Covering thousands of square miles from London down to the White Cliffs of Dover and stretching across 207 miles of coastline with gently rolling hills and historic Roman towns, Kent has definitely earned the nickname ‘Garden of England.’
Kent is one of the oldest counties in England and home 1,700 listed buildings, including some jaw-dropping castles: We’ve added Leeds and Dover Castles, but we could have added dozens more. Other sights to see include Dreamland, the quintessential English seaside funfair, the Turner Contemporary art gallery and some fantastic theatre and event spaces. Kent is also home to some glorious countryside, including the Kent Downs, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and hundreds of miles of coastline, home to wide sandy beaches, the famous White Cliffs and two of the UK’s busiest ports, Dover and Folkestone. And we have dozens of hotels in Kent to choose from, putting you in the heart of the action in the garden of England.
Things to do in Kent
Shopping
The numbers alone are impressive for Bluewater, the expansive Dartford shopping centre off the M25. Opened in 1999, the site covers 243 acres and is home to over 400 stores, cafes and outlets, with more than 7,000 members of staff. It’s the fifth-biggest shopping centre in Europe, and also has a state-of-the-art cinema complex with 17 screens. It is, in short, a destination in its own right, with nearly 30 million visitors each year.
Another shopping alternative is the Ashford Designer Outlet at Junction 10 of the M20. The large, single-level mall is home to over 100 stores, cafes and discount outlets including Adidas, Nike, Levi’s and Hugo Boss, with big discounts on most items. The outlet centre is located in Ashford, close to the train station, with hundreds of nearby car parking spaces.
Getting around
The South East county of Kent is home to nearly 2 million people and stretches for over 3,000 square kilometres, running from London suburbs across the North Downs towards the White Cliffs of Dover. The M20 runs through Kent’s heartlands from London via Maidstone, Ashford and Folkestone, with other major roads including the M2, which links Canterbury and Dover and the M25. You can also drive to Europe using the Eurotunnel, which departs from Folkestone.
If you’re flying into the region, Gatwick Airport is the nearest terminal. The second-busiest airport in the UK is serviced by dozens of airlines flying across Britain, Europe and further afield. Gatwick is located in West Sussex, with a variety of train, bus and road connections across Kent.
Kent is also home to two of the busiest ferry ports in the UK. Dover and Folkestone run regular services to Calais and Dunkerque with dozens of departures each day and are just a short distance from our Dover and Folkestone hotels.
Shopping in Kent
