Places to Stay - Canterbury, England

By: Robert Fisk

Canterbury has been a hallowed destination for travellers, pilgrims, and tourists alike for centuries. From the pre-Roman visitors and Chaucer’s pilgrims to the travellers and tourists of today, the biggest problem that people face when coming to Canterbury is choosing from the immense wealth of places to stay. Canterbury’s hostels, hotels and guesthouses are a perfect marriage of modern amenities with historical charm. Selected from a cast of many, each of the places below gives you a unique experience and the perfect opportunity to tell your own Canterbury Tales.

Youth Hostels

“Ellerslie”, YHA Canterbury
54 New Dover Road, Canterbury, Kent CD1 3DT
Open: All year

Situated just one and a quarter miles from the city centre, on the A2050, this Victorian villa youth hostel is easily accessible from both the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. Canterbury East train station is just three-quarters of a mile away and Canterbury West station is one and a quarter miles from the youth hostel. It is just as easy to reach the youth hostel by coach with the coach station being less than one mile away. Getting the ferry from Europe is also possible with Dover’s ferry port being only fifteen miles away.

The facilities in the youth hostel provide you with many opportunities to relax and feel at home while staying in Canterbury. Internet facilities provide you with the perfect opportunity to e-mail home and tell family and friends about your trip. There is also a lounge/ television room, a cafeteria, a self-catering kitchen, laundry facilities, secure lockers, a large private garden, a luggage store, a bureau de change, free bed linen, and a place where they sell ferry and coach tickets for those times when you want to journey further afield than Canterbury. In addition, full English breakfast, picnic lunch, and a three course dinner are available.

Kipps Independent Hostel
40 Nunnery Fields, Canterbury, Kent CT1 3JT
Open: All year except Christmas
Price: ranges from £12 for a dormitory bed, £17.50 for a single room to £30 for a double/ twin room.

Just a short walk from Canterbury East train station and easily accessible from the coach station, this family run self-catering hostel offers clean basic accommodation. Meals are available for pre-booked groups but there is no need to worry about going hungry if you just turn up. A short journey in a taxi is all that is needed to get to Asda or Safeway’s (two of the local supermarkets) where you can purchase a huge variety of food.

The price per night includes unlimited use of the kitchen, bed sheets, and VAT. Other facilities included are use of a secluded garden, a secure covered bicycle store, hot water all-day and free showers. No curfews (a returnable key deposit is required) leave you free to enjoy the Canterbury nightlife for as long as you wish. In addition, coin operated laundry facilities are available from 8am to 10pm for when your clothes start to smell bad and internet access only costs £1 per twenty minutes.

Guest Houses/Bed & Breakfasts

Acacia Lodge
39 London Road, Canterbury, Kent CT2 8LF
Tel: +44 (0) 1227 769955
Fax: +44 (0) 1227 478960
E-mail: michael.cain1@virgin.net
Open: All year
Price (Bed & Breakfast per night): a double/ twin for single occupancy ranges from £25 to £38 while a double/ twin for two people sharing ranges from £38 to £50.

Situated fairly close to Canterbury West station this small (3 bedrooms) yet beautiful guesthouse offers guests a warm friendly welcome. A short thirty minute walk is all it takes to reach the city centre and the beautiful cathedral. All the bedrooms have private bathrooms, tea and coffee, colour TV, and the choice of an English or vegetarian breakfast. There is also a private car park.

Canterbury Christ Church University College
North Holmes Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 1QU
Tel: +44 (0) 1227 782225
Fax: +44 (0) 1227 782528
E-mail: hospitality@canterbury.ac.uk
Open: July - September inclusive
Price (Bed & Breakfast per night): a single room ranges from £24.45 to £32.95, a double/ twin for single occupancy ranges from £24.45 to £32.95 while a double/ twin for two people sharing ranges from £42.90 to £48.40.

Just four minutes walk away from Canterbury Cathedral and the city centre; Canterbury Christ Church University College is a perfect location from which to tour the city and the surrounding area. It is very easy to get to, with the coach station being only ten minutes walk away and taxi services serving both train stations. The college is also ideally placed for travel to Europe, being only thirty minutes by road from Dover’s ferry port.

During the months of July, August, and September Canterbury Christ Church University College also has over fifty 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses for hire in and around Canterbury. Bed linen is supplied and changed once a week. However, tea towels and bath towels are not provided. These fully furnished houses, with fully equipped kitchens, are available from £150 per week.

Four Seasons Guest House
77 Sturry Road, Canterbury, Kent CT1 1BU
Tel/ Fax: +44 (0) 1227 787078
E-mail: fourseasonsbnb@aol.com
Open: All year
Price (Bed & Breakfast per night): a single ranges from £21 to £25, a double/ twin for single occupancy ranges from £25 to £30 while a double/ twin for two people sharing ranges from £40 to £46.

The Four Seasons Guest House offers clean, tastefully decorated rooms in the relatively quiet surroundings of Sturry road. A ten minute riverside walk takes you into the city centre and all that it has to offer.

