Canterbury
A rich repository of more than 1400 years of Christian history, Canterbury Cathedral is the Church of England’s mother ship, and a truly extraordinary…
Must-see attractions in Southeast England
Kent
Leeds Castle, an immense moated pile just east of Maidstone, is often considered the world’s most romantic castle. It's certainly one of the most visited…
Kent
The Chartwell Estate was home of Sir Winston Churchill from 1924 until his death in 1965. It offers a breathtakingly intimate insight into the life of…
Kent
Turner Contemporary is a blockbuster art gallery, bolted together on the site of the seafront guesthouse where master painter JMW Turner used to stay…
Kent
Down House, on the edge of the quaint Kent village of Downe, was Charles Darwin's home from 1842 until his death in 1882. It was here that he developed…
Dover
Occupying top spot, literally and figuratively, in Dover’s townscape, this most impressive of castles was built to bolster the country’s weakest point at…
Brighton & Hove
The Royal Pavilion is the city’s must-see attraction. The glittering party pad and palace of Prince George, later Prince Regent and then King George IV,…
Dover
Despite voting leave, the poor port town of Dover is possibly the Southeast community set to suffer most post-Brexit. It was perhaps for that reason that…
East Sussex
The famous cliffs of Beachy Head are the highest point of the chalky rock faces that slice across the rugged coastline at the southern end of the South…
Brighton & Hove
Brighton’s newest attraction opened in 2016, at the point the now defunct West Pier used to make landfall. The world’s most slender tower is a brutal,…
Dover
The biggest draw at Dover Castle is the secret wartime tunnels. The claustrophobic chalk-hewn passageways were excavated during the Napoleonic Wars and…
Southeast England
Arundel Castle was first built in the 11th century but all that's left of the early structure are the modest remains of the keep. It was ransacked during…
Kent
Margate’s unique attraction is a mysterious subterranean grotto, discovered in 1835. It’s a claustrophobic collection of rooms and passageways embedded…
East Sussex
On this spot raged the pivotal battle in the last successful invasion of England in 1066: an event that had an unparalleled impact on the country’s…
Beaney House of Art & Knowledge
Canterbury
This mock-Tudor edifice is the grandest on the main shopping thoroughfare, if not the most authentic. Formerly called the Royal Museum & Art Gallery, it…
Brighton & Hove
This grand old Edwardian pier is the place to experience Brighton’s tackier side. There are plenty of stomach-churning fairground rides and noisy…
Brighton & Hove
Not just for children, this aquarium is an underground exhibition of nature's fascinating water creatures. Walking around the church-like interior,…
Lewes Castle & Barbican House Museum
East Sussex
Now little more than a set of ruins, this castle was built shortly after the 1066 Norman invasion. It never saw warfare, but there were riotous…
Southeast England
Arundel’s ostentatious 19th-century Catholic cathedral is one of the dominating features on the town’s impressive skyline. Commissioned by the 15th Duke…
Southeast England
This understated cathedral was begun in 1075 and largely rebuilt in the 13th century. The free-standing church tower went up in the 15th century; the…
Kent
Around 4 miles northwest of Ramsgate’s town centre at Manston Airport, this purpose-built museum stores two WWII planes: one a Spitfire, the other a…
Southeast England
This engaging little museum is located in the splendid Willmer House, a Georgian mansion built in 1718 for the wealthy hop merchant and maltster John…
Southeast England
Fishbourne Palace is the largest-known Roman residence in Britain. The palace lies 1.5 miles west of Chichester, just off the A259 (take bus 700 from…
Kent
Given the kiss of life using lottery and council funds, Margate’s famous amusement park has come back to life after many years of lying derelict and stop…
East Sussex
The ruins of William the Conqueror’s first stronghold sit 5 miles east of Eastbourne, just off the A259. Regular train services between London Victoria…
Canterbury
This fascinating subterranean archaeological site gives an insight into Canterbury’s everyday life almost two millennia ago. Visitors can stroll a…
Brighton & Hove
Hove can justifiably claim to be the birthplace of British cinema, with the first short film shot here in 1898. You can see it alongside other fascinating…
Southeast England
Chichester’s almost complete ring of Roman defensive walls are around 1.5 miles in length, and provide a pleasant escape from the retail bustle they now…
Southeast England
A Queen Anne mansion built by a local wine merchant, handsome Pallant House and a 21st-century wing host this superb gallery. The focus is on mostly…
Southeast England
Chichester’s purpose-built museum provides a home for the eclectic collections of the erstwhile District Museum, as well as some artefacts from Fishbourne…
Kent
Sandwich’s small but thorough museum is a good place to start exploring the town. The exhibition space was fully renovated in 2017 to house a copy of the…
Kent
Just along from Fishergate, this set of exquisite gardens was laid out behind a 1912 mansion by leading early 20th-century garden designers Gertrude…
East Sussex
The seafront area known as the Stade (below East Hill) is home to distinctive black clapboard structures known as Net Shops. These were built to store…
Rye
This Georgian town house is a favourite stomping ground for local apparitions, but its most famous resident was American writer Henry James, who lived…
East Sussex
Mercifully saved by some clever firefighting when a huge blaze broke out in the amusement arcade on 30 July 2014, it took just over a year for this…
Brighton & Hove
Set in the Royal Pavilion’s renovated stable block, this museum and art gallery has a glittering collection of 20th-century art and design, including a…
Rye
Just off Church Sq stands the sandcastle-esque Ypres Tower (pronounced ‘wipers’). You can scramble through the 13th-century building to learn about its…
Kent
On the riverfront in Chatham, this historic dockyard, a candidate for Unesco heritage status, occupies a third of what was once the Royal Navy’s main dock…
East Sussex
One of the southeast’s most exciting exhibition spaces, this purpose-built structure has temporary shows of contemporary work on the ground and 2nd floors…
Canterbury
This stumpy little building just off the road from Canterbury to Sandwich is thought to be England’s oldest parish church in continuous use. It’s also…
