Things to do in Whitstable with kids

Is Whitstable good for kids? Although it doesn’t have a sandy beach, we think Whitstable a brilliant seaside break for families. So if you’re wondering if there are many things to do in Whitstable with kids, read on.

We spent a three days in Whitstable during February half term. The sun shone and we spent each day outside exploring the town and its beaches. Although there are not many attractions or sights to tick off, it’s a lovely place to spend time in.

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Why is Whitstable so popular? Whitstable is one of the more gentrified of England’s seaside towns. Everything from the houses to the harbour all look like they’ve had plenty of money spent on them, there are some very good restaurants, plenty of independent shops and some rather lovely places to stay.

Is Whitstable worth visiting? If you’re after a relaxing seaside short break, close to London, Whitstable takes some beating. The town is small enough that you need only stay a few days to explore it but if you have longer to spare, there’s plenty going on to keep you busy.

If you are looking for a base from which to explore the wider area of eastern Kent, Whitstable is perfect. You can cycle into Canterbury or along the coast to some of the other seaside towns, or hop in the car for day trips to Margate or Broadstairs. There are excellent rail links too – London is under an hour and a half away and Whitstable is linked to many of the local seaside towns by train.

Walk along the seafront in Whitstable

We loved walking along the seafront in Whitstable. Heading west takes you past the many rows of beach huts which overlook West Beach. To the east there’s a concrete path which stretches for miles – the Oyster Bay Trail takes walkers and cyclists all the way to Reculver. This eight mile route is mostly traffic free and takes you past Tankerton Beach (with more beach huts) and Herne Bay before reaching the ruined towers at Reculver.

During our visit we walked past the harbour, along to Tankerton Beach and its green slopes as far as the holy grail Tankerton Ice Cream Parlour (just a simple café but essential for one of our weary little people). This is a good point to stop at to take in the views. We made the mistake of wandering first into Tankerton itself in search of a donut shop which was sadly not forthcoming. Ensure you eat the donuts in Whitstable if that’s an essential part of your day!

Back in Whitstable, our boys loved playing on the beach. There’s muddy sand at low tide, perfect for getting mucky and having fun (provided you have a change of clothes). Studying the boats, skimming stones, and watching harbour life – there’s something going on at this busy working harbour at all times of day.

Learn about Whitstable’s oysters

The Whitstable oyster story is not quite as straight forward as it might initially appear. Our accommodation in Whitstable looked out, at low tide, onto the oyster trestles which sit in the sandy mud.

The local fishing boats fish the seas for the native Whitstable oyster but there’s controversy over the oyster trestles which house the Pacific oyster. Although this non-native species is meant to be sterile, there are concerns that rising sea temperatures could affect the sterility and lead to interbreeding.

The oysters you buy in Whitstable are usually the native variety whereas the Pacific oysters tend to be sold abroad.

Explore the stalls along the harbour

Spilling out from wooden sheds, there are lots of craft stalls lining the harbour front – fun for a wander and a browse. There’s also plenty of great places to stop for a snack or a coffee – we enjoyed bacon butties and donuts and we saw lots of people slurping oysters in the winter sunshine.

South Quay Shed is worth a browse too – packed with independent shops and eateries, it’s a good place to visit on a rainy day in Whitstable.

Cycle from Whitstable to Canterbury with kids

There are several family friendly cycle trails from Whitstable. As well as the seafront Oyster Trail mentioned above, there’s also a lovely option to head inland to Canterbury.

The Crab and Winkle is a disused railway line which takes cyclists 7.6 miles to Canterbury. Passing fields and through ancient woodlands, it’s a great way to reach Kent’s cathedral city.

Originally used to transport freight from Whitstable harbour, it became the first regular steam railway line in the world to take passengers.

Unlike the Oyster Trail, the Crab and Winkle does involve a bit of a hill inbound coming out of Canterbury so make sure you’ve refuelled before the journey home.

Walk along “the Street” in Whitstable

There’s an interesting tidal feature at Tankerton beach. At low tide a narrow strip of shingle reveals itself which stretches around half a mile from the beach. As the tide comes in the Street disappears beneath the waves.

I know this doesn’t sound like a particularly exciting feature, but it’s amazing how the movement of the sea has such a memorising effect on children – and on us adults. We spent quite a bit of time wandering along the shingle, chucking pebbles in the sea and accidentally getting ourselves into other people’s photos.

Discover Whitstable street art

“I saw a picture of an old lady on a hoverboard”, one of my kids piped up over dinner. It turns out the lady in question was the queen – I’m not sure if it’s the hoverboard propelling her along or her corgis but it’s a fun image to track down on a street art tour of Whitstable.

Local artist “Catman” has produced street art in various locations across Kent and has a keen local following. Another local artist has paid homage to a former fellow local – there’s a big mural on Oxford Street of writer Somerset Maugham.

My boys were also rather taken by the mural of a soldier shooting flowers out of a bazooka – apologies if that’s not the name of the weapon.

Collect shells and pebbles

There’s not just oyster shells to pick out when you’re combing the beach at Whitstable. My boys picked up colourful shells, odd shaped pebbles and rocks, along with plenty of stones perfect for skimming over the water.

Hire a beach hut at Tankerton

While the huts at Whitstable West Beach are not available for short term hire, you can hire a hut at Tankerton which is an extension of Whitstable to the east.

The beach huts at Tankerton sit in rows on the grassy slopes – known as the the Tankerton Slopes – overlooking the sea. The huts are colourful and make a brilliant addition to a day out at the seaside.

If you’d like to know more about beach huts, I’ve written all about them in my guide to beach hut hire in England.

