19 MARVELLOUS THINGS TO DO IN HERNE BAY, KENT.
“It wasn’t Whitstable. It wasn’t Margate. It was Herne Bay – and that felt like the right choice on a baking hot May day.”
We came without much of a plan, which is probably the best way to meet a place like this. Stepping off the train, the heat hit immediately and all we wanted was to reach the sea and feel the breeze take the edge off it.
It did not take long. The town opens itself up quickly here. A straight path forward, then suddenly that wide expanse of blue, wind turbines turning almost imperceptibly in the stillness of an early summer day.
As a lifelong fan of the Kent coast, there are places I return to often like Margate, Deal and Whitstable. But this time I wanted something different. More space, fewer people and a slower paced day.
There is also a more personal thread here for me. My paternal great grandfather was from Herne Bay. As a young man he met my great grandmother while she was working there, and he moved back to her home town. Had things gone differently, there is a version of history where I might have been born here too.
And that is how we ended up in Herne Bay.
In this post, you can find out why we think Herne Bay is worth visiting and 18 marvellous things to do in Herne Bay.
Why is Herne Bay worth visiting?
One of the reasons we loved Herne Bay is that it feels refreshingly authentic. I was taking a photo when a local leaned over and said, “Oh, very interesting picture,” gently taking the mick. And oddly enough, I realised I quite liked that. This is not a town designed for trendiness. There are no influencers jostling for harbour shots or staging perfect seaside moments. Instead, it is simply a place living its own life, with the sea providing a pleasant backdrop.
It is also one of the oldest seaside resorts in England, and you can still see those Victorian bones running through it. The wide promenade, the open seafront, the familiar architecture all remain. It feels nostalgic but without being curated. A straightforward, good-old fashioned seaside town.
There is also something more practical but just as welcome, the prices. Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps will not cost you the earth here, which adds to the sense that life has not been over-polished or priced up for visitors.
Practically speaking, it is also easy to get to with direct trains from London
19 marvellous things to do in Herne Bay
Let’s be honest, a visit to the seaside is as much about relaxing as it is about finding things to do. That said, you can find some of the fabulous things that we enjoyed in Herne Bay below.
1/ Bob along Mortimer Street
Mortimer Street is Herne Bay’s independent high street. There is a pleasing mix of coffee shops, florists and unique stores. The street runs parallel to the high street and is a great first stop in Herne Bay for some genteel mooching and a caffeine fix.
2/ Visit the oldest pub in Herne Bay
The Ship Inn is not only the oldest pub in town, but the building it sits in is also thought to be the oldest, dating back to the 1300s. It sits close enough to the seafront that you can get a decent view from inside, or on the small terrace.
3/ Walk to Reculver
One of the things that I love about visiting the Kent coast, is that every town invariably has coastal walks in either direction. And Herne Bay is no exception. Follow the coastal path east out of town and after about an hour you will reach the twin medieval towers of Reculver.
4/ Fish & Chips on the beach
There are many different lunch options in Herne Bay, but sometimes it’s hard to beat the old classic – fish and chips on the beach. Happy Fryer is one of the best loved ones in town (just a few minutes walk from the beach), Britannia Fish Bar is also popular and offers gluten free options.
5/ Frolic on the pier
We hear that Herne Bay’s pier was once the second longest in England. But seeing it today, it may be hard to believe that. A storm in 1978 left the far end stranded out at sea, which gives it rather a dramatic biography.
What remains has had a new lease of life in recent years, with fairground rides, a helter skelter, food stalls and amusements. It has a strong sense of seaside nostalgia and we loved trying to hook the duck and sampling donuts, as we strolled. It is a particularly good area to explore if you have children in tow.
6/ Relax on the beach
The blue flag beach at Herne Bay is sand and shingle and it stretches for miles in both directions. Even on a busy day, the beach has plenty of space to absorb bathers. The area around the pier tends to be popular with families. But if you continue a little out of town towards the beach huts and Hampton, you can normally find a stretch just for yourself.
7/ Grab a bake at Boyce’s
It would be remiss to go to the British seaside and not enjoy a cuppa and a cream cake. Boyce’s on Mortimer Street is just the place for that. A few seats outside allow a bit of people watching, or if the weather isn’t fine you can sit inside the old fashioned bakery. Expect an array of freshly made sweet and savoury goodies at very reasonable prices.
8/ Vintage shopping
Briggsys Arcade Emporium is perhaps the most well known space for vintage shopping in Herne Bay, you can spend a while rummaging here. Ram Collectible Toys offers something a little more niche. Personally, I enjoyed having a proper look through the thrift items at Herne Bay’s many charity stores – the High Street and Mortimer Street are the best areas to find them.
9/ Pause for Gelato
Be sure to make time for an ice-cream during your visit to the seaside. Scoops is a popular choice with a wide selection if you’re close to the town centre, or Temptations, if you’re closer to the pier when the ice-cream mood takes you. There are also roving ice-cream vans playing their classic tunes, often found on the quieter stretches of beach.
