Getting to Whitstable

Because the Festival is so popular with visitors, traffic in the town can become very congested in Festival week.  Fortunately, Whitstable is very easy to get to using other forms of transport so, particularly during the first weekend, we advise visitors not to travel by car into the town centre if at all possible. Do not be fooled into thinking eveyone else will ignore this advice so it is okay to drive – it is very, very congested.

Rail

Fortunately, Whitstable is easily accessible by rail with regular trains from London Victoria and from Thanet.  Whitstable railway station is a short ten minute walk from the town centre.  For more information visit www.southeasternrailway.co.uk for a train timetable. Whitstable is less than 15 minutes rail journey from Herne Bay to the east or Faversham to the west, with car parking available at these stations.

Bus

Whitstable has a regular bus service to and from Canterbury and Herne Bay. For information about this and other bus services visit www.traveline.org.uk for a bus timetable.

Coach

Many coach operators provide excursions to the Festival. Look out for these in your locality

Cycling

The Crab & Winkle Way is a popular cycling route between  Canterbury and Whitstable. Traffic -free for most of the way, this is a picturesque and enjoyable way to travel to the Festival, suitable for children as well as adults. For more information about cycle routes visit www.kent.gov.uk/cycling.

Car Travel

Please refer to our parking section of the council website