Whitstable is a quaint beachfront town in Kent, just over an hour away from London. It’s the perfect place for a day trip from London and you can easily sample the best that Whitstable has to offer in one day.
It’s famous for its oyster trade, long pebble beaches and colourful beach huts. Keep reading for 13 unmissable things to do in Whitstable!
How to Get to Whitstable from London
By train
Trains to Whitstable from London depart from St Pancras International and take around 1 hour and 15 minutes. Whitstable station is very close to the beach and you can walk to the sea front in around 10 minutes. Book tickets to Whitstable via the Trainline for the best deals.
By car
You can drive from London to Whitstable in around 1 hr 40 mins via the A2 and M2. There is some free on-street parking in Tankerton or you can find a car park.
Where to Stay in Whitstable
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Try Fresh Oysters
Oysters are one of those indulgent foods that most people balk at. A slimy grey mollusc straight from the shell? It’s not the most appealing thought.
Whitstable is known for its oyster trade and there are a number of companies who farm oysters on these shores. They’re a delicacy here and come fresh from the sea so if you’re going to try them anywhere, it should be here.
There are tonnes of places in Whitstable serving fresh seafood and you can choose to try these at a restaurant or at a stall on the beach.
I opted for the latter as we passed by The Forge, an oyster bar right on the beach. If you’re tentative about trying these, you can just order one, which cost £1-2 each.
You’ll be presented with your oyster on a paper plate (very chic) and a wedge of lemon. If you want, you can add tabasco sauce. This definitely helps to mask the fishy flavour as when I swallowed mine all I could taste was the tabasco! I’d recommend adding this sparingly.
If you’re feeling fancy, The Lobster Shack stall offers half a dozen oysters and two glasses of prosecco for £20.
Enjoy Fish and Chips on the Beach
When you think of British food, the first thing that comes to mind is always fish and chips. And no trip to the British seaside would be complete without a big bag of battered cod and chips on the beach.
But where can you find the best fish and chips in Whitstable?
We’d seen lots of people recommend VC Jones but when queueing we noticed there was a sign outside saying they used beef fat to fry the chips so we decided to go elsewhere.
Across the road is Ossie’s Fish Bar, which also had crowds of people coming in and out so we headed there instead. This was definitely the right decision as the portions were huge and the fish was delicious.
Don’t forget to pick up a knife and fork on your way out otherwise you’ll get to the beach and realise you’ve got to eat your fish and chips with your fingers. Definitely not what I did.
Address: Ossie’s Fish Bar, 11 High Street, Whitstable, CT5 1AP
Opening Hours: 11am – 10pm every day (Sunday hours differ)
Explore the stalls at Harbour Market Whitstable
This quaint market by the beach is made up of lots of beach huts filled with artisanal, independent or locally made goods and produce.
This is a good place to look for souvenirs if you want to bring any home with you. There are postcards, prints, canvases, bags, magnets, lampshades, jewellery, wooden craft, fudge and more.
It is actually very busy throughout the day as all the tourists in the area walk by here and there are lots of things to look at. This is also a good opportunity to talk to people local to the area, which is always nice.
Address: Harbour Market Whitstable, The South Quay, Whitstable Harbour, Kent, CT5 1AB
Opening Hours: 10am – 4pm (Thursday – Sunday only)
Website: harbourmarketwhitstable.co.uk
Relax on the Beach
Whitstable boasts miles of pebble beach and there are actually two beaches here: Whitstable West Beach and Tankerton Beach.
The former is closer to the shops so is where I went to sit with my fish and chips for lunch. The latter is where all the beach huts are so it’s perhaps more picturesque.
They’re great places to sit and relax in the afternoon so bring a picnic blanket to sit on and pack a beach read and you’re all set. Don’t forget your suncream though as I actually burnt on the beach here in May!
The beach can be busy on hot summer days but it is just so long that it’s actually quite easy to find yourself a bit of peace and quiet. Just keep walking until you find yourself an empty patch.
If you’re brave enough to dip your toes in, bring a swimming costume and a towel. There were a couple of children and adults splashing around!
Explore Whistable Castle and Gardens
It would be entirely possible to miss Whitstable Castle and Gardens as they’re located on Tower Hill, away from the seafront. To be clear, it’s not actually a castle, just a rather grand home that has a nice little history to it.
The only way to view the inside of the castle is on a short guided tour but this is completely free and they happen every 20 minutes or so. The staff get quite angsty if you start walking around yourself so do wait at the reception until someone comes for the next tour.
There’s no info as you walk around anyway so you really do need a guide to explain what’s what and show you all the nooks and crannies!
Meanwhile the Gardens present a lovely setting in which to while away an afternoon. The grounds are fairly large with an area for food and drink, bowls, flowers and relaxing.
There are lots of tables and chairs dotted around where you can sit, either in the heart of all this greenery or looking out towards the sea.
If you want to relax outside in Whitstable but the windy beach isn’t quite your thing, then Whitstable Castle Gardens are your best bet.
There’s a tea room too so if you want a spot of cream tea then you can enjoy this for £4.95 here. You can even upgrade to afternoon tea for £20, with the option of adding prosecco on for another £5.
Address: Whitstable Castle and Gardens, Tower Hill, Whitstable, Kent, CT5 2BW
Website: www.whitstablecastle.co.uk
Opening Hours: Gardens: 7am – sunset; Tearooms: 10am – 5pm
Price: free
Walk Along the Beach Huts
If you’ve seen any images of Whitstable, they’ll probably have been of the gorgeous coloured beach huts which line the beach path.
