9. From London: Canterbury, Dover, and Kent Villages Day Trip
Enjoy a full-day tour from London to Canterbury, Dover Cliffs and Castle and Kent Villages, alongside one of our highly regarded, passionate and friendly guides. Departing central London we will take a scenic, guided drive through quintessential English countryside, visiting towns and cities with huge historical importance. Discover for yourself why Kent is known as the "Garden of England" - it can't be missed! We will travel through time - literally, with a visit to Greenwich where GMT began, before heading to Canterbury, with its world famous cathedral. Then a breathtaking view of the white cliffs of Dover and a visit to Dover Castle. We take the scenic route through some glorious Kent countryside, with a stop in a typical Kent village on our return to London after a full day exploring...
Our first stop - Greenwich, the place where time began, and home to the Prime Meridian Line, where the eastern and western hemispheres meet. Stand with one foot in the east, and one in the west whilst gazing at incredible views over London and Royal Greenwich Park.
Next - the "key to England" - Dover! Venturing deeper into the Kent countryside, through hop fields, orchards and Oast houses (curiously shaped buildings that were used for drying hops as part of the brewing process), we head towards the English channel (the stretch of water separating England and France) for a glimpse of the impressive white chalk cliffs guarding the coastline, and on a clear day we may be able to see all the way to France! Then we head up the cliffs to the imposing Dover Castle and its network of tunnels that were instrumental as a military command centre and an underground hospital in WWII.
Onward, to Canterbury, with an en route stop in Chilham, a charming, quintessentially English village centred around a square with half timbered buildings and a 15th century pub. Canterbury is famous of course for its cathedral that is the Mother Church for English Christianity, and home to Royal tombs and more. Your guide will offer an optional (free) walking tour to show you some of its hidden secrets and passageways. You will have a couple of hours to explore Canterbury on your own - we'll give you a map and some tips to help you get the most from your visit. Perhaps you might like to venture into the Cathedral, or soak up the atmosphere of this modern and vibrant city with its important historical past. On our way out of Canterbury, we will drive past the old Roman walls, and should catch sight of St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church - together with the Cathedral, the 3 sites make up the UNESCO World Heritage listing for Canterbury.
And then it's time to set sail back to London. Relax in comfort in one of our new, luxury Mercedes mini-coaches with all the mod cons. Traffic dependent, we aim to arrive back in central London between 8-8.15pm after a full day adventure.