Kingsbridge Villa
15 Best Lane, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2JB
Tel: +44 (0) 1227 766415
E-mail: info@canterburyguesthouse.com
Open: All year
Price (Bed & Breakfast per night): a single ranges from £25 to £35, a double/ twin for single occupancy ranges from £35 to £40 while a double/ twin for two people sharing ranges from £50 to £55.

This Victorian period guesthouse is built on Roman foundations, and includes a fourth century Roman well in the cellar. The nine en suite rooms all have colour TV, clock radios, and tea and coffee making facilities. Irons, trouser presses, hair dryers, telephone and email facilities are also available. Some of the rooms even have views of the Cathedral.

Breakfast is a delicious choice of either a full English, continental, vegan, or vegetarian breakfast. The breakfasts all include unlimited fruit juices, cereals, tea, and coffee. There is also a wide selection of herbal teas.

The Cathedral views give some idea of just how close to the centre of the city Kingsbridge Villa actually is. Within two minutes walk is the Cathedral, the West Gate, a wide selection of shops, and many other interesting historical and modern attractions.

St. John’s Court Guesthouse
St. John’s Lane, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2QG
Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 1227 456425
E-mail: nrowe5@netscapeonline.co.uk
Open: All year
Price (Bed & Breakfast per night): a single room ranges from £18 to £20, a double/ twin for single occupancy ranges from £25.00 to £30.00 while a double/ twin for two people sharing ranges from £36.00 to £40.00.

This cosy, family run B&B is in an ideal location. Despite being on a quiet street, it is still very close to the city centre. A few minutes walk from the guesthouse is Canterbury’s Norman castle while, in the other direction, a few minutes walk takes you to the high street. If you have not arrived as a foot passenger from the close by bus and train stations, there is lockable courtyard parking suitable for bikes, motorbikes, and cars.

University of Kent at Canterbury
UKC Hospitality, The Conference Office, Tanglewood, The University, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7LX
Tel: +44 (0) 1227 828000
Fax: +44 (0) 1227 828019
E-mail: hospitality-enquiry@ukc.ac.uk
Open: 2nd-20th April and 4th June-12th September
Price (Bed & Breakfast per night): a standard single room is £19.50, an en suite single room is £27.50 while an en suite twin room is £49.50.

Perching on top of a rather steep hill, the University of Kent at Canterbury offers breathtaking views of Canterbury and the surrounding area. A tiring walk up this hill or a much less tiring taxi ride finds you amidst three hundred acres of beautiful acres of parkland and provides the perfect opportunity to see where students at the university live during term time. Decent sized comfortable rooms, interesting choices of food and drink, and a wide range of sports facilities make this an ideal place to stay if you want to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Hotels

Cathedral Gate Hotel
36 Burgate, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2HA
Tel: +44 (0) 1227 464381
Fax: +44 (0) 1227 462800
E-mail: Contact the hotel through the website.
Open: All year
Price (Bed & Breakfast per night): a single room ranges from £23.50 to £63.50, and a double/ twin room with two people sharing ranges from £45 to £95.50.

If you dream of your accommodation being steeped in history and right next to Canterbury Cathedral then the Cathedral Gate Hotel is the ultimate choice. Predating even the adjoining sculpted Cathedral gateway, the 1438 building has been a popular choice of pilgrims for centuries. Despite the modern amenities of ensuite bathrooms, in room telephones, and TV, there is no respite from the medieval construction. Twisting corridors lead into rooms with massive wooden beams, sloping floors, and low doorways.

With the Cathedral and the bustling tourist area of the Buttermarket being the shortest stone’s throw away, the Cathedral Gate Hotel is a great base for exploring Canterbury and the region.

The Dickens Inn at the House of Agnes
71 St. Dunstans Street, Canterbury, Kent CT2 8BN
Tel: +44 (0) 1227 472185
Fax: +44 (0) 1227 464527
E-mail: houseagnes@aol.com
Open: All year
Price: £55 per room per night, or a break offer is available: minimum of two nights stay for £39.50 per person per night including a 3 course dinner and full English breakfast.

Close to Canterbury West station and the West Gate towers, this charming Tudor period hotel is situated just outside the old city walls. Each room within this comfortable and friendly hotel features a welcome tray, colour television, radio, direct dial telephone, and tea and coffee making facilities. It is especially notable, as it was the ‘home’ of Agnes Wickfield in the Charles Dickens’ novel David Copperfield.

Pilgrims Hotel
18 The Friars, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2AS
Tel: +44 (0) 1227 464531
Fax: +44 (0) 1227 762514
E-mail: pilgrimshotel@netscapeonline.co.uk
Open: All year
Price (Bed & Breakfast per night): a single room ranges from £40 to £45, a double/ twin for single occupancy ranges from £55 to £65 and a double/ twin room with two people sharing ranges from £60 to £65.

Each bedroom within this delightful grade II listed period building (parts of which date back three hundred and fifty years) is tastefully decorated and well equipped. All of the guest rooms have en suite facilities and also include colour television, auto dial telephone, hospitality tray, personal toiletries, radio and alarm clock.

Situated just a few minutes walk from Cathedral, the main shopping areas, restaurants, and directly opposite the Marlowe Theatre, this hotel is ideally close to the historic areas of Canterbury.

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