- For other places with the same name, see Margate (disambiguation).
Margate is a town in the Isle of Thanet in Kent and sister town to Ramsgate and Broadstairs. It has seen a revival since the Dreamland amusement park reopened in 2015, and the development of an art scene including the Turner Contemporary gallery.
Understand
| “ | You can keep the Costa Brava, I'm telling ya mate I'd rather have a day down Margate with all me family! | ” |
—Chas and Dave, "Margate" (1982) | ||
Margate is on the whole a rather depressing mixture of fading Georgian and Victorian seaside grandeur and squalid 'bedsit-land' although there are new developments and some pleasant residential suburbs. Margate has a severe problem with litter, which adds to the 'squalid' feel. There has been a decline in the tourism industry for which Margate was famed until the 1980s when many families opted for overseas holidays as living standards rose. Since the completion of the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery, the Old Town area has developed a thriving retro retail presence.
Watch
- Edge of Heaven. This 2014 ITV romcom series takes place in a 1980s-themed bed and breakfast on the Margate waterfront (Albert Terrace). The exterior shots were mostly filmed in town, so it offers a nice glimpse of the beach, high street, and seafront. You can find it on streaming services.
Visitor information
- 1 Margate Visitor Information Centre (Visit Thanet), The Droit House, Stone Pier, CT9 1JD (Margate Harbour Arm, building façade says "Margate Pier and Harbour Company"), ☏ 44 01843 577577, ✉[email protected]. W–Su 10:00–17:00. In addition to Margate, the visitor centre covers the rest of the Thanet district in the county of Kent, notably the towns of Broadstairs and Ramsgate.
Get in
By plane
Travel time from all the London airports by public transport is much the same, as you have to go into central London then come out again. By car, London Gatwick (LGW IATA) is the closest, 85 miles by road.
By train
- 1 Margate railway station, ☏ 44 0345 322 7021, toll-free: 0800 783 4524. The railway station is central near the beach.
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. You need to be in the portion running along the north coast to Whitstable, Margate and Ramsgate. The other portion heads south to Canterbury East and Dover Priory.
Trains from London St Pancras run every 20-30 min via three routes. Fast trains take 90 min via Stratford and Ebbsfleet (for Eurostar) then either along the north coast as above, or via Ashford, Canterbury West, Ramsgate and Broadstairs. A third train takes two hours via Folkestone and Dover, so you'd only use it to connect from the Channel ports.
By bus
National Express Bus NX022 takes three hours from London Victoria via Canterbury to Margate, continuing to Ramsgate. In summer 2020 this only runs once a day.
Stagecoach Bus 8 runs every 15 min from Canterbury and takes an hour to Margate. Once an hour it runs as 8X which continues to Broadstairs.
Bus 36 along the coast between Whitstable and Margate is not running in summer 2020, so by bus you'd have to travel via Canterbury; take the train instead.
Get around
- Stagecoach Loop bus. PDF timetable. This bus route orbits the tip of Kent every 8–10 min, from Margate to Cliftonville, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, Westwood, and back to Margate; and vice versa. Several other routes serve Margate.
See
Margate has a traditional seafront, with a clock tower, pubs, bingo halls, and amusement arcades.
- 1 Draper's Mill, St Peter's Footpath, Margate CT9 2SP. Jun-Sept Su 13:00-17:00. 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 C but has been restored. Donation.
- 2 Hornby Visitor Centre, Westwood Industrial Estate, Margate CT9 4JX. Daily 10:00-16:00. 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. Adult £5.
- 3 Margate Caves, 1 Northdown Rd, Margate CT9 1HQ, ✉[email protected]. Apr-Oct daily 10:00-17:00, Nov-Mar F-Su 11:00-16:00. 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. Adult £4.50, conc £4, child £2.
- 4 Shell Grotto, Grotto Hill, Cliftonville CT9 2BU. Daily 10:00-17:00. 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 / 19th C 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. Adult £4.50, conc £4, child £2.
- 5 Turner Contemporary Art Gallery, Rendezvous, Margate CT9 1HG. Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. 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. The gallery is closed for renovation Sept 2020 through Jan 2021. Free.
