Small Group Canterbury, Dover Castle, Cliffs & Villages Day Tour
Description
Join us on a 11 hour small group, maximum 16 people, day tour from London, to Canterbury, Dover and Kent Villages. This tour takes us through the county known as the "Garden of England". We will travel through time - literally, with a visit to Greenwich where GMT began. Then out deep into the beautiful Kent countryside and a stop in the glorious traditional Kentish village of Chilham. Following Chilham we take the scenic route onto the famous White Cliffs of Dover where we descend down to the shore for spectacular views along the coast and up at the glistening white cliffs immediately behind us. On from the cliffs we head to Dover Castle, where you can explore and see over 2000 years of history, from the Roman era church, to the Medieval embattlements and tunnels dug during WW2. Then on to the city of Canterbury, with its world famous 900 year old cathedral. Visit the cathedral and join us on a guided walking tour of Canterbury before our return to London after a full day exploring.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We make a short stop in Greenwich on our way out of London. Greenwich forms part of our natural route out of the city and is a great place for us to stop and grab a coffee and use the bathroom before we get out into the countryside. Admire the Cutty Sark - a famous restored 19th century tea clipper sailing ship. Hear stories of Kings and Queens visiting, and learn about the observatory that gave birth to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and see the famous Royal Naval College.
Wander round this beautiful example of a traditional English village. Full of charm and centred around a village square, with a church, pub and tearooms. Chilham is perhaps Kent's most beautiful village of all. Enjoy a cup of tea and a scone from the tearooms, or perhaps a local pint of beer from the historic village pub.
We bring you down to the shoreline under the world famous White Cliffs of Dover. One of England's most iconic natural locations, and a welcome sight for soldiers and pilots returning home from warfare in history. Stroll along the pebble beach with the cliffs behind you, and weather permitting, a view 20 miles across the English Channel to France.
Explore this glorious medieval castle - describes as the "Key to England". Huge defensive significance throughout English history, and in use as a defensive position since the Iron Age 3000 years ago, also used by the Romans - evidenced by a Roman lighthouse on the site - the most complete standing Roman structure in England. You'll have a couple of hours to visit this incredible castle - perhaps have a bite to eat in one of their cafes.
We spend 2.5 hours in Canterbury. Time to explore this famous English city, perhaps do some shopping, have a bite to eat or a drink in one of it's many charismatic pubs. Perhaps take the time to visit the spectacular UNESCO world heritage site cathedral - the enormous 11th century Canterbury Cathedral. Later, join your guide for a walking tour of the history and highlights of Canterbury, hear stories of Chaucer and the founding fathers, follow in the footsteps of pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, before we head off back to London.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum age is 3 years
- A moderate amount of walking is involved, and across some uneven surfaces
- No large items of luggage are permitted, luggage compartment is limited
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Maximum group size 16 people
- Comfortable clothes and walking shoes - warm and waterproof clothes
- Please do not travel if unwell and/or experiencing symptoms of Covid-19
Reviews(232)
Worth the time! Beautiful coastline and spectacular cathedral and castles. Louis was fantastic!! Beautiful villages!
Hello, thank you so much for your review - delighted to hear you enjoyed our small group tour so much! All the best, Chris The English Bus
We had a fantastic experience on our trip to Canterbury and the Cliffs. The bus was very clean and comfortable. We had plenty of time at each stop to sample the local food and explore. Can't say enough good things about our guide Jon. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the whole trip very enjoyable. I would highly recommend this tour!
Hello, Thank you so much for joining us on this small group tour. Wonderful to hear that you enjoyed it so much. Jon will also love reading this so I will make sure to pass it on, he puts so much into giving each and every one of his guests the best experience. All the best, Jen The English Bus
This was a fabulous tour! Providing comfortable travel with a skilled driver who was also an exceptional guide. Lucy was knowledgeable and passionate about the history she imparted, making it entertaining and relevant to us today. Absolutely recommend!
