Visting, or moving to, Folkestone 

THINGS TO DO IN FOLKESTONE: THIS PAGE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

I moved from East London to Folkestone in July 2016. At the time, I found there were few blogs or websites giving me easily available information on things to see and do in the town (especially from someone living there). I created several blog pages on my Sentient gallery website in 2017 covering my favourite places, activities and some dog-friendly tips. I took that down in 2020 as hadn’t had the time to keep it updated but have been meaning to get back to it, especially given all the new businesses that have arrived over the past few years.

There are now plenty more sites and insta accounts with hints and tips, but I still want to share my faves. So, here is the beginning of a new page of tips and recommendations!

Events Calendars:

I’m also adding a calendar of local events here. This pulls together events from various places and I will try to keep it vaguely updated. I include a summary of what’s coming up based on various flyers etc and insta accounts I follow.

Key tip: check opening hours. A lot of places don’t open on Monday and/or Tuesday, especially out of season. It’s a little bit chicken and egg, because the more people who visit Mondays and Tuesdays, the more businesses will be able to be open those days. But be aware of this.

A summary of some venues by category/activity can also be found on Instagram @thingstodoinfolkestone. This has venues and organisations divided into colour coded categories - shopping, art, festivals/groups, sports, outdoor activities, film, music, bars/cafes/restaurants, and health/wellbeing. The insta is currently a work in progress - I’ve photographed most places around town but haven’t yet added most of them.

Eating and drinking

When I have time I’ll do this page properly/ reorganise it but for now, are a few of my current favourites and tips

  • Coffee: In my view the best coffee is at the newly opened Yoke on Guildhall Street. They also do fab sandwiches. Steep Street on the Old High Street (OHS) is also very good, as is Harbour Coffee. I also often grab a coffee from Folklore on the OHS, or Gourmet Kitchen if I’m closer to the Leas. The Lift Cafe is another local fave near the shingle beach/Leas coastal park. I also really like the coffee at Heaven 7, which is just next door to Wilko.

  • Fish and Chips: I love Sandy’s down by the harbour (next to Rocksalt). Papa’s on Sandgate Road is also pretty good.

  • Best food in general: Marley’s on the Old High Street is fantastic, with local, seasonal food. The Folkestone Wine Company is also very popular, and highly rated by Grace Dent.

  • Brunch: If like me you love avo on toast/eggs/eggs benedict etc, then my vote is for the new Sailbox on the Harbour Arm - their views are hard to beat, as they are located in the big yellow shipping container on the Harbour Arm, next to sister company Harbour Coffee. I think they are open 9ish to 5, and planning some extended hours soon. They’ve also recently expanded their afternoon food offering - the cod bites are delicious. Sunshine cafe is also good. Brew also does a tasty avocado on toast with smoked salmon or sausage. If you’re looking for more of a brunch experience, the excellent Dita Garbo has just started hosting drag brunches at Space bar via Punk & Plume, where you can enjoy pizza, dessert, a glass of Prosecco, bottomless drinks and 2.5 hours of games with prizes etc for £40.

  • Easy meals where there is likely to be something most people enjoy: Luben (pizza), The Harbour Inn (pub by the harbour) or the Pullman (gastropub), which has a good sized beer garden that is great in the summer. These three places also tend to be open all/most days. There are also a number of food huts etc along the harbour arm (eg burritos, chips, a greek bus etc). Lucky Chip does some incredible burgers. We also have the new Let’s Amore in the old signal box on the harbour arm - they do some delicious focaccia sandwiches and a good aperol spritz. The Punch & Judy also does some great loaded fries and burgers.

  • Sandwiches/subs/light lunch: I’d suggest Yoke (focaccia sandwich changes daily, and they often sell out fast), Sunshine (great variety menu), Let’s Amore, The Lift Cafe (onion bhaji sub is fab) or one of the many food stalls on the Harbour Arm. If you’re in the town centre, The Little Place Next Door also has some good sandwich, baguette and wrap lunch options as well as hot food.

  • Japanese/sushi - Kazoku has recently (summer 2023) opened on The Leas, and I am a big fan. Their katsu curry is delicious. The portion sizes seem to be very good. The atmosphere is chilled and the staff were very friendly. The cocktails I tried were delicious (but a little small).

  • Sunday roast - try The Pullman, or The Bouverie Tap.