- Walpole Bay Hotel Museum is open to non-residents day-time, see Sleep.
Do
- 1 Dreamland, 49-51 Marine Terrace, Margate CT9 1XJ (200 m east of railway station), ☏ 44 1843 295887. Apr-Oct weekends and school holidays 10:00-18:00. Amusement park with a dozen rides, including the Scenic Railway, a listed wooden coaster. Many rides have age / height restrictions. Day wristband £8.25.
- 2 Margate Beach (Margate Main Sands) (on the A28 road). The main beach is right in town. It's sandy and accessible even at high tide. The tidal pool is worth checking out. Free.
Buy
- Tesco Express is just west of the station.
- Aldi is east end of the bay.
- Any amount of catchpenny stuff on the sea front, including Margate Rock.
Eat
There's a whole slew of places to eat near the seafront and on the harbour arm, and more in town centre.
- 1 The Ambrette, 10 Fort Hill, Margate CT9 1HD, ☏ 44 1843 231504. W Th Su 12:00-20:00, F Sa 12:00-21:00. Enjoyable restaurant serving Anglo-Mumbai "haute cuisine".
- 2 Mullins Brasserie, 6 Market Place, Margate CT9 1EN, ☏ 44 1843 295603. M-Sa 12:00-15:00, 18:00-21:00. Upscale but relaxed place in a former butchers, serves European cuisine with a Barbados twist.
- 3 Peter's Fish Factory, 12 The Parade, Margate CT9 1EZ, ☏ 44 1843 292485. 11:00-20:00 daily. Popular fish and chip shop - it usually has a queue. Takeaway only so eat on the beach.
- 4 The Riz, 49 Northdown Rd, Cliftonville CT9 2RN, ☏ 44 1843 293698. Daily 12:00-23:30. Ayubowan to this consistently impressive Sri Lanka and Kerala-style restaurant.
Drink
Lots of pubs and clubs, but beware of aggressive drunks late at night.
- 1 Harbour Arms Micropub, Stone Pier, Margate CT9 1JD, ☏ 44 07776 183273. noon–23:00. Tiny pub on the harbour wall, with local ales and views back to the "mainland".
- 2 The Mechanical Elephant, 28-30 Marine Terrace, CT9 1XJ, ☏ 44 1843 234100. Su–Th 08:00–00:00, F Sa 08:00–01:00. The Mechanical Elephant is a reliable JD Wetherspoon by the Clock Tower.
Sleep
- 1 Alpha Hostel, 3-4 Royal Esplanade, Westbrook, Margate CT9 5DL, ☏ 44 1843 221616, ✉[email protected]. Check-in: 17:00–22:00 (guests arriving after 22:00 will not be able to check into the hostel until the following morning), check-out: M–F10:00, Sa Su 11:00.
- 2 Cliftonville Townhouse B&B, 40 Gordon Rd, Cliftonville CT9 2DN, ☏ 44 1843 228164, ✉[email protected]. Good welcoming B&B with three rooms a block back from the seafront. No children under 18. B&B double £110.
- 3 The Reading Rooms, 31 Hawley Square, Margate CT9 1PH, ☏ 44 1843 225166. Lovely B&B with 3 rooms, in Georgian town house thoughtfully modernised. No children under 17 or dogs. B&B double £100.
- 4 Sands Hotel Margate, 16 Marine Drive CT9 1DH, ☏ 44 1843 228228. Smart beachfront hotel, great comfort, dining and views. No dogs. B&B double from £140.
- 5 Walpole Bay Hotel, Fifth Ave, Cliftonville CT9 2JJ, ☏ 44 1843 221703. Remarkable Edwardian timewarp, more museum than hotel and often used as a TV location, but with modern comforts. B&B double £110.
Connect
As of Jan 2021, Margate mostly has a 4G signal from all UK carriers, though Vodafone has dead spots. 5G has not reached this area.
Go next
- Whitstable for a different kind of coastal town.
- Faversham for the national fruit collection and breweries.
- Canterbury is a must-see for its historic cathedral city.
- Broadstairs and Ramsgate are nearby Channel harbours.
| Routes through Margate |
| Ashford ← Canterbury ← | SW  NE | → END |