Broadstairs is brim-full of nostalgic, old-world, seaside charm. Sandy bays meet surf schools. Fishermen's cottages meet Charles Dickens connections. Retro ice-cream parlours meet chic shops. Relaxed and unspoilt, this is the perfect place for chilled-out, family-friendly fun.

 

Broadstairs boasts an impressive seven sand-filled beaches and bays. Head to Joss Bay to learn to surf, or rural Botany Bay to saunter amid towering chalk stacks. At the town's main beautiful beach, Viking Bay, discover children's rides, beach huts, surfing, a harbour and cliff-top promenade.

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The town has a wealth of inviting cafes, restaurants and bars - two 1950's ice-cream parlours Morelli's and Chiappini's provide flavourful scoops of nostalgia. In the High Street, historic red-brick and flint-fronted buildings are dotted between a rich stock of independent shops and galleries. 

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Broadstairs was Charles Dickens' favourite holiday spot. Explore a wealth of Dickens memorabilia and prints at the Dickens House Museum - also the former home of Mary Pearson Strong, who inspired the character Betsey Trotwood in David Copperfield. Bleak House, originally known as Fort House, is a prominent cliff-top house where Dickens holidayed in the 1850s and '60s and wrote David Copperfield. He is also said to have penned Bleak House whilst in residence, hence the change of name in the early 1900s. It is now privately owned and no longer open to the public.

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Cliff-top paths link beautiful bays, just inland St Peter's village stages award-winning heritage tours, while the Crampton Tower Museum provides an intriguing insight into Victorian engineering.

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Broadstairs' Dickens Festival in June overflows with costumed characters, talks, plays and beach outings. In August, Broadstairs Folk Week brings music sessions to pubs, gardens and beaches, whilst Broadstairs Water Gala is a family-friendly fiesta of events finished with fireworks. Spring and autumn host Broadstairs Food Festival, an irresistible celebration of locally-produced, fine food and drink. 

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For another experience you can cycle or hike on the Viking Coastal Trail along a stunning shoreline and through tranquil lanes, to explore the three Georgian and Victorian resorts, each with its own distinctive character – Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, which cluster around the bays at the far end of the peninsula. There’s a retro feel to these harbour towns, miles of low chalk cliffs edge the peninsula, sheltering a string of secluded, unspoilt sandy bays.

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