Canterbury Bid

Summer Walks in the City

A photo of a swan sitting on a river

You are never more than 5 minutes from a green space in Canterbury. The city is surrounded by beautiful and spacious outdoor parks and gardens. Why not make the most of your visit – there are plenty of areas to explore.

Canterbury Sculpture Trail – explore the city and experience public art, parks and gardens and the riverside. On a fine day why not take advantage of one of the sculptural seats with park or river views. 

Canterbury City Wall – The Romans first built the walls around Canterbury towards the end of the 3rd century. Even through Anglo-Saxon and Norman times, the circuit of walls remained pretty much the same, even surviving a deadly Viking raid in 835! About half of the ring of walls is still here, wrapped around the centre of Canterbury. Stroll leisurely around them and take in the dramatic view on both sides -and great perspective on Canterbury.

The Westgate Gardens – The park and historical Tower House are very pretty and well-maintained with the clear waters of the river Stour running through it. See here for directions. While there visit their 200 year old Oriental Plane – we bet you can’t get your arms all the way around it!

Dane John Gardens – Dane John Gardens is a beautiful historic park within Canterbury city’s walls dating back to 1551, and includes a mound which historical records prove was there in the first century AD. Stroll along the city walls which border one side of the gardens and wander up to the top of the mound for an excellent view of the city. It even has a café in the gardens to buy a warming coffee after all your exercise.

Guided Walking Tour

Canterbury Tourist Guides

Family Group Tours (up to 6 people), or two households are now available. Daily Tours will run from 21st May (11am Fri, Sat, Sun).
All tours will be available to book from 21st June.

Enjoy a fascinating 90-minute guided walking tour of Canterbury’s city centre historic streets and the cathedral precincts, with entertaining guides letting you in on all the best kept secrets. Explore the charming cobbled streets and centuries-old buildings steeping in history and hear about the fascinating stories that envelope Canterbury’s medieval past. The guides have launched special tours which adhere to social distancing and limit groups to just 5 people from a single household group or bubble.

River Tour Operators

Did you know that Canterbury boasts 3km of waterways and over 30 bridges? Why not see if you can walk across all of them…Alternatively you could float under many of them thanks to our river tour operators. Enjoy a calm and peaceful trip along Canterbury’s beautiful waterways, past historical buildings steeped in history and water so clear and you can see all the fish swimming below you. Take a boat or a punt, steered by a friendly knowledgeable tour guide who will explain the history of places as you float past.

For more ideas head to the Visit Canterbury website.

Planning Your Journey

Click here to view: CITY CENTRE MAP

Toilets:
The following council owned toilets are currently open: Canterbury Lane, The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, Tower Way, Canterbury Cemetery and Whitefriars.

Click here to link to the Council’s PARKING GUIDE