Visit Margate

Beach worshippers, hipsters and artists converge in Margate, a traditional resort that boasts as many quirky boutiques, trendy galleries and micropubs as it does seaside sights. Whatever your idea of holiday fun though, you’ll find it here, from the retro theme park to the first-rate arts centre.

Powdery, golden and long, Margate Main Sands has been enticing the crowds for 250 years and it’s still a hit with today’s generation of holidaymakers. Along the beach there are traditional arcades, classic seaside bites and Britain’s oldest operating roller coaster at Dreamland.

Turner Contemporary is the flagship attraction of Margate’s booming arts scene. The gallery hosts an ever-changing line-up of exhibitions, alongside pieces by Turner himself, and it’s free to enter. For an altogether different art experience, visit the Shell Grotto, a series of tunnels bedecked with over four million shells. The geometric displays are beautiful, yet it remains a mystery who created them!