A Day Trip From London to Whitstable

Looking for the perfect day trip from London? A taste of the classic British seaside? The fresh sea air and classic charm of Whitstable might be just what you need….

There’s something about being by the sea that clears my head, and having grown up by the beach, makes me feel at home. After narrowing down some new-to-me towns along the South Coast, I settled on Whitstable. Mainly due to it being just over an hour on the train, and accessible from Stratford International – one of my closest major train stations.

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It turns out that Whitstable is just as charming as I’d expected. Close to Canterbury and with a population of 32,000, it’s a popular day trip for Londoners and we encountered plenty of visitors also making the most of a sunny Sunday. Despite its small size, it didn’t feel too overcrowded, and had a lovely, relaxed vibe – the perfect British seaside town, with less of the tackier elements you’d find in similar places.

In terms of things to do – one of Whitstable’s greatest pleasures is not really doing all that much at all. Walking the seafront, dipping your toes in the sea, relaxing with a cider and soaking up the atmosphere is what a laid-back Whitstable day trip is *really* all about.

If you like eating, drinking and shopping though, Whitstable has you sorted.

Where to Eat & Drink in Whitstable

There are plenty of cafes, restaurants and pubs around Whitstable – but we found on a sunny day, we’d made a bit of a faux pas by not actually making a booking at any of them. Oops. Suffice to say, lunchtime was pretty rammed, and we struggled to find a seafront spot.

Thankfully, we stumbled across the quiet Café Revival, just moments from the seafront. Café Revival is a mental health social enterprise supporting MIND in Kent, selling all vegetarian and vegan dishes. It was super quiet, and we took a seat on the balcony for some prime people-watching. The halloumi gyros (£7.50) I had was absolutely delicious. And supporting a good cause through eating? Even better!

As I’m veggie, I didn’t end up trying the local oysters – however, if you’re into seafood, Whitstable is famous for them! For Instagram-worthy exterior points, Wheeler’s is a well known (and often photographed) spot, or you can find plenty of oyster stalls dotted along the seafront.

If you fancy a drink, Whitstable’s got plenty of charming pubs – including ‘the pub on the beach’. Yep, a pub, that’s actually on the beach. If you want a spot at The Old Neptune, you’ll have to get down early, as all the outside tables were full by the time we got there, just after opening.

If you’re visiting on a busy, sunny day, there’s another option – enjoying some food and drink on the beach itself! The classic seaside vibe, basically. We found some takeaway pints (in eco-friendly plastics, which we recycled), and a prime spot for dog-watching. There are a few benches dotted along the seafront path, but you can also take a perch on the side of a groyne, or the concrete seawall that stretches along the beach. The perfect place to enjoy Whitstable’s gorgeous sunsets!

Where to Shop in Whitstable

Whitstable high street is quaint and charming, exactly what you’d expect from a proper British seaside town. With limited chains, there’s room for plenty of boutiques and independent shops. Wandering the street and popping in wherever takes your fancy is the best way to tackle this – but if you need some initial suggestions, these were a couple of my favourites!

For comics, movies and truckloads of Pop Vinyl, Spoon Web is true nerd heaven. And music fans should definitely check out Rock Bottom Records – sort through the vintage and vinyl to find hidden treasures.

To check out new books and bestsellers, Harbour Books is an independent shop with fiction, non-fiction, and a spotlight for local authors. If you want to dig around a bit more or discover rare and antique books, Oxford Street Bookshop is full of fascinating finds.

Duma is a lighting store that specialises in fun neon signs, as well as all kinds of fun household pieces. Valentine’s Vintage is great for quirky furniture, and Memories and Moonbeams offers all kinds of vintage curiosities.

If you’re into buying secondhand and supporting a good cause, there are also plenty of great charity shops – I found the flannel dress I’m wearing in some of these pics in Relate for just £3.50.

Getting to Whitstable

Trains run from London Victoria to Whitstable every hour, and hourly from London St.Pancras (also stopping at Stratford International), with a journey time of around 1hr 20mins – return journey timings are similar.

For a Super Off-Peak Day return, we paid £33 per person, but advance tickets are often cheaper! Whitstable train station is around 5-10 minutes’ walk from the high street and seafront.

Staying in Whitstable

If you want to extend your day trip from London to Whitstable a lil’ bit longer, and wake up to the smell of that salty sea air, there are a couple of hotels – Hotel Contintental and The Marine. A lot of holiday properties in Whitstable are actually holiday home rentals rather than traditional hotels including converted fishermen’s huts – starting at £85 per night.