Whitstable oysters, at the harbour or at the bar
1 hCurious adults and teenagersNative oysters, September to April; rock oysters, all year
Tasting · 1 h · native oysters from September to April and rock oysters all year
From London1 hr 15 by direct train
Minimum timeHalf a day
Native oysterSeptember – April
BeachShingle
CarNot needed
Overall difficultyEasy
What to do
What to do in Whitstable
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Whitstable Harbour and the beach huts
1 hAll agesDog-friendlyAll year
Walk · 1 h · free · fishing boats, seafood stalls and colourful beach huts
From £0
How to do it
The Street, Tankerton's shingle spit at low tide
45 min · 1.5 kmAll ages with supervision; strong currents on either sideDog-friendlyAll year, one or two hours before and after low tide
Walk · 45 min · free · low tide only · check the tides
From £0
How to do it
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Whitstable, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Whitstable
From May to October for the beach and terraces; from September to April for native oysters. On summer weekends, plenty of people from London.
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
Whitstable your way
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Fly to London and take the direct train to the Kent coast
Whitstable has no airport: you fly to London, with direct flights from almost every Spanish airport, and carry on by direct train from Victoria or St Pancras, in a little over an hour and a quarter. Once there, everything is on foot: the harbour, the beach and Tankerton are a short walk away.
- Getting thereLondon Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW)…
- Getting aroundOn foot between the harbour…
- Where to stayHotel Continental, opposite the beach
- ServicesWhitstable station, direct trains to…
Getting there
- London Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN) and Luton (LTN): train into central London
- From London Victoria or London St Pancras, direct Southeastern service to Whitstable
Getting around
- On foot between the harbour, the castle and Tankerton
- By bike or on foot to Canterbury along the Crab and Winkle Way
Where to stay
- Hotel Continental, opposite the beach
- Whitstable Fisherman's Huts, huts on the beach
Services
- Whitstable station, direct trains to London
Direct train, oysters and everything on foot
Whitstable is easy without a car: the direct train from Victoria or St Pancras takes a little over an hour and a quarter, the station is ten minutes from the harbour and in summer parking in the town is difficult. Combine it with Canterbury, 12 km away along a greenway.
110–200 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to stayHotel Continental, on the seafront
- Getting aroundDirect Southeastern service from London…
- Where to eatWheelers Oyster Bar, with your…
- ServicesWhitstable station
Where to stay
- Hotel Continental, on the seafront
- Whitstable Fisherman's Huts, beside the harbour
Getting around
- Direct Southeastern service from London Victoria or London St Pancras
- Crab and Winkle Way to Canterbury, by bike or on foot
Where to eat
- Wheelers Oyster Bar, with your own wine
- The castle tea room, with a playground
Services
- Whitstable station
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
Whitstable for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Harbour, shingle and a path in the middle of the sea
Whitstable is a small seaside town without big attractions, and with children that works: the harbour with its boats, the shingle beach, the castle park and, if the tide cooperates, a walk along The Street, the spit of stones that runs out into the sea. All of it free.
- What works bestWhitstable Harbour, with fishing boats…
- Where to stayHotel Continental, with family rooms
- Where to eatThe castle tea room
- Good to knowThe beach is shingle: bring…
What works best
- Whitstable Harbour, with fishing boats and seafood stalls
- Castle gardens, with a playground
- The Street, at low tide and holding hands
- Crab and Winkle Way, by bike from Canterbury
Where to stay
- Hotel Continental, with family rooms
- Whitstable Fisherman's Huts, on the beach
Where to eat
- The castle tea room
- The harbour stalls, for fish and chips
Good to know
- The beach is shingle: bring jelly shoes
- At The Street, the tide comes in fast: check the tide table first
What to do as a family
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flyingwithout a car
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel Continental
Why we like it: A family-run hotel opposite Whitstable beach, with double, family and sea-view rooms, and a bar and bistro serving the house's own oysters.
