Skip to content
Mixroutes
Maidstone
County town of Kent, England

Maidstone

Maidstone is the largest town in the county of Kent in South East England, of which it is also the county town.

Plan a trip to Maidstone→From London

Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it with Rochester and the Thames Estuary. Historically, the river carried much of the town's trade as the centre of the agricultural county of Kent, which is known as the Garden of England. There is evidence of settlement in the area dating back before the Stone Age. The town, part of the borough of Maidstone, had an approximate population of 100,000 in 2019. Since World War II, the town's economy has shifted from heavy industry towards light industry and services.

Get in

Getting to Maidstone

The nearest major airport is London Gatwick Airport (LGW IATA), which is 42mi/67km away. Maidstone sits south of M20, which (with the A20) connects with London, Ashford & Folkestone. The A26 runs west to Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells & Brighton, and the A229 heads north to Chatham, and south to Hastings. Town Centre car parking: The Chequers Centre car park (east end of Town Centre, enter from Padsole Lane or King St).

  1. 01
    Maidstone East is central

    It has a ticket office and machines, a waiting room, toilets and shops.

  2. 02
    Maidstone Barracks
See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Leeds Castle

    Maidstone, ME17 1PL, enquiries@leeds-castle.co.uk.

  2. 02
    Maidstone Museum & Bentlif Art Gallery

    A municipal museum with a wide ranging collection in 20 or so rooms.

  3. 03
    All Saints Church

    The Archbishop's Palace next door is worth a look from the outside; it is now the registry office.

  4. 04
    Museum of Kent Life

    Cobtree, Lock Lane, Sandling, ME14 3AU.

  5. 05
    Aylesford Priory

    Founded in 1242.

  6. 06
    Stoneacre

    Otham, ME15 8RS (4 miles east of Maidstone), stoneacre@nationaltrust.org.uk.

Do

Things to do

Football: Maidstone United play soccer in National League South, the sixth tier. They're a phoenix club formed after the original club went bust in 1992. In 2024 they shocked Ipswich, a first tier side, by knocking them out in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Their home ground Gallagher Stadium (capacity 4200) is 200 yards north of Maidstone East railway station.

  1. 01
    The Hazlitt Theatre
  2. 02
    Kent County Show
Eat

Where to eat

  1. 01
    The Oak on the Green

    A restaurant and pub next to a large cricket green in a small village just outside of Maidstone called Bearsted.

  2. 02
    Lockmeadow

    Lockmeadow is an entertainment centre in Maidstone town centre.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wilfredor (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.