This guide helps you plan time in and around Ramsgate: the harbour, a wartime tunnel network, a church designed by Pugin, a park and a country park, and three museums, two of them out at Manston, the former RAF airfield. The cards below link to each place’s InKent page. Several places run on volunteers, so their days can change at short notice.
Ramsgate Royal Harbour
Visit Ramsgate says Ramsgate is the only harbour in the UK entitled to call itself Royal, a title granted by George IV after his 1821 visit. It is a working harbour with fishing boats and offshore wind support vessels, beside a waterfront of restaurants, cafes, galleries and the Military Road Arches. Landmarks include the Obelisk, Jacob’s Ladder, the Sailors’ Church and the West Pier lighthouse. The harbour is owned and run by Thanet District Council. Parking is pay and display, and the Harbour Office is on 01843 572100.
- Opening: the quayside walkways are open to visitors. Cafes, galleries and boat trips keep their own hours.
- Access: wide paved walkways and step-free routes around the main quayside, with Blue Badge bays. Steps link the harbour to the cliffs.
- Not covered: the Clock House, the building that was the Maritime Museum. It is under restoration and extension, and Visit Ramsgate and Thanet District Council expect it to reopen in autumn 2026, but no opening date had been published when this guide was checked on 29 October 2026.
Ramsgate Tunnels
Ramsgate Tunnels is a volunteer-run network of wartime air raid shelter tunnels built under the town, entered from Marina Esplanade. Guided Deep Shelter Explorer Tours start with a short film in the Victorian railway tunnel and then go into the 1940s shelter tunnels. Tours are up to 1.25 km and take about an hour and a half, and the tunnels stay around 11 degrees. There are no public toilets in the tunnels.
- Opening: from 1 November to 31 March, tours run at 10am, 12pm and 2pm. The tunnels’ own pages disagree on days, with the tunnels page and Visit Thanet listing Wednesday to Monday and the tours page Tuesday to Sunday. The tunnels are closed over Christmas and New Year. Pre-booking is recommended, and times can change with volunteer availability. We found no price, so check the booking page.
- Access: the entrance is at pavement level with a ramp. The tunnels’ accessibility page calls the Deep Shelter Explorer Tour generally suitable for wheelchair users and advises reading its access statement first, but the tours page says it cannot currently accommodate mobility scooters, wheelchairs, prams and buggies on its Tunnel Town Explorer Tours, so check with the venue about the tour you want before booking.
Shrine of St Augustine and National Pugin Centre
St Augustine’s is the church AWN Pugin designed and built beside his own home, The Grange. It is now a Catholic parish church with a shrine to St Augustine and the National Pugin Centre. Its own site lists visits from 10am to 4pm except Christmas Day, and by special arrangement. Visit Thanet lists 12.30pm to 3.30pm except Tuesdays and Sundays, so the two differ. Guided tours run on the first Sunday of each month, 2pm to 3pm, limited to 12 people and booked by email to the parish. Ramp access to several areas and an accessible toilet are stated. We found no admission price.
Ellington Park
Ellington Park, on Park Road, is a restored Victorian park with a bandstand, two play areas, a trim trail, a wildlife garden and pond, and a cafe. Visit Ramsgate lists the park as open 24 hours. The cafe and toilets open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm, with later hours in summer. Visit Ramsgate says the park is completely free to visit. Paths are tarmac and suit wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pushchairs, there are three wide access gates, and the cafe has level access and an accessible toilet.
Pegwell Bay Country Park
Pegwell Bay Country Park, at Cliffsend, is a Kent County Council country park on the Stour estuary and the way into the Sandwich and Pegwell Bay nature reserve. It has a play area, a bird hide, public toilets and a cafe that depends on the weather. A circular solid path around the sea wall is wheelchair accessible. Dogs may be on leads in the car park, off lead only in the dog walking area, and under control in the reserve. Entry is free, according to Visit Ramsgate. Visit Thanet lists car parking at £2.30 a day on weekdays and £3.30 at weekends and bank holidays. The listings give the park as open from 9am until dusk, with the latest closing given as 8pm in one and 9pm in another, so check the current time.
The Manston museums
Two charity museums are on Manston Road near Ramsgate. The Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum says it is on the historic RAF airfield at Manston, and the RAF Manston History Museum gives its address as Manston Road.
The Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum tells the story of the Battle of Britain, and its own site lists free admission and welcomes donations. Its opening-times page lists Monday as 10am to 4pm and Visit Thanet’s seasonal page lists it as open daily, 10am to 4pm. The museum says times may change without notice, and some older listings show Mondays closed in winter, so check before you go.
The RAF Manston History Museum has aircraft and cockpit displays including an Avro Vulcan, an English Electric Canberra and a Victor cockpit, and a NAAFI cafe. In winter it lists Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm (last entry 2.15pm) and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm (last entry 3.15pm), subject to volunteer availability. Its own site lists an adult price of £7. Visit Thanet lists step-free access, and the museum publishes an AccessAble guide.
This Museum Is (Not) Obsolete
This is a small interactive museum at 5 to 7 Church Hill, covering obsolete and experimental electronic, telecommunication and musical technology. It is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, 1pm to 4pm, and the mornings are kept for private sessions. Visit Ramsgate lists adult £7, under 13s £5 and under 3s free. A Synth Social runs on the last Wednesday evening of the month.
Choosing between them
- Harbour and history: the Royal Harbour, the tunnels and the Pugin church.
- Free entry listed: the Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum lists it on its own site.
- Parks and walks: Ellington Park and Pegwell Bay.
- Aircraft: the two Manston museums, both on Manston Road.
- Weekend only: This Museum Is (Not) Obsolete.
Planning the day
Book the tunnels first, because they run three set tours a day and need pre-booking. We have no distances between the places, so check a map before you decide whether to walk or drive to Ellington Park, the Pugin church, Pegwell Bay or Manston.
Getting there
The harbour has pay and display parking. Use the operators’ journey planners for current train and bus services.
Frequently asked questions
Can wheelchair users join the Ramsgate Tunnels tours?
It depends on the tour. The tunnels’ accessibility page calls the Deep Shelter Explorer Tour generally suitable for wheelchair users, while the tours page says it cannot currently accommodate mobility scooters, wheelchairs, prams and buggies on its Tunnel Town Explorer Tours. Read the access statement and check with the venue before booking.