Places to visit in Broadstairs

Things to do in and near Broadstairs

Broadstairs is a great base for a long weekend in Kent. Read here for our lovely beach front 2 bedroom flat and this blog post for places to visit in Broadstairs and its surrounding area.

1. Visit Botany Bay

Botany Bay is a gorgeous beach around 10 minutes from Broadstairs. which won the Blue Flag and Seaside Award 2024. The white cliffs and chalk stacks make it even more picturesque.

2. Visit Joss Bay

Joss Bay is a popular 200-metre long stretch of sand, best known as Thanet’s best surfing beach. It is located between Broadstairs and Margate, right near Botany Bay.

3. Visit Margate

Margate is only a 10 minute drive from Broadstairs and offers traditional coastal family fun arcades and a theme park. I love that the 2p machine is still a thing 20+ years on from when I visited! We even managed to win a prize in the claw machine.

Dreamland is a staple of Margate having opened over 100 years ago in 1920! The theme park was offering unlimited toddler rides for only ￡12 with most of them allowing an adult to also ride for free. The pass included a train ride, ladybird ride, cars, helter skelter and a small rollercoaster which was such good value. If you are a fan of chicken you MUST try the Katsu tenders with Cajun fries from Birdie Mac’s. They are simply incredible.

The Shell Grotto really is a fascinating place to visit just a 10 minute walk from the centre of Margate. The grotto was discovered by chance in 1835 with its curving chalk walls studded with 4.6 million shells! The shells create thousands of mosaics – some look like flowers and hearts and others look like symbols. The origin of the grotto is unknown with people guessing that it
was an ancient temple or a secret meeting place.

Where to eat and drink in Margate

The main centre of Margate has become pretty chic and hip with plenty of restaurants and bars. We recommend:

1. Staple Stores – the pastries!
2. Lillie’s Tapas – all the tapas
3. DIVE – tacos
4. The Bus Café – brunch on a bus
5. George and Heart – awesome pub
6. Rooftop bar no 42 – rooftop cocktails

4. Visit Canterbury

Canterbury is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the River Stour, just a 30 minute walk from Broadstairs. One way to see more of this beautiful city is via a river tour. We chose Canterbury River Tours who have been operating since 1932! Our guide was fun and informative on our one hour boat trip. Find them on the King’s Bridge on Canterbury’s High Street in between ASK and Old Weavers Restaurant to book your tour.

Canterbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Church of England and is one of the oldest Christian structures in England. Entrance is quite expensive but we managed to catch a glimpse down a side street.

Westgate Gardens are free to enter alongside the river at the west end of the old city walls of Canterbury.

Similarly to Broadstairs and Margate, Canterbury has plenty of great places to eat and drink. Recommended restaurants are:

• Cafe des Amis – Mexican
• The Corner House – British and European

Drinks wise I recommend:

• Socialite Rooftop
• Houdini’s Magic Bar
• One Pound Lane

5. Broadstairs Town

There is plenty to do in Broadstairs itself particularly when it comes to eating and drinking. Recommended restaurants and pubs / bars are in this blog post.

Viking Bay is the main beach in Broadstairs but if you want somewhere quieter then walk further along for 10 minutes until you reach Stone Bay. There is also a traditional arcade with claw machines, 2p machines, cars, bikes and more.