Give the cathedral a full morning: the Martyrdom, the Trinity Chapel windows and the crypt, then stay for Choral Evensong. Walk out through the walls to St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church, which share the cathedral's World Heritage listing. Spend the afternoon at the Beaney and the Roman Museum, take a punt from the Westgate, and keep a second day for the Crab and Winkle Way to Whitstable.
Updated · Wimup Editorial
Canterbury is a walled cathedral city in east Kent and the seat of the Church of England. The medieval centre is small enough to cross on foot in fifteen minutes, London is under an hour away by high-speed train, and the north Kent coast starts seven miles up the old railway line.
The mother church of the Anglican Communion, where Thomas Becket was murdered in 1170; the Trinity Chapel was built to hold his shrine and its Miracle Windows date from within decades of his death. The standard ticket is valid for twelve months.
Founded by Augustine after his mission from Rome reached Kent in 597, and the burial place of the early archbishops and Kentish kings. The foundations are low, so take the audio guide; it turns a lawn of footings into a church.
UNESCO calls it the oldest church in England: it was already standing when Augustine arrived, and Queen Bertha worshipped here before him. It opens only at set hours, so time the ten-minute walk from the abbey around them.
The city's museum, gallery and library under one Victorian roof on the High Street, with free general entry. It is the best rainy-hour stop in the centre; check the programme for the paid exhibitions.
Below the Longmarket shops at the level of the Roman town of Durovernum, built around the mosaic floors of a Roman house. Small, well told and ten minutes from the cathedral gate.
Chauffeured wooden punts leave from Westgate Bridge and drift past the gardens and the backs of medieval houses. Trips run from half an hour to just over an hour, and most operators work through the summer season.
The medieval wall still runs along the south and east of the centre, and a walkway on top leads to Dane John Gardens and its mound. Pair it with the Norman castle keep, a few minutes' walk further on.
Founded after Becket's murder to shelter poor pilgrims, and still an almshouse. The undercroft where they slept, the refectory and the chapel are open for a small fee, in the middle of the High Street.
The streets behind the cathedral hold the city's independents, from antique books to craft ale. At the end of Palace Street stands the Crooked House, a 1617 timber frame that tilts on its chimney and sells second-hand books for charity.
A 7.6-mile cycle route to the harbour at Whitstable, much of it on the line of the old Canterbury and Whitstable Railway and through Clowes Wood. Ride out for oysters at the harbour and come back on the bus.
The last of the medieval city gates, used as the city prison into the 19th century.
The shell of a Norman keep, built between 1085 and 1125, standing in a public garden.
The carved Tudor gateway into the cathedral precincts, facing the Buttermarket.
Simple British cooking in a converted 16th-century pub at the top of Dover Street.
Cocktails in the old city jail beside the Westgate, with seats in the former cells.
Palace Street and Northgate behind the cathedral: independents, pubs and restaurants.
A parade from the Westgate along the High Street to Dane John Gardens.
Kent's agricultural show, held at the showground at Detling near Maidstone.
A free trail of 20 stops across the city, plus a pageantry stage.
A free two-day street festival in Faversham, held since 1990.
The Landing of the Oysters on Whitstable's East Quay; most events are free.
A food and ale festival in Dane John Gardens, with Kentish ciders.
Kent's arts festival: over 130 concerts, talks, walks and family events.
Stalls in the city centre, opened by the Christmas lights switch-on.
Southeastern high-speed trains reach London St Pancras in about 55 minutes, via Ashford, Ebbsfleet and Stratford. A supplement applies on the high-speed line.
The station south of the walls, on the line between London Victoria and Dover. Use it for Faversham and Dover.
Stagecoach runs local and regional buses, including Whitstable, from the bus station by Whitefriars. Park and Ride sites at Wincheap and New Dover Road serve the centre.
Canterbury has no airport of its own. Fly into London Heathrow or Gatwick and come on by rail through London.
An old apple tart spiced with saffron.
Natives in season, from the harbour seven miles north.
Kent's pudding: evaporated milk and muscovado sugar in pastry.
A soft roll with a thumb dent, once filled with cherries.
The Garden of England's summer fruit, sold at farm stalls.
Local hazelnuts, eaten fresh from late summer.
Bitter brewed with Kent hops, Shepherd Neame's among them.
Made from the county's orchards, poured at the food festival.
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