Folkestone
Folkestone is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England.
Folkestone is a coastal town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour, shipping port, and fashionable coastal resort for most of the 19th and mid-20th centuries.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Folkestone
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Sandgate Castle
Sandgate Castle is an artillery fort originally constructed by Henry VIII in Sandgate in Kent, between 1539 and 1540. It formed part of the King's Device programme to protect England against invasion from France and the Holy Roman Empire, and defended a vulnerable point along the coast.
2.2 km · Grade I listed Device Fort in Sandgate, Kent, England, UK · Wikipedia - 02Folkestone Castle
Folkestone Castle stood on a spur of the North Downs to the north of the town of Folkestone, Kent. The Norman castle existed in the late 11th and 12th centuries and was built on a natural mound which.
2.5 km · castle in Folkestone, Kent, England, UK · Wikipedia - 03Leas Cliff Hall
Leas Cliff Hall is an entertainment and function venue situated in Folkestone, on the Kent coast of England. The Grand Hall seats 900 and it has a standing capacity of 1500.
600 m · theatre and entertainment venue in Folkestone, England · Wikipedia - 04Battle of Britain Memorial, Capel-le-Ferne
The Battle of Britain Memorial is a monument to aircrew who flew in the Battle of Britain. It is sited on the White Cliffs at Capel-le-Ferne, near Folkestone, on the coast of Kent.
2.8 km · WWII memorial in Kent, England · Wikipedia - 05The Parish Church of St Mary and St Eanswythe
St Mary and St Eanswythe's Church is a Grade II* listed Anglican church in Folkestone, Kent, situated not far from cliffs overlooking the English Channel. Parts of the building date from the 13th century, but it was largely rebuilt in the 19th century.
200 m · church in Folkestone, Kent, England, UK · Wikipedia - 06Kent Battle of Britain Museum
The Kent Battle of Britain Museum is an aviation museum located in Hawkinge, Kent, focused on the Allied and Axis men of the Battle of Britain. The Spirit of the Few Monument is in the grounds of the museum.
4.2 km · aviation museum in Hawkinge, Kent · Wikipedia - 07St Mary's Church, Capel-le-Ferne
St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church to the northeast of the village of Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
5 km · church in Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, England, UK · Wikipedia - 08Folkestone War Memorial
Folkestone War Memorial is a First World War memorial situated in The Leas area of Folkestone, Kent. Designed by Ferdinand Victor Blundstone and unveiled in 1922, it commemorates the 578 men of Folkestone who served in the war, and those who passed through Folkestone Harbour when Folkestone Harbour railway station nearby was an important point of departure and return for passage to the Western Front via Boulogne.
200 m · War memorial in Folkestone, England · Wikipedia - 09The Guildhall
Folkestone Town Hall, also known as The Guildhall, is a municipal building in Guildhall Street, Folkestone, Kent, England. The town hall serves as the headquarters of Folkestone Town Council, and also houses the Folkestone Museum.
200 m · building in Folkestone, Shepway, Kent, England, UK · Wikipedia - 10Folkestone Priory
Folkestone Priory was a pre-Reformation Benedictine monastery at Folkestone in the English county of Kent. The priory church survives as the present parish church.
200 m · pre-Reformation Benedictine monastery at Folkestone, Kent, England · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do
- 01Quarterhouse
Mill Bay, CT20 1BN, general), +44 1303 760 750 (box office), info@creativefolkestone.org.uk.
- 02East Cliff and Warren Country Park
Wear Bay Road, CT19 6BL, wccp@dover.gov.uk.
- 03Sunny Sands Beach
The Stade, CT19 6RB (east of the harbour),.
- 04Folkestone Sports Centre
Radnor Park Avenue, mail@folkestonesportscentre.co.uk.
- 05Harbour Arm
Formerly the railway station for the boat trains, the Harbour Arm has been reopened to the public.
- 06Lower Leas Coastal Park
Open all year round, this is a wonderful seaside park containing an amphitheatre that provides free entertainment (mostly music and theatre) all throughout each summertime.
From Wikivoyage: Folkestone, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
There are many cafes and restaurants throughout Folkestone catering for all tastes, particularly at the top of the Old High Street, around the harbour and along the Harbour Arm (when the weather is good).
- 01Rocksalt
Its prices are fair, and the service superb.
- 02Django's Cafe Bar
It sells a wide range of food, and is great for sitting outside in the summer.
- 03Oriental Buffet
18-20 Rendezvous St,.
- 04Papas Fish Restaurant and Takeaway
110 Sandgate Rd, info@papasfishrestaurant.co.uk.
- 05The Lift Cafe
From Wikivoyage: Folkestone, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Folkestone
- Airports
- London Gatwick (LGW), 96 km · London Stansted (STN), 111 km · Ostend-Bruges (OST), 119 km
- Stations
- Folkestone Central railway station, 800 m · Folkestone West railway station, 1.9 km · Folkestone Harbour railway station, 600 m · Cheriton Halt railway station, 2.8 km · Sandgate railway station, 4.1 km
- London → Folkestone102 km · quickest by road, 2h 28m · £10–14
- London, Essex → Folkestone102 km · quickest by road, 2h 28m · £10–14
- Luton, Luton → Folkestone141 km · quickest by road, 2h 38m · £16–21
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Folkestone
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Folkestone. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inNational Express operates the 007 coach service from London Victoria Coach Station to Dover Pencester Road in the town, about from the ferry port.
- Get in{{go | name | url | address 51.126156 | long west of the central shopping area, and about a walk from the ferry port | phone | hours | wikidata=Q2666521 | content=The only remaining station in Dover.
- Get inThere is no shuttle bus between the station and the ferry port, so you will have to walk the roughly 1½ miles (2.25 km) or get a taxi.
- Get inRegular ferry services operate to Dover from Calais and Dunkirk.
- Get inThe ferry between France and Dover costs around €40 each way if on foot, and around €100 each way for a car with two passengers, although big discounts are available if booked in advance or with special offers.
From Wikivoyage: Dover (England), CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
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If you know how people move in Folkestone – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Folkestone
- Folkestone and Hythelocal government district in Kent, England300 m
- Hawkingevillage in Kent, England, UK4.3 km
- Capel-le-Fernevillage in Kent, England, UK3.1 km
- Newingtonvillage and civil parish in Folkestone and Hythe, Kent, England4.8 km
- Paddlesworthvillage and civil parish in Folkestone and Hythe District, Kent, England, UK5.1 km
- Sandgatevillage in Kent, England2.4 km