Travelling to Kent
Travelling to and Around Kent
This travel guide has been designed as a go-to instruction manual for getting to and around Kent. All of our Kent Holiday Cottages come with detailed instructions on how to reach your property via car or public transport, but it’s always good to have a general idea of where you're going if the SatNav breaks, or you get totally lost - we’ve all been there!
By Car
Going through London and on the M25 is almost an inevitability when travelling to Kent (unless you’re coming from Sussex), so aiming to get here is phase one of your car journey, but here’s what happens next:
- Join the A2/A21 from Dartford to get to Sevenoaks and Tonbridge.
- Follow the M20 if you’re heading to Ashford, or further to the coast at Folkestone.
- The M2 becomes the A2 at Hernhill, which is the way to Dover.
- Leave the A2 at Chartham to reach Chartham, from where you can drive to the Kent East Coast, including Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate.
- The A256 is the road that will take you to Sandwich or Deal and vice versa.
By Train
Much like travelling by car, the best way to reach Kent on the train is to travel to London first. Southeastern services run from St Pancras, Charingcross and Victoria stations to Kent, including the high-speed rail line, HS1, which runs from St Pancras to Ashford International. You can access the Southeastern network map here, but here is a summary of their main services across Kent:
- The Sittingbourne to Ramsgate line stops at Whitstable, Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, so is the line to take across the Kent East coast.
- To travel from Ramsgate towards Dover, take the train to Martin Mill which stops at Sandwich, Deal and Walmer.
- Ashford International has a line travelling to Canterbury West that stops at Wye, Chilham and Chartham.
- To get to Dover, travel on the line from Ashford International that calls at Folkestone West, Folkestone Central and Dover Priory.
By Coach/Bus
The National Express has coach services that run across the country and are often a more affordable option for travel than trains. The coach station at London New Cross gate (accessed via coach from London Victoria) has a service that runs to Gillingham, from where you can get the coach to Canterbury. There are also National Express services out of Canterbury to Whitstable, which is only a short drive away. Traveline has a great Journey Planner tool to help you catch normal bus services around Kent.
