THE 10 BEST Things to Do in Herne Bay (2024) - Must-See Attractions
Things to Do in Herne Bay
Tours near Herne Bay
Book these experiences to see what the area has to offer.
Historical Toursfromper adult£15
Historical Toursfromper adult£15
Private Sightseeing Toursfromper group (up to 10)£120
Cultural Toursfromper adult£13
Cultural Toursfromper adult£10
Craft Classesfromper adult£70
Historical Toursfromper adult£21- fromper group (up to 4)£895
TV Toursfromper adult£40
Private and Luxuryfromper adult£190
Wildlife sanctuary with spacious enclosures, highlighting native species and conservation. Enjoy close encounters with bears and bison, plus a children's play area and natural trails.
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Historic Sites
Traditional seaside pier with colourful beach huts, market, and fairground attractions. Features varied food stalls, unique shops, and family-friendly activities like crabbing and rides.
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Ancient Ruins
Coastal landmark showcasing ruined towers with rich Roman and maritime history. Enjoy gentle strolls, sea views, and insightful historical boards amidst ongoing preservation.
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Pebble and sandy shores with clean seas, framed by picturesque gardens and a historic clock tower. Features arcades, beachside dining, and private nooks for leisurely strolls.
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Other Top Attractions around Herne Bay
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What travellers are saying
- Jill HSnodland, UK4 contributionsI bought my 36 year old son a bear experience as they are his favourite animal. He loved it so much and I'm sure it will live with him forever. We were disappointed we couldn't watch but the keeper took photos of him feeding the bears which was nice. We had a lovely walk through the trees and saw many animals native to this country. Everything is so natural. The children loved the play area. The food was lovely and our 3 children all chose lovely reasonably priced cuddly toys in the shop. We had a really lovely family day. Thank youWritten 15 September 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- dansmum_9England, UK172 contributionsVisited for the first time whilst holidaying in the area. It's a proper English Pier full of happy families! Children crabbing over the sides,lots of food and drink kiosks as well as fair rides for little kids and other stalls. Had a salt beef and gherkin bagel washed down with a glass of Kent cider. Perfick!Written 19 August 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Trippin B57 contributionsLovely start to our tour of the Kent Coast. Good car park with designated campervan parking, toilets and cafe on site. English Heritage site is free to wander around with info boards detailing it's history. Lovely surfaced footpath to Minis Bay.Written 26 September 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Peter SRome, Italy4,649 contributionsReview of Herne Bay Beach and Promenade
We had a couple of nights in Herne Bay with the day in between spent in Sandwich. In the evenings we explored Herne Bay – a first time for us in this small seaside town. We had images of William Turner’s dark marine paintings in mind when you first consider seaboard Kent, but the town barely existed in Turner’s time and his local paintings were mainly further east and closer to the North Sea (and elsewhere).
The association of the artist and the Thames Estuary remained, however, but probably before the first of the steamboats from London began carrying holidaymakers to the pier in Herne Bay. By then Turner had become something of a recluse. What would he have made, 170 years later, of the turbines in the windfarm 8km offshore? Probably sketched them and then painted them in his studio – dark, violent marine backgrounds, of course.
Our first evening we’d parked the car at the eastern end of Central Parade in front of the long line of tall and well-preserved period houses set back from the beach - gorgeous images of a classic 19th C. seaside town. The houses are up the slope from the road and over-look the long shingle beach that stretches 3km through the centre of town. A new concrete wall runs between the road and the beach and, as we saw later with the gates set into the wall, part of local sea defence/flood control measures.
We hopped the wall and walked the wide pavement above the beach into town. It was cool and there was only the occasional dog-walker on the beach. The distant sea looked distinctly uninviting at that time of the evening. The tide was out. You couldn’t see distant Essex and, at the time, neither did we see the windfarm. Contemporary reporting suggests that it will eventually supply electricity to 282,000 local homes when the proposed extension is completed.
What we could see as we headed into town was an offshore island of steel trellis work, platform and a small central building that was obviously once part of a pier. This is the seaward remains of the second pier – constructed of wrought iron in the 1890s - that replaced the original 1830s wooden pier. A severe storm in 1978 took out more than half the length of the Victorian Pier, thereby isolating the docking port from the remaining landward section.
