St Martin’s Church is the oldest continually-used church in England

https://www.martinpaul.org/welcome.htm

St Augustine’s Abbey: ruins of the burial site of Anglo-Saxon kings

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/st-augustines-abbey/

St Mildred’s Church

An ancient church and one of the oldest in Canterbury with some traces of the late Saxon period building.

It is the first church in England to be dedicated to St. Mildred.

https://www.dunstanmildredpeter.org.uk/historicallinks.htm

St Dunstans

A place of worship for over 800 years, St Dunstan’s was part of the route King Henry II took in 1174 when he undertook public penance following the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket. Here he swapped his regal gown for a sackcloth gown and walked barefoot to Canterbury Cathedral.

St Dunstan’s church also contains the head of St Thomas More, once Lord High Chancellor under King Henry VII, but following his refusal to promote Protestant reform or take the Oath of Supremacy he was convicted of treason and beheaded. His daughter Margaret retrieved his head from London Bridge and it was interred in the Roper Chapel Crypt in the church.

https://www.dunstanmildredpeter.org.uk/historicallinks.htm

St Peters

Believed to be built on a roman site, evidence of St Peter’s early Anglo-Saxon origins can be seen in the tower, which incorporates Roman and Anglo-Saxon elements.

Many of Canterbury’s past mayors are buried within and the church was the parish of many Hugenot and Walloon refugees in the 17th century.

St Thomas’ Church

Following the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century there were very few Catholics in Canterbury and despite the re-establishment of the faith in the city it took until 1875 for a Catholic Church to be built here.

The Church is notable for containing two relics- a relic of the vestments of St. Oscar Romero who was killed for speaking out against injustice in El Salvador, and relics from the original shrine of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral are also housed in the Martyr’s Chapel.

https://stthomasofcanterbury.com/

City Walls

A great way to uncover the city is by walking the medieval city walls.

Starting from Castle Street where you can see the ruins of medieval Canterbury Castle, you can walk the walls around a portion of the city.

From your vantage point you can discover the beauty of the city below and the verdant Dane John Gardens, and you might want to climb the heights of the Dane John Mound.

Your walk will end at the start of the bustling Whitefriars shopping centre.

Christopher Marlowe Walking Tour

You can download a walking guide around the city which takes in all the sites associated with the famous playwright Christopher Marlowe:

Explore Christopher Marlowe Walking Tour | AllTrails

Take a guided tour

For those who would prefer to take a guided walking tour, Canterbury Tourist Guides offer regular guided walking tours through the city which can be booked online.

Daily Tours | Canterbury Guided Tours

The River Stour winds its way through the City of Canterbury, providing picturesque vistas and the opportunities for relaxing walks.

At Canterbury the river splits into two main channels, creating several ‘islands’ around the city, before continuing on its course, which means that wherever you are in the city, you are always close to a stretch of river.

Westgate Gardens

From Westgate Tower you can enter the beautiful Westgate Gardens and enjoy the Westgate Gardens River walk which takes you along a stretch of the Great Stour, past herb gardens and planted beds.

Beyond Westgate gardens follow the river to Toddlers Cove Playground and walk along Whitehall meadows which is a haven for wildlife.

You can choose to extend your walk along this path by the river into the nearby village of Chartham, or cross Tannery field at Toddlers Cove to return to the city alongside a tributary of the river which runs past St. Mildreds Church.

Franciscan Way

A hidden gem can be found just off Stour Street-crossing the bridge at Canterbury Punting will take you through to Greyfriars Garden, once part of the Franciscan Monastery, which is a little haven in the centre of the city.

From here you can walk on to Westgate Gardens or cross to Rope Walk to continue your walk along the Great Stour to meet Tannery Fields.

The Marlowe to Abbot’s Mill

From the Marlowe Theatre where you can find a picturesque bridge, follow the path by the Blackfriars and you can enjoy a riverside walk through Solly’s Orchard through to Abbot’s Mill Garden, which was once the mill for a monastery on this site and later a commercial mill which burned down in 1933, with some industrial ironworks still visible.

Crossing the road will lead you to another riverside walk through the Abbots Mill Project which is a nature reserve running along this stretch of riverbank, rewilding the area and providing habitat for a variety of species.

Alternately you can cross the road at Miller’s Causeway and follow the Great Stour path to find a pretty butterfly garden which will then lead you through to Westgate Towers.

For those who would rather enjoy a tour on the river rather than alongside it, Canterbury has two companies offering guided river tours:

Canterbury River Tours who depart from Westgate Gardens:

KENT & CANTERBURY TOURIST ATTRACTION | CANTERBURY HISTORIC RIVER TOURS (canterburyrivertours.co.uk)

And

Canterbury Punting who depart from the bridge in Stour Street

Canterbury Punting Company: Home