Day trips from Deal, and France too

Getting around from Deal

Deal sits on the east Kent coast, which makes it a handy base. Deal station has trains towards Dover to the south and towards Sandwich, Ramsgate and the north Kent coast, and local buses fill in the gaps. The journeys below are rough guides; timetables change, so check the National Rail journey planner or the bus operators before you set off.

You don't need a car for most of these trips. If you do drive, remember that the harbours and old town centres are small, so park at the edge and walk in.

Dover and the White Cliffs

Dover is the nearest big town, a short train ride south of Deal. Its great draw is Dover Castle, run by English Heritage. It's one of the largest castles in England, with a Roman lighthouse and Saxon church in its grounds, and a network of tunnels dug into the cliff that were used as a command centre in the Second World War, including during the Dunkirk evacuation.

Just east of the town, the White Cliffs of Dover are looked after by the National Trust. A cliff-top walk leads to South Foreland Lighthouse, and Fan Bay Deep Shelter is a set of wartime tunnels beneath the cliffs. Dover also has a harbour front and the Dover Museum, which houses the Bronze Age Boat, thought to be around 3,500 years old.

Sandwich

Sandwich is one of the best-preserved medieval towns in England, just a few miles north of Deal. It was once a leading Cinque Port, before the River Stour silted up and left it inland. Today it's a tangle of narrow lanes, timber-framed houses and old gates, including the Barbican Gate by the toll bridge over the river.

Walk along the quay, take a river trip or hire a boat when it's running, and wander through the gardens beside the old town walls. At the Guildhall Museum you can see one of Sandwich's great treasures: an original 1300 copy of Magna Carta, which lay forgotten in the town's archives until 2015. For a family-friendly way round the town, try the new Town Trails guide to Sandwich.

Just outside town, Sandwich Bay is a good place for birdwatching and for walking on the dunes, and it's home to the Royal St George's golf course, which has hosted the Open Championship.

Canterbury

Canterbury is Kent's only city, and the mother church of the Church of England. Canterbury Cathedral is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey and the ancient St Martin's Church. The medieval streets around it are full of independent shops, pubs and cafés, and you can take a punt or a boat trip along the River Stour.

Allow a whole day. The cathedral deserves a couple of hours on its own, and the city walls, the Westgate Towers and the Canterbury Roman Museum add plenty more to see.

Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate

North of Sandwich, the Isle of Thanet has three very different seaside towns, all within reach by train or bus. Ramsgate has the only Royal Harbour in Britain, a handsome marina lined with cafés and restaurants. The architect Augustus Pugin built a house and a church here, and you can see his work at The Grange and St Augustine's Church.

Broadstairs is smaller and more genteel, with the sandy sweep of Viking Bay and a long association with Charles Dickens, who spent summers here. Margate is livelier and more arty, with the Turner Contemporary gallery on the seafront, the old town's antique and vintage shops and the Dreamland amusement park.

Folkestone

Folkestone is a little further down the coast beyond Dover. Its old harbour has been brought back to life, with a long arm of stone and a station that has become a street-food market. Above it, the Creative Quarter is a district of colourful shops, studios and galleries, and the Folkestone Triennial brings public art to the town every few years.

It's a good place to combine a seaside walk along the Leas clifftop promenade with lunch at a harbour-side café.

Local attractions near Deal

Some of the best days out are small ones. Within a few miles of Deal you can find:

Walmer Castle and Deal Castle. Two of Henry VIII's coastal forts, a pleasant walk apart. See our castles guide, or visit English Heritage's pages for Walmer Castle and Gardens and Deal Castle.

Betteshanger Country Park. A country park and nature reserve on the site of a former colliery, with trails, play areas and events through the year. Website: betteshanger-park.co.uk.

Kingsdown and St Margaret's at Cliffe. South of Walmer, the coast path leads to the pretty village of Kingsdown and on to St Margaret's at Cliffe, with a pebble beach and the white cliffs behind. Sea views stretch out to the Channel. For more, see what's on in St Margaret's (from St Margaret's Parish Council) and White Cliffs Country, the official visitor guide to the area.

Samphire Hoe. A country park between Dover and Folkestone, created from rock dug out during the building of the Channel Tunnel. It's a calm place for a picnic or a walk beneath the cliffs. Website: samphirehoe.com.

Richborough Roman Fort. Near Sandwich, English Heritage looks after the remains of the fort at Richborough, which is believed to be near where the Roman invasion of Britain began in AD 43. Website: Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre.

Visiting France from Deal

One of the joys of living on this coast is how close France is. On a clear day you can see it from the beach at Deal, and Calais is only around 25 miles away across the water. You can leave Deal in the morning, have lunch in France and be home for supper.

By ferry. The ferry terminal at Dover is a short journey from Deal. Ferries run from Dover to Calais, and the crossing takes around 90 minutes. Several operators run the route, and some take only vehicles, so if you're on foot, check that your operator carries foot passengers and how you reach the port. P&O Ferries and DFDS both sail from Dover.

By Eurotunnel. Le Shuttle runs from Folkestone to Calais and takes around 35 minutes. It's for cars and other vehicles only, with no foot passengers. See Eurotunnel Le Shuttle for times and prices.

What to take. You'll need a passport, and since Brexit it must meet France's validity rules (broadly, issued within the last ten years and with several months left on it, but check the current rules). Border checks apply in both directions, and the EU's new Entry/Exit System is being rolled out, which may involve fingerprints and a photo on your first visit. A further travel authorisation scheme, ETIAS, is planned, so check GOV.UK travel advice for France before you travel.

Where to go in northern France

The nearest French towns are all easy day trips from Calais.

Calais has a fine lace museum and a seafront promenade, and the market square and Place d'Armes are good for lunch. The town is also known for Rodin's sculpture of the Burghers of Calais outside the town hall.

Cap Blanc-Nez and Cap Gris-Nez are chalk headlands near Calais, a short drive away. They are part of the same chalk ridge as the White Cliffs of Dover, and on a clear day you can see England from here, which makes them a nice mirror image of our view of France.

Boulogne-sur-Mer, around 30 miles from Calais, has a walled upper town (the Haute-Ville), a cathedral with a huge dome and Nausicaá, one of Europe's biggest aquariums.

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage is a smart seaside resort with a wide sandy beach, a little further south.

Dunkirk, to the east, has a beach that is famous for the 1940 evacuation of Allied troops, and the story is told at the Dunkirk 1940 museum.