Canterbury is a small city in Kent, one of the country’s oldest cities, in the southeastern of England, on the river Stour. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Kent. In 597 the city became the seat of the Archbishop Primate of England. The nine first archbishops have been canonized there. It is well known due to its Cathedral, which has seen a large part of English history; residence of the head of the Anglican religion, the Archbishop of Canterbury; which attracts thousands of tourists. There are still walls (2nd and 3rd century) that surround the city; they have been strengthened during the middle ages and they are relatively well preserved. High Street is the real economic and tourist point of the city; located at the west end of the famous High Street, and marking the end of the pedestrian city center, the Westgate Tower is one of the main monuments of Canterbury. See also: the ruins of the main building of the Castle (11th century), Dane John Gardens, the ancient Royal Museum and the library, The old Buttermarket, the small canals, among others. Canterbury is also considered a college town.
Tips
If you don’t have time to stay in Canterbury but you’re in London several days, you could dedicate a day to this small town given the short distance that separates them (about 60 km). You can visit it in a day and even enjoy its beautiful gardens for a picnic if the weather is good or relax in one of its cafes, bars, restaurants particularly in the pedestrian city centre if the rain is with you because it rains quite often in the region.
If you like shopping, High Street will be your favorite street with a lot of shops: used bookstores, big department stores likeMarks & Spencers, minimarkets, shops for clothes, etc, you will find everything there.
If you have several days in the city, enjoy and visit the interior of the Cathedral in a sunny day because you’ll see better its decorations but you especially will have the chance to see the stained glass windows in full color, it’s worth it!
And if you like chocolate, make you a present and go to Hotel Chocolat, a few steps away from the Cathedral, at the corner of Parade Street and the St Margaret’s Street. Here you will find an extraordinary selection of chocolates of all kinds: pots for fondue in white, black, hazelnut chocolate, whole decorated chocolate tablets, ballotins firmly packed, etc., it will make your happiness for sure…
