martin’s Church: A small and quiet place with an excellent graveyard. Historically important; dating back to the 6th Century, it’s the oldest, continually-used, English-speaking church worldwide.  

We did our research and ate well, far better than we typically do in the UK.

• Dinner at the ***Fordwich Arms was high end, elegant, and charming – a restored classic pub serving haute cuisine of the region. About 15 minutes outside of town by car.
  • There’s a second restaurant in the vicinity that looked appealing – George and the Dragon.
• The **Corner House is on a busy street outside the city walls. They have rooms – we elected not to stay here because of noise, but after visiting I’m not sure it would be an issue – they’ve done a lot of soundproofing. While lacking curb appeal, the interior is very classic, and the food fairly formal, well prepared. 
• **The Foundry Brewpub – Canterbury Brewers and Distillers: Pretty good! Classic pub food in a modern-industrial setting. 

Lodging:

• We liked the charming, historically funky **Cathedral Gate Hotel. Room was very small, but with an excellent view of the Cathedral (it literally is over the gate). Friendly staff.
• Just next to it, the Canterbury Cathedral Lodge Hotel is the higher end, classic option. We walked in, and wouldn’t necessarily recommend it (for the price) – looks rather 1970s in style.
• See notes on Corner House, above.
• I ruled out the House of Agnes because it was outside the city gate, but in retrospect it was really convenient to the train station and would have been a decent choice. The Falstaff Hotel is another option that looked fairly appealing.

Other recommendations/posts:

https://handluggageonly.co.uk/?s=canterbury

https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/best-restaurants-in-kent

Rochester

In my opinion, Rochester has a better high street than Canterbury – charming, historic buildings, lots of dining options, cute shops. The train station is right next to everything (mere blocks from the castle and cathedral), making this an easy visit – when the trains decide to be running on time.

Charles Dickens lived in the area as a child, and again as an adult. There’s a rather nice little museum (the **Guildhall Museum) that tells the story of his life with focus on the region. We also liked the recreated prison ship experience.

**Rochester Cathedral was founded in 604 and is the second oldest Cathedral in England (the construction of the current building began around 1079–1080). It’s a calm, elegant spot – the central nave in particular – and very much in use. Includes a west portal with column-figures, unusual in England. We appreciated that they’re using the crypt as a cafe, actively looking to bring people in.

We didn’t see Rochester Castle – the interior and grounds, at least – it was closed due to weather. It’s one of the best-preserved and finest examples of Norman architecture in England – not huge, but impressive in its fortified austerity.

Lunch was at **Don Vincenzo – a more modern setting, pizza and pasta, friendly service.