Whitstable Fisherman's Huts
Why we like it: Former 150-year-old fishermen's huts converted into accommodation, on the beach itself and 50 metres from the harbour, with bed linen included.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Whitstable
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Wheelers Oyster Bar
What to order: half a dozen native oysters in season and whatever the boat brought in that day, from lobster to Rye scallops.
No alcohol licence: bring your own wine, with corkage per table. Bookings by phone only, with a £10 per person deposit
Whitstable Castle tea room and bistro
What to order: a tea with a scone after playing in the playground, or breakfast before heading down to The Street.
Map
Everything on the map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Nearby
Near Whitstable
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
51.28° N · 1.08° E
Canterbury
By planeCar-free
50.95° N · 0.73° E
Rye
By planeCar-freeBy car
51.51° N · 0.13° W
London
By plane
50.82° N · 0.14° W
Brighton and the Seven Sisters
By planeCar-free
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Check the tide before you go
The Street only appears at low tide, and so does the mud on the shore.
- 2Bring your own wine to Wheelers
It has no alcohol licence.
- 3Arrive by train
In summer parking in the centre is almost impossible.
- 4Beach shoes
The beach is shingle and shells.
- 5Go midweek
On summer weekends the town fills up.
Whitstable is a fishing town on the north Kent coast that has lived off oysters since Roman times. Today it is many Londoners' favourite seaside escape: a working harbour with mountains of shells, a pebble beach with black fishermen's huts and colourful beach huts, a High Street of independent shops and sunsets over the Thames estuary. It has no great monuments; it has seafood, sea and a slow pace that is welcome after London.
How do you get there from London?
By direct train, which is the practical way. Southeastern leaves London Victoria, roughly once an hour, and London St Pancras; the fastest take a little over an hour and a quarter. The station is ten minutes' walk from the harbour, downhill.
From Canterbury, 12 kilometres away, you can come by the Crab and Winkle Way, a greenway on the old railway line, by bike or on foot through Blean Woods. Combining the two towns in a day is easy: cathedral in the morning and oysters in the afternoon.
By car, via the M2 and A299, about an hour and a half or two hours from central London. In summer and at weekends parking in the centre is difficult.
What to do
Eat oysters. They are the reason for the trip. Whitstable's native oyster has protected geographical indication status and is eaten from September to April; the rest of the year there is rock oyster. Try them at the bar of Wheelers Oyster Bar, open since 1856, in the bistro of the Hotel Continental or at the harbour stalls.
Stroll the harbour and the beach. From the harbour, with its trawlers and fish stalls, the beach runs west, with the fishermen's huts, and east, with the colourful beach huts, the castle gardens and the grassy slopes of Tankerton.
Walk on the sea. At low tide The Street appears, a shingle spit that stretches nearly a kilometre out to sea off Tankerton. It is free and surprising, but check the tide table beforehand and come back in good time: the tide comes in fast.
A day or a night?
Half a day is enough for the harbour and the oysters; a day if you add Tankerton or arrive by bike from Canterbury. A night allows the sunset over the estuary and dinner without watching the clock for the train: sleep by the sea at the Hotel Continental or in one of the fishermen's huts converted into a room.
When to go
For the beach, from May to September, when the town is liveliest, although on summer weekends it fills with people from London. For native oysters, from September to April. In winter the town is quiet and sunsets come early.
How much does it cost?
The harbour, beach, gardens and The Street are free. Half a dozen oysters or a plate of seafood at a bar, between £15 and £30; at Wheelers, bring your own wine and you will pay a small corkage fee. Sleeping by the sea is expensive in summer; midweek and out of season it drops considerably.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How do you get to Whitstable from London?
By direct Southeastern train from Victoria or St Pancras, in a little over an hour and a quarter.
When is oyster season?
Native oysters, from September to April; rock oysters, all year.
Can you combine it with Canterbury?
Yes: it is 12 km away, along the Crab and Winkle Way greenway or by bus.
What is The Street?
A spit of shingle that appears at low tide off Tankerton and can be walked along.
Is the beach sandy?
No, shingle; at low tide mud and sand show on the shore.
Where can you eat oysters?
At Wheelers Oyster Bar, in the bistro of the Hotel Continental or at the harbour stalls.