What to do in Whitstable?

[Marmozet]

Hello,

Visiting Whitstable for a short break soon and wondered if anyone had any recommendations on where to visit etc please?

Also any recommendations for places to eat?

Thanks :)

Whitstable is very pretty and quaint but not much to do there imo. Canterbury is just up the road though and really worth a visit.

That's a very polite way of saying 'don't bother'

What age group are you looking to entertain ?

There is a bakery there, Grain & Hearth, looks lovely.

We went to Whitstable a few years ago. I agree there’s not much to do there but lots of places you can get to. As DecomposingComposers says, Canterbury is definitely worth a visit. We also did a trip out to see Deal and Walmer castles. Think we also went to see Reculver towers. Eating wise, I remember enjoying a meal at the Lobster Shack - great big windows with lovely sea views as well as the nice food.

It depends what you mean by ‘where to visit.’
If you have kids to entertain other than the beach I’m not sure. If it’s adults, then it’s a lovely place to mooch around - lots of nice, independent shops etc.... You can also go up to Tankerton.
Food-wise: The Sportsman (just outside Whitstable and you’ll need to book, if you’re going soon they might not have availability), Harbour St Tapas, Samphire (again - worth booking both, though tapas doesn’t take bookings for tables less than 4).
All are great for food though!

Get fish & chips from V C Jones. You can eat in but it's much nicer to have them sitting on the beach (which is just 100m away).

Sunset drinks at The Old Neptune.

If you want to eat at Wheelers Oyster Bar, make sure you book in advance. And book even further in advance for Michelin-starred The Sportsman in nearby Seasalter.

But fish and chips from V.C Jones in the centre, and take them on to the beach to eat. The beach is a stone beach, and you’ll find plenty of sea shells - especially oyster shells. Enjoy a wonderful walk when the tide goes out.

Buy seafood from the huts in the harbour.

Enjoy the many vintage, and independent shops.

Enjoy a drink at the Art Deco hotel past the harbour (can’t remember the name).

It'll be 2 adults.

Thanks for the suggestions guys! I think fish and chips will have to be a must.

If you're driving, make sure you're staying somewhere that has private parking as parking (and traffic) can be a real pain in Whitstable. Weekends are particularly horrendous and don't ever try driving there on a sunny bank holiday weekend or you'll regret it.

There's some interesting small art galleries (I particularly like Bruce Williams at Keams Yard - right on the beach - he's lovely and happy for you to watch him paint).

If you like modern art, it's worth popping over to Margate to the Turner Contemporary (which is free admission). Margate is worth a trip. The Old Town is very hipster (a.k.a. Shoreditch-on-Sea) so you'll find very good food and coffee, and there's lots of 'curio' shops for browsing. Also very good (and ethical) local skincare and treatment rooms at Haeckels. There's also the bizarre Shell Grotto to visit as well as Dreamland (it's an amusement park but has been reinvented by the aforementioned hipsters).

The fish market, Tankerton beach, you can get some great finds in the charity shops.
Not much else really. It more of a day trip place.

Old Neptune can get quite busy but is a lovely beach-side pub. There's also one further along in the other direction but the name has slipped my mind - near the bowling alley if anyone can help - that has lovely seafood and the next door bar is also on the beach and sells the local ale. It tastes like marmite to me .

Live music at Cumberland pub is also good. You can walk along to Tankerton (or park there and walk back towards Whitstable) and see the beach huts.

Kids like the playground at the castle and they do nice tea and cake which you can have on the lawn if you have had enough of the beach.

You can always look on Instagram too for a #Whitstable or #VisitKent something might catch your eye.

If you like cycling you can do lots of off road cycling too - the Crab and Winkle takes you to Canterbury and you can cycle The Viking Trail which is all along the beach front IIRC - Reculver is a nice place just outside Canterbury you could park and start; that way you'll see the landmark of the tower and be able to gauge your distance. Sandy beaches are Minnis Bay/Joss Bay/Botany Bay which are a bit further out but sometimes quieter than the busy Margate.

@Argeles - the Hotel Continental
Good for a sunset drink if the Neptune is busy.

* @Persea*

Thank you Persea. I can’t stand it when I can’t remember the name of somewhere.

Pleased to assist @Argeles!

There’s more old restaurants in Whitstable than bad so you’ve got a lot of choice. Whitstable Oyster Company, Wheelers, Samphire, JoJo’s (Tankerton). The Produce Shop does lovely sandwiches and fresh juice. The Sportsman in Seasalter is fabulous and if it’s a nice day a walk along the Seasalter sea wall (towards Faversham) is lovely.

Good not old, iPad doing its own thing tonight......