Enjoy breakfast on the seafront in Whitstable with kids

There are lots of good eateries in Whitstable but if you just fancy a good old fashioned bacon butty for breakfast, there are a couple of good shacks on the seafront which fit the bill.

We enjoyed brekkie at the Forge (next to the Fishermen’s huts) as it was a perfect sun trap. Further along the seafront, Keith’s Coffee Hut also looked good, but during our winter visit to Whitstable the sun hadn’t quite reached the seating area.

Enjoy sundowners at the Neptune pub

If only all my Monday evenings could be as upbeat as the one we experienced in Whitstable during February half term.

We came across the Victorian pub the Old Neptune whilst out walking along the seafront. It was a glorious winter’s afternoon with clear blue skies and the sun setting over the sea.

The pub and its garden were packed with people having a drink. Kids were playing footie on the beach and it very much felt like a summer weekend rather than a Monday in February.

We also enjoyed a drink outside at the Lobster Shack – another great spot for eating and drinking while the kids amuse themselves on the pebbly beach. I’d like to go back there and try the food – it looked good.

Take a boat trip from Whitstable with kids

Aside from viewing the Kentish coastline from the sea, there are a number of reasons to take a boat trip from Whitstable.

One of the more popular trips is to see the colony of seals which congregate on a tidal sandbank, about 10 minutes boat ride from Whitstable. This is a popular Whitstable excursion for families so it’s worth booking in advance.

A more unusual attraction off the coast of Whitstable is the Maunsell sea forts. Built to defend the Thames estuary during the Second World War, these eerie fortifications must have been a lonely spot for members of the armed forces.

Some Whitstable boat trips also take in the wind farm which is visible from the harbour.

Stay in a fisherman’s hut at Whitstable

Although you can’t stay in a beach hut in Whitstable, you can do the next best thing – a converted fisherman’s hut.

The huts sit right on the seafront and you’re a stones throw from the Forge café which sells oysters, fish and chips, and lots of other delights.

Try some water sports in Whitstable with kids

There are plenty of outfits offering water sports in Whitstable for families. Paddle boarding, kayaking and sailing are all popular pursuits with lessons available for beginners.

For those with a more petrolhead mindset, there are powerboats and jet skis available to rent too.

Go window shopping

There are lots of great independent shops in Whitstable. We browsed the shop windows to distract our hungry children one evening before dinner – everything looked lovely – the book shop, the sweet shop, the toy shop and the lighting shop, so much care and love has gone into these little places.

Where to eat in Whitstable for families

So, when I booked our accommodation in Whitstable, I clearly wasn’t paying attention. The accommodation was described as an “apartment” so I assumed it had a kitchen. Unfortunately – or fortunately perhaps – there was no kitchen so we had to eat out a bit more than we’d planned. It was lucky we only booked to stay two nights.

Anyway, we discovered a lot of great eateries and saw plenty we’d like to try next time. We enjoyed delicious pizzas at Sale e Peppe – this little Italian restaurant had friendly staff and interesting décor. We ate some very slow cooked lamb at the East Kent – cooked overnight in the pizza oven!

As well as bacon butties on the harbour for our first morning in Whitstable, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Windy Corner café on our second morning. Tucked away on a residential street, this little spot had tasty granola and porridge as well as pastries and fry ups. Our kids were rather taken by tantalising sweetie drawers….

There are so many amazing places to eat and drink in Whitstable – seafood shacks, boho bistros, trendy coffee shops and some decent pubs. We would happily return to Whitstable for the food alone. Although we should probably book somewhere with a kitchen next time to save ourselves some dosh.

Sandy beaches near Whitstable for kids

There’s no doubting that a sandy beach is always going to win over a pebble one, so before heading home on our final day we decided to do a little tour of some of the beaches along the Kent coast. One of the great things about trips to the seaside in winter is that the beaches are empty and the car parks are too.

We headed first to Margate for a what I hoped would be a trip to the Turner Contemporary but it was shut so our art appreciation was limited to the metal form of Antony Gormley looking out to sea. Next up was Botany Bay with its towering chalk cliffs. We had a paddle in the sea (chilly in February) and larked around on the rocks looking for creatures in the pools. Finally we arrived in Broadstairs just in time for lunch – outdoors in the winter sunshine. We ended the day with cricket on the beach – not a bad way to spend my birthday!

Where to stay in Whitstable with kids

As well as plenty of Airbnb options for families, there are also some rather fun places to stay in Whitstable with kids. Our “apartment” without a kitchen is also described as a warehouse cottage – an equally odd description. But forgive the dodgy marketing and give them a try, if possible book the one nearest the beach (furthest from the road) to get the best view of the sea. The accommodation is set over three floors with two en-suite bedrooms, one with a balcony.

Note: we paid for our stay.

If you are able to book further in advance than us (we weren’t very organised), you should try to get one of the fishermen’s huts which sit right on the seafront. These bijou little pads can sleep two adults and two children and have a luxurious interior which you wouldn’t expect from the outside.

Check availability for the warehouse cottages and fishermen’s huts here

And if you want a proper seaside hotel experience, head to the Hotel Continental – which owns the warehouse cottages and the fishermen’s huts. The hotel has rooms sleeping up to five.

Check out other accommodation options in Whitstable here

How to get to Whitstable

We drove the not very fun route from our home in Hertfordshire – the motorways are busy, so if you can – let the train take the strain!

Visiting Whitstable by train works really well – it’s an hour and 20 minutes from London. There are direct connections between Whitstable and Rochester, Chatham and the seaside towns of Margate and Broadstairs, plus many more.

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Have you enjoyed a family holiday in Whitstable? What are you favourite things to do in Whitstable with kids? Let me know in the comments below.