10/ Play mini-golf
It’s hard to imagine a day out at the British seaside without a golf ball and putter in your hand. Of course, Herne Bay has it’s very own mini-golf space. It’s an ideal way to spend a few hours, especially if you’ve got children to entertain. A game costs £20 for a family of four.
11/ Beer on the pier
Beer on the pier is exactly what you expect! The tiniest of tiny pubs, right on the pier. There’s something quite special about enjoying a drink whilst the sea washes underneath you.
12/ Or wine at The Bay
One of the things that I rather enjoy about Herne Bay is that it isn’t filled with more fancy restaurants than you can shake a stick at. But, it does have one or two slightly more upmarket places. The Bay is one of them.
If you’re looking for a proper lunch, or just a decent glass of wine with a good view – take a beeline for the terrace at The Bay.
13/ Lunch at the Hampton Inn
A 15-minute stroll west of the town centre brings you to the Hampton Inn, and the location alone is worth the walk. There is a slight end-of-the-world quality to it: open sky, the coast stretching out towards Swalecliff and Whitstable, and on a clear day the Isle of Sheppey hovering on the horizon. Sit outside if you can, order the fish and chips, and stay longer than you planned. If you want a window table inside, book ahead.
14/ Walk to Whitstable (or beyond)
Head west out of Herne Bay and the coast unfolds in stages. First the cheerful beach huts of Tankerton, then Whitstable itself, famous for its oysters and with no shortage of places to eat them.
Keep going and you reach Seasalter, home to The Sportsman, one of the most celebrated pubs in the county. Out in the water between the shore and the Isle of Sheppey, seals are a regular sight. The walk is easy and flat with pleasant views.
15/ Look out for live music
In summer months, you can often find live music events in Herne Bay. Look out for posters around town advertising events. Often the Central Bandstand or the Herne Bay pier will host live music.
16/ Go on an art deco hunt
One of my favourite things about visiting the Kent seaside, is how nostalgic it feels. And I love wandering around to see the hints of the past.
Herne Bay has a number of art deco buildings scattered through the town, remnants of its heyday as a resort in the 1920s and 1930s. They are not always obvious, but once you start looking you notice them everywhere.
17/ Take in Herne Bay’s historic landmarks
The Clock Tower on the seafront is the obvious starting point: elegant, Grade II listed, and reputedly the first freestanding purpose-built clock tower in the world, raised in 1837.
But there is also the war memorial, the old bandstand, the Victorian gardens and the remains of the pier’s more ambitious past.
18/ Join Games Night at Cosmic Sailor
The Cosmic Sailor is a relatively new addition to the town – a coffee shop and specialist beer bar. It has been welcomed with open arms to Herne Bay. If you’re visiting through the day and a fan of craft beer, it’s worth popping your head in. Whilst, if you stay overnight, look out for regular games nights at the pub.
19/ Play the amusements
No visit to the British seaside is complete without spending some time surrounded by swirly carpets, bright lights and the unmistakable noise of coins falling. The arcades.
ou will not win anything worth having. You will spend more than you intended. You will have a better time than you expected. There are a couple of arcades along the seafront and pier, you quite literally can’t miss them.
Where to stay in Herne Bay
Herne Bay doesn’t have a plethora of boutique hotels, but there are still some practical and pretty places to stay in town.
BUDGET: The Premier Inn is always a handy choice, if you’re looking for reasonable price points and good reliable accommodation. This particular Premier Inn is around a 10 minute walk from the coast and handy for the train station too.
MID-RANGE: There are a number of apartments to rent in Herne Bay, like this well reviewed two bed place, many of them ideally located close to the beach.
How to get to Herne Bay
Direct Southeastern trains run from London Victoria in around 1 hour 30 minutes and from St Pancras in slightly less time. From Canterbury, the number 600 Stagecoach bus takes about 40 minutes and runs frequently.
If you are already in Whitstable, Herne Bay is just 5 miles east along the coast and walkable via the Oyster Bay Trail. Or, you can take a bus between the two towns.
Where to next in Kent & Sussex?
If you’re keen to explore more of Kent and Sussex, here are a few recommendations.
- 18 best things to do in Canterbury
- 18 fabulous things to do in Margate
- 19 best things to do in Deal
- 24 wonderful things to do in Hastings
- 10 things to do in Chichester
- 20 unique things to do in Tunbridge Wells
- 40 special things to do in Kent for couples
- 23 things to do on the Kent Coast
Written by Emma
Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.
British travel writer and long-distance hiker, native to Kent. Emma has walked the Camino de Santiago more than ten times, completed trails across Europe from the Corfu Trail to the Fisherman’s Trail, and covered thousands of kilometres on foot. She always writes from first-hand experience. Her goal? Inspire just one person to go on their first long-distance hike.
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