Canterbury's West End - Visit Canterbury

A community celebrating food, shopping arts, and entertainment

For centuries, the streets of our historic city's West End have been a hive of activity.

Alive with history and hubbub, rich with celebration and good cheer, the imposing Westgate Towers were once the entry point to the city for thousands of pilgrims journeying from London to visit the cathedral.

It was a place of rest for weary travellers and also where pagans partied and where authors, artists, playwrights and poets roamed.

The West End was where a journey began and ended for many. And today is no different...

This thriving area encompasses the streets winding from Canterbury West Station through historic St Dunstan's and the imposing Westgate Towers, past the colourful Westgate Gardens, along the River Stour and past the bustle of independent shops of the lower high street up to the entertainment hubs of The Marlowe Theatre and Westgate Hall.

It buzzes with independent, creative businesses offering a warm welcome and a delicious day or night on the town.

Sip a Cosmopolitan in the shadow of the Towers, find elegant gifts and quirky curio in enchanting shops housed in ancient buildings, gaze over the ancient rooftops from your luxurious hotel room, feast on local produce and the finest ales, and consume art where Marlowe, Shakespeare and Dickens once walked.

This is an area that welcomes the new while celebrating the old. And above all else, it embraces its community.

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It’s the place for the curious and the creative. It’s the place for community, care and togetherness. These streets await you. The question is, are you ready to take the pilgrimage?