This guide helps you plan time in Canterbury: the three sites that make up the city’s World Heritage Site, five museums and visitor experiences in the centre, and a wildlife park at Bekesbourne, just outside the city. The cards below link to each place’s InKent page. Opening days differ, so settle the day first.
Which day to go
On a Monday the Beaney is closed, according to Visit Canterbury, while the cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey, the Roman Museum and the Canterbury Tales Experience list Monday opening. On a Saturday the Westgate Towers museum and viewpoint is closed. On a Sunday the cathedral church opens at 12.30pm. St Martin’s Church lists general visiting as usually Wednesday to Sunday, so plan around it if you are in Canterbury early in the week. Each place says to check before you go.
The World Heritage Site: cathedral, abbey and St Martin’s
Canterbury Cathedral is at 11 The Precincts. Its own site describes it as the mother church of the Anglican Communion. It lists Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and Sunday 11.30am to 5pm, with the church opening at 12.30pm on Sundays and only the grounds and shop open before then. Last admission is 4pm. Its ticket page lists an adult single-visit price of £18 for October to March. Visiting can be restricted during services, events and conservation work, and the cathedral lists planned closures on its site. Attending a service carries no charge.
St Augustine’s Abbey is an English Heritage site on Longport, east of the city centre. The ruins are those of an Anglo-Saxon abbey, and the site has a museum. English Heritage lists daily opening from 10am to 4pm with last entry at 3.30pm, with a later 11am start on Sunday 8 November. Its ticket page showed no price when we checked, so look at it before you go. It says online booking saves 15% if made by midnight the day before. Most of the site is wheelchair accessible, but there are no ramps or lifts and steps lead down to the crypt and cloister. A wheelchair loan service is available.
St Martin’s Church is on North Holmes Road. It has Roman, Saxon, Norman and medieval work and is still a place of worship. General visiting is usually Wednesday to Sunday, 11am to 3pm, in the low season from 28 September, and is limited during the 9am Sunday service. No entry fee is stated for general visits, and the church asks for donations. It can close for private events, so ring 01227 768072 before you visit. We have no distances between the three sites, so check a map to see how far you want to walk.
Museums and a viewpoint
The Beaney is a council-run museum, art gallery, library and visitor information centre at 18 High Street. Visit Canterbury and the Art Fund both list free entry, though special exhibitions and events may be charged. Visit Canterbury lists Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, with Thursday shown as 10am to 5pm on 29 October 2026, and Sunday 11am to 4pm. We could not reach the Beaney’s own website, so check its plan-your-visit page.
Canterbury Roman Museum is underground on Butchery Lane, built around a Roman townhouse floor, with a mosaic pavement in its original place, a recreated marketplace and hands-on activities such as dressing in a toga and making a mosaic. The museum service lists daily opening from 10am to 5pm, with last admission at 4.30pm. Canterbury Museums’ own pages disagree on the adult price (£9 on one page, £11 on others), so check the booking page. National Art Pass holders get free entry, and advance booking is encouraged.
Westgate Towers is the medieval gatehouse that was once the city gaol. It is now run as the Old City Jail venue at One Pound Lane, with a museum and viewpoint alongside a bar and escape rooms. The museum and viewpoint list Sunday to Friday, noon to 4pm, closed Saturdays, and in January, February and March also closed Mondays. The venue says access to the museum and viewpoint is restricted because of multiple flights of stairs and narrow doorways. We found no published admission price.
The Canterbury Tales Experience is an indoor, audio-guided walk through recreated medieval scenes based on Chaucer’s pilgrims, on St Margaret’s Street, in a building the experience says has stood for over 900 years. Its own site lists winter entry times of 10.30am to 4pm, seven days a week, and prices of £27.95 for an adult, £12.95 for a child aged 6 to 12 and £59.95 for a family. Visit Canterbury shows different hours, so use the experience’s own page.
Howletts Wild Animal Park
Howletts is the Aspinall Foundation’s wildlife park at Bekesbourne, near Canterbury, with elephants, gorillas, lemurs and giant anteaters. Its winter schedule lists daily opening from 2 November to 3 January, Friday to Sunday from 4 January to 12 February, daily from 13 to 21 February, then Friday to Sunday from 22 February. Hours are 10am to 4pm, and 10am to 5pm on 13 to 21 February, with last entry two hours before closing. The Foundation’s page listed a 2026 online adult day ticket at £23.64 standard, plus a £2.40 booking fee, and a higher price at the gate. Designated disabled parking is next to the gatehouse. We checked no step-free statement, so look at the park’s accessibility page.
Choosing between them
- History: the cathedral, St Augustine’s Abbey and St Martin’s Church, the Roman Museum and Westgate Towers.
- No entry charge listed: the Beaney (free entry listed) and St Martin’s Church (donations asked).
- Children: the Roman Museum’s hands-on activities and Howletts.
- Limited mobility: read each access page first. Westgate Towers’ museum has stairs and narrow doorways, and St Augustine’s has steps to the crypt and cloister.
Planning the day
Pick the cathedral and one or two of the centre’s museums for a city day, and keep Howletts for a separate trip, because it is outside the city and has its own season of days.
Getting there
Parking and rail details change, so check the city council’s pages and the train operators’ journey planners for current information.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Beaney free?
Visit Canterbury and the Art Fund list free entry, though special exhibitions and events may be charged.
Is Canterbury Cathedral open on Sundays?
Its own site lists Sunday 11.30am to 5pm, with the church opening at 12.30pm. Check its page for planned closures.
Is Howletts in Canterbury?
It is at Bekesbourne, near Canterbury, with the postcode CT4 5EL.