Our group of 6 (2 grandparents, 2 adults, 1 seven year old, and 1 adult with Down syndrome/limited mobility) greatly enjoyed our tour of Greenwich, Chillam, the White Cliffs, Dover Castle, and Canterbury. The bus was comfortable, our guide (Alex) was kind and knowledgeable, and the day well-planned. It made for a long day (about 12 hours total out and back from London on the journey), but more than worth it for the sights and views. If you want a lot of time (more than 2 hours) at Dover Castle, just know you may want to do that outside of this tour. Every other stop offered more bean enough time to explore on our own/walk with our guide to enjoy all the sights on offer. Another highlight of this particular company is the small group size and ability to stop off/take roads that the big tour buses can’t navigate. Overall, highly, highly recommend!
Hello Hanna, Thank you so much for your kind words. What more can we add. We really appreciate your detailed review and feedback, it is so good to hear that you had such a good time with Alex on tour. He is a real asset to us and will be so pleased to read your review. Thank you for choosing to travel with us, we hope to welcome you back one day on one of our other small group tour routes! All the best, Chris The English Bus
We did the White Cliffs of Dover, Dover Castle and Canterbury. Great choice! Our guide, Alex, was very knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor which made the day even more enjoyable. Good communication. He contacted us the evening before to prepare us for the next day and kept in touch during our free time on the tour. The tour is well worth the money and we could relax while he navigated the route with ease. Thank you Alex and English Bus!
Interesting places is why we book, but having a great guide makes it a great experience. Or guide Lucy was very knowledgeable, a great communicator, and very accommodating.
We’re just now heading back to London from this amazing tour!! SO glad we did this! Everything was beautiful and our tour guide Lucy was so friendly and funny! Such a relaxing time away from the city. We didn’t want to leave.
This day trip was fantastic! Our guide Val, was absolutely phenomenal! Started out stopping in Greenwich and got to see the Cutty Sark. Then we moved onto Chilham. Small quaint, little village, and got to meet Barry and try some of his cake. And then we were off to check out the White Cliffs in Dover. Absolutely beautiful. And then we were off to Canterbury. Unbelievably awesome old small English town. Had a great meal at the parrot while we were there. All along the way, Val was full of information. And it was good to hear some personal stories of hers that made the trip more enjoyable. Highly recommend it. Well worth the money for a 11.5 hour tour.
This is my second time touring with The English Bus. Last year I did the Stonehenge, Bath, and Secret Place tour and loved it so much that I knew when I was planning my trip back to London this year, I would be going with The English Bus again. This year, I did the Canterbury and Dover tour and it was just as amazing as last year. Even with the rain and windy that hit the tour in the beginning, it was amazing. Standing in an ancient castle and going around Canterbury, I had to sit in amazement that I was experiencing this and with The English Bus tour, it never felt rushed or it was corraling people. We had time to enjoy it. And Alex our tour guide was amazing. Very informative and always willing to answer a question if you had one. I loved his walking tour while in Canterbury. I will be going with The English Bus again in the future. If you want a small and engaging tour, go with them!
A return visitor — this absolutely makes our day! Thank you so much for coming back to us and for taking the time to leave such a wonderful review. It's brilliant to hear that Canterbury and Dover won you over just as much as Stonehenge, Bath and the Secret Place did last year — even with the rain and wind doing their best to gatecrash the party! There's something rather special about standing in an ancient castle in a proper British squall, we think. We're so glad it never felt rushed — having the space to actually take it all in is exactly what small group touring is all about. Alex will be delighted to read your kind words too. His Canterbury walking tour is something rather special and it's lovely to hear it landed so well. We can't wait to welcome you back for round three! Don't forget to check our website for live availability, and you'll find the best prices there too. Thanks again for choosing to travel with The English Bus! Jen
This was a fantastic tour. Our guide, Tony, was very knowledgeable friendly and very helpful with the tour and with general information about London. Small group and not rushed. We would definitely do another tour, oh we did! Highly recommended.
Hi there, Thank you so much for the fantastic review! We are absolutely thrilled that you loved the small-group pace and never felt rushed—that is exactly how we like to do things. Tony is a wealth of knowledge, and I will definitely pass your lovely feedback along to him. He will be so happy to hear that his tips and insights made such a great impression, both on the tour and for your time in London. And wow—thank you so much for booking a second tour with us! Knowing that you came back for more is the biggest compliment we could ask for. Thanks again for highly recommending us, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure in the future! All the best, Lilly @ The English Bus