They stretch on and on and it’s worth starting the day by wandering up and down this path so you can see just how far the beach stretches and admire these coloured holiday homes.
As you walk along, you’ll probably see families and couple sitting on their deck chairs outside, enjoying the sun and views.
This means you can get a glimpse into the insides of these huts and you’ll see most have a small kitchen and an even smaller bed. Most have all been decorated to look cute and homely with bunting, pictures, blankets and more.
The housing crisis in London has got me thinking that maybe I should just invest in one of these…
These huts line the bottom of Tankerton Slopes so walk along the beach path towards Swalecliffe to find them.
Have a Drink at the Old Neptune
The Old Neptune, or “Neppy” as its known to locals, is a pub on the beach and where you’ll want to head for a pint in Whitstable.
I’d recommend visiting just before sunset and nabbing a table outside so you can watch the sun set over the sea (weather permitting!). They’ve got plenty of picnic benches outside but on a very sunny day, you can be sure they’ll be busy.
When it starts to get chilly, head back inside where you’ll find live music playing (at the weekend). They serve traditional British pub food such as fish and chips, burgers, pie and mash. In the summer months, they’ll often have a BBQ going on outside too so that’s basically a BBQ on the beach.
The interiors of the Victorian building are nice and rustic with lots of photographs on the walls, wooden tables and bar stools. Come early at the weekends if you’re hoping for a table inside as it gets very busy, very quickly.
Address: Marine Terrace, Whitstable, CT5 1EJ
Opening hours: 11:30am – 10:30pm weekdays; 11:30pm weekends.
Explore the Shops on Harbour Street
Harbour Street is the main street that leads from where the station is down to the beach. It’s lined with tonnes of independent shops and I browsed plenty of them as I made my way down the street.
Most have got quirky and cute facades in a vintage style, so Whitstable still retains the charm of times gone by. Ones that you definitely need to check out are Sundae Sundae and The Cheese Box serving up ice cream and cheese respectively.
Though I must inform you that the latter has a smell so pungent that I actually had to make a swift exit! And I’d consider myself a huge cheese lover.. It’s fun to poke your head in and see all the different things on offer though, and maybe buy some cheese to take home too!
Find a New Read
Wherever I travel, I like to research what bookshops there are in the town I’m exploring. Whitstable has a couple of lovely bookshops with friendly staff that are worth poking your head into as you wander around.
My favourite was Oxford Street Books, a secondhand bookshop designed to look like the inside of your house. What book lover doesn’t dream of a house with bookshelves in every room?
There are over 30,000 books her spread over two floors and you’ll find popular fiction/non-fiction as well as collectibles and rare editions. I could have spent hours in here perusing the shelves and discovering more rooms!
There are plans for a coffee shop to be opened here so it’ll soon be a place for bookworms to stay awhile and rest.
Address: Oxford Street Books, 20a Oxford St, Whitstable, CT5 1DD
Opening Hours: 10am – 5pm every day (closed Tuesdays)
Website: www.oxfordstreetbooks.com
Admire Whitstable’s Street Art
There’s a surprising amount of really good street art to see as you wander through Whitstable’s streets. There’s no graffiti here but veritable art, which is often politically or socially motivated.
There’s a Banksy-style street artist in Whitstable called Catman who has created a number of cool and quirky paintings around the town. My favourite had to be the Queen riding a hoverboard whilst walking her corgis. Isn’t it fun?
You’ll also see a boy blowing bubbles, the world “running out” in an hourglass and more. Take a peek into each alley as you walk past as you never know what you might find!
Walk down “The Street”
The Street in Whitstable is not your average pathway. This is a pebble spit that has formed parallel to Tankerton beach. If you’re on the beach at low tide, you’ll be able to see this stretch of land and even walk down it.
It’s an interesting experience because you’ll be standing out in the middle of the sea with water on either side of you – but you’ll be safely on land! From here you can also get a good view of the beach, the grassy slopes and all the coloured beach huts.
In high tide, this area is completely covered over with water so if you’re hoping to do this short walk out into the sea, make sure you time things right.
Address: Tankerton Promenade, Tankerton, Whitstable
See if You Can Fit Through Squeeze Gut Alley
Whitstable is full of quirky alleyways and if you’ve got the time then it’s well worth wandering through these and just seeing where you end up. One to note is Squeeze Gut Alley, famous because it is particularly narrow at one end.
Walk down it to see if you’ll be able to squeeze through!
Spoiler alert – you definitely can.
The passage definitely gets a lot narrower but it’s not quite so small that it’s actually a struggle. My shoulders almost touched the walls on either side of me but I could walk through quite comfortably. Trying to turn around with a backpack on would be an issue though.
Pump the name into google maps to find it!
Take a Picture of Wheeler’s Oyster Bar
I’ve heard that some instagrammers hop on the train from London to Whitstable just to take a picture of this iconic pink restaurant. Yes, really.
It’s a crying shame given all the other activities to enjoy in Whitstable but I can see the appeal. Wheeler’s has an absolutely gorgeous facade that you can’t help but stare at as you walk by.
I’d recommend booking if you’d like to dine instead too as it can be very busy in the evenings on weekends.
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Have I inspired you to take a trip to Whitstable? It makes for a lovely day trip from London and I’d highly recommend it!
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Laura
Editor of What’s Hot?