Like much of seaside Britain, holiday-town Herne Bay reached its peak during the Victorian years – proximity to south/east London, the arrival of steam rail (and the excursion steamboat) and the idea of ‘holidays by the sea’ quickly attracted families. More than two generations later, the descendants of those same urban families discovered the Mediterranean coast and low-cost airfares did the rest. Walk the town of an early evening and that sense of history is all around you in the original Victorian architecture that remains.
Recent investments – renovating, extending, matching old and modern features/architecture – are equally clear in the gardens, bandstand, sea wall and a new harbour for small boats with a long protective seaward jetty. From the end of the jetty the stark remnant of the pier remains out-to-sea. Ask yourself? Would you travel to see a pier? How important is a pier? Realistically, it … is … never … going … to … be … rebuilt. Instead, the town has a new swimming pool and a cinema. Some good choices then.
Herne Bay has a heritage clock tower too. It’s on the seaward side of Central Parade and opposite a line of eateries typical of English seaside towns everywhere. The tower is spectacular and clearly out-of-place. It stands 23 m high, isolated and with an area of paving on either side. Design clearly reflects a love of Greco-Roman architecture which makes it unique along this part of the seashore – as if it was a left-over from the Roman occupation of Britain 2,000 years ago. The tower is slender and segmented with pillars that dominate. (There’s the foundations of a Roman fort 7 km east of Herne Bay at Reculver - but no pillars remain.) The clock tower reflects an endowment from Londoner Ann Thwaytes and her enthusiasm for the times she spent in the town during the 1830s. She contributed £4,000 towards the tower (equivalent to £132,000 in today’s money). Rich lady.
For our second evening we parked the car at the western end of the promenade and walked back towards the centre where the landward end of the pier remains … with 150 m of decking? It was locked, and we couldn’t gain access. The evening was cool. Everyone, it seemed, was in the arcades that stretch east-west along the promenade – coloured lights, noise, music, moving images/machines and all kinds of stimuli - what’s not to attract you inside. (Well, all that noise, lights, etc.) Outside, cars were cruising and changing places. What would those Victorian time travellers from the mid-19th C. have made of it?
Two swallows … ‘a summer doesn’t make’ and its much the same with a handful of hours mooching along the esplanade. But this is a delightful place to be of an evening. We enjoyed the open museum images, the relative peacefulness of the place (the noisy six/eight-cylinder fraternity excepted) and that juxtaposition of the ancient and modern – a 200-year-old community with modern energy resources off-shore. And we enjoyed a meal in a gorgeous traditional fish&chip restaurant that we found on the first evening too. What’s not to like about the place.
Peter Steele
25 September 2023Written 26 September 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Janet V3 contributionsReally interesting and informative. We enjoyed seeing all the exhibits and reading their history. Very helpful staffWritten 5 September 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Tamara CLondon, UK15 contributionsNice walks in each direction from the towers, and cycle rides.
Cafe by the towers with toilets.
Not a lot to do there- it is a landmark with nice scenery.Written 27 June 2021This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. - Theresa GCanterbury, United Kingdom37 contributionsBeautiful walk along here. Lots of lovely dogs and excellent views. Great for adults and kids and dogsWritten 12 January 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- AnnA48 contributionsA lovely little theatre - very welcoming and very well run. It was our first visit and we were impressed with the variety of productions on offer, at a very reasonable price.Written 11 October 2019This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Ann HYork, UK2,526 contributionsWe visited this sunken garden in March so probably not at its best. The area offers plenty of seating and different species of plants to enjoy whilst taking in the fresh sea air.Written 12 March 2023This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Lyn FMargate, UK6 contributionsLoved this beautifully made bronze statue made honour an exceptional woman. She’s mounted at ground level so you can imagine her as a person and see her expression. Such a tragedy that she was lost so young, ending up in the sea off Herne Bay. She’s easy to find, next to the beach, just to the east of the pier.Written 17 February 2024This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- Tara RPetham, UK7 contributionsWe popped in for a cuppa after a stroll along the beach polite and friendly staff. We enjoyed our coffee and the view from the cafe is lovely.Written 4 October 2022This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
- GRAshford, UK143 contributionsRoller skating with family. Great 1hour half. Hadnt skated for 37 years but enjoyed this with kids. Good exercise also. Wasnt too busy. Good funWritten 26 January 2020This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
The above attraction descriptions were created by AI, using information and phrases commonly found in reviews users submitted to Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor did not create and is not responsible for any of the above hotel descriptions. Please read full traveller reviews for more details and information. If you believe something in one of these AI-generated descriptions is inaccurate, please share your feedback.
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