Possibly England's most famous cathedral city, Canterbury sits in one of the the most attractive corners of rural Kent. It is 2 hours from London and 2 1/2 hours from Paris which accounts for the fact that French and English are spoken in about equal amounts in the streets.
The cathedral dominates the town, but an astonishingly large amount of equally old architecture survived such strategic placement in the war and creates an interesting mix of styles as the town has grown. Canterbury is an excellent town to visit for medieval literature courses, history courses, and historical architecture courses.
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are certainly a key attraction to the town. On the left is the location of a visitor attraction called, "The Canterbury Tales". It is a life-sized puppet/slide show recreation of the most popular tales: expensive (£5.95), moderately entertaining. One can also follow the pilgrims route along what is known as the North Downs Way from London to Canterbury. Canterbury is also known for its Roman History and the mosaics in the Roman History Museum. And there are the ruins of an old Norman castle, complete with gruesome history. The Canterbury Heritage Museum gives the history of the city, and there are numerous ancient chaples or Hospitals (guest houses for pilgrims) throughout the city. Documenting more recent troubled times, there is the Kent Battle of Britain Museum nearby in Hawkinge, North Folkstone.
Canterbury also has a series of exquisite gardens along the River Stour that flows through the eastern edge of town. Here also, is a conservation effort to preserve lowland meadows that are disappearing from the Kent countryside. Other famous gardens include Goodnestone Park in North Wingham. Jane Austen was a frequent visitor as her brother Edward married a daughter of the house.
