
Town in East Kent, England
Photo: Nigel Chadwick, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Margate is a seaside resort on the north Kent coast, with a population in 2021 of more than 64,000. It's suffered the usual decline of English seaside towns but its beach is still thronged on warm summer weekends, and there are several places of interest for cold wet days.
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Modern art gallery opened in 2011, with a small selection of paintings by JMW Turner (1775-1851), who stayed at a boarding house on this spot. But it's mainly rotating exhibitions of modern art and events.
These underground passages were 18th century chalk workings. They were forgotten until 1807 then used as an ice-house; in 1863 a later owner put them on show as "Vortigern Caves" complete with bogus legends. They were closed from 2004 but re-opened in 2019 with a newly built centre with a cafe, gift shop and exhibition space.
This is a remarkable place down a dingy back street: a winding underground passageway leading into a chamber, all decorated from floor to ceiling in sea shells. It was stumbled upon during building work in 1835 and its age and builder are unknown. There's been no scientific dating, and there are several dingbat theories, but it looks like the style of 18th- and 19th-century grottoes or follies that adorn stately homes elsewhere. The shells of the design are local, but the background fill of flat winkles is not — this type is common in Southampton.
This is a "smock mill" built in 1865, the only survivor of three here. In 1920 it was fitted with a gas engine to enable work to continue on windless days. It fell into disrepair in the 20th century but has been restored.
Exhibition of Hornby model railways, Airfix models and Corgi car models. Hornby Dublo OO gauge electric model railways hold the same romanticised place in British history as pre-British Rail full-sized trains, but they're firmly rooted in the 20th century and their admirers are a dying breed. So this showcase hall and outlet is effectively a museum.
Amusement park with a dozen rides, including the Scenic Railway, a listed wooden coaster. Many rides have age or height restrictions.
Theatre squeezed into an old coach house with offbeat decor, and a bar with an outdoor balcony upstairs
Wine bar with great food, small portions, offering a great view of the harbour
Good seafood place near beach.
Enjoyable restaurant serving Anglo-Mumbai "haute cuisine".
Upscale but relaxed place in a former butchers, serves European cuisine with a Barbados twist.
Outstanding Italian food. Cantina Caruso next door is their wine bar and deli.
Popular fish and chip shop; it usually has a queue. Takeaway only so eat on the beach.
Good coffee and breakfast spot by Winter Gardens. Does not accept bookings.
Ayubowan to this consistently impressive Sri Lanka and Kerala-style restaurant.
Tiny pub on the harbour wall, with local ales and views back to the "mainland".
The Mechanical Elephant is a reliable JD Wetherspoon by the Clock Tower.
Pub with local brewers on tap.
Good welcoming B&B with three rooms a block back from the seafront. No children under 18.
Great reviews for this stylish small hotel. Adults only, no pets.
Lovely B&B with 3 rooms, in Georgian town house thoughtfully modernised. No children under 17 or dogs.
Fine old coaching inn with good food.
Splendid small place near the beach.
Jazzy place, thin walls and some rooms don't meet expectations.
Remarkable Edwardian timewarp, more museum than hotel and often used as a TV location, but with modern comforts.
Stylish renovation of what had been a derelict pub, great comfort and service.
By train
Trains from London Victoria run every 30-60 min, taking 1 hr 50 min via Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Sittingbourne and Faversham, where the train may divide.
By bus
National Express Bus NX022 takes three hours from London Victoria via Canterbury to Margate, continuing to Ramsgate.
Bus: Stagecoach Loop bus orbits the tip of Kent every 10-15 min, from Margate to Cliftonville, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Westwood, and back to Margate; and vice versa.
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