  • Going posh: try Rocksalt for food, or the lighthouse champagne bar at the end of the harbour arm. Little Rock on the beach is fantastic in the summer.

  • Vegan: there is plenty on offer for vegans in Folkestone. Most of the above have good vegan options, and you can also try the fantastic Dr Legumes.

  • Ice Cream: Massimo’s at 14 Cheriton Place is excellent (and ideal if you’ve walked into the town centre from the station). On the Harbour Arm, The Dessert Folkes have a range of delicious treats.

  • For more tips on food, I recommend this post on Folke.Life (it is from 2021 though and not all places mentioned are still operating).

  • Drinks: if you’re sitting outside and the sun is shining I highly recommend Pilot bar on the beach by the Harbour Arm. They’ve just - May 2023 - started hosting DJs there on Fridays and Saturdays now too. If you love an aperol spritz as much as I do, it’s good to know that Pilot bar has it ready mixed on tap! Or sit in The Goods Yard on the Arm and get yourself a drink or some food from one of the many food huts. Brewing Brothers is a new Beachside addition for 2023 and is next to Pilot Bar. If you want an elevated sea view try the fabulous balcony bar by the Leas Cliff Hall.

  • Another favourite of mine is the Balcony cocktail bar at the Leas Cliff Hall, with incredible views looking out to sea.

  • Indoors, I suggest the Radnor Arms (which does also have a good outside area). The Old Buoy on Tontine Street is also definitely worth a visit (excellent croque monsieur too) and often has live DJ sets at night (it gets very busy). Rosemont is relatively new and popular if you’re looking for a cocktail. In the Creative Quarter, Space bar is popular (with a good outside space and pizzas too), or Folklore.

  • The London & Paris hotel does a delicious aperol spritz alternative. I really like their interior, and some of the tables have good harbour views.

  • The newly opened (May 2024) The Boardroom (next to Sailbox) is located right next to the sea and so has brilliant views.

  • Going out - see if there are any nights on at 20th Century Speedway, Space Bar, The Quarterhouse, Chambers or TPS (The Potting Shed - an excellent hidden speakeasy). If you’re lucky enough you’ll catch a raucous Damp Disco night (various locations around town) or keep an eye open for the new nights from Punk & Plume at Tower Theatre.

    Or try The Old Buoy, Bar Folklore, Lucky Chip, The Rum Clinic or JamJar.

    Any party at which Dalawax is DJing is sure to be popular, and, over the summer, Mermaid’s Cafe hosts DJ nights by the beach.

    There is also Riot Gulll which is an alt-rock and post-punk feminist music and club night held at Chambers.

Things to do

As mentioned above, check out my events calendar and events listings for details of events coming up that I recommend. It’s not comprehensive but I update it when I can.

Recommendations:

  • Shopping: Visit the creative quarter with its shops and galleries clustered around The Old High Street. Most are open Weds-Sun (but do check to avoid disappointment). You may find a lot are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays at the moment. Faves include children’s shop Moo Like A Monkey, Folkestone Art Gallery, Bounce Vintage, Ben’s Vintage, Objectables cards and gifts, The Quartermasters (great T shirts), Native Three (Etsy shop), Kitty McCall (colourful fabric and print homewares), R&R (Perspex jewellery in an incredible range of designs and made in Folkestone) and Rennie’s. On Sandgate Road you’ll find the excellent Grace, an interiors shop with beautifully upcycled pieces, and clothes shop The Lobby is a few doors down on Rendezvous Street.

    Visit Folkestone Marketplace on the Harbour Arm (weekends and bank holidays) - full of locally produced arts, crafts etc and small businesses during the spring and summer season.

    The last Saturday of the month also brings The Creative Quarter Art Market. More information is available on Creative Folkestone’s website - here is the May art market listing.

    Please note, The Old High Street in the Creative Quarter is a steep and narrow cobbled street full of independent small businesses. Sandgate Road is the name of the traditional ‘high street’ with typical high street chains such as Boots, Wilko, Waterstones, WHSmith etc and there are also several smaller businesses and cafes that are definitely worth a visit here too.

  • Art galleries : Folkestone’s Creative Quarter has a number of galleries, as well as lots of artist studios in the flats and premises above the retail units. Definitely check out Fourth Wall. Folkestone Art Gallery opened in 2022 and is a great addition to the street. Another personal favourite of mine is Whelk Boy. During busier periods some premises along the street are used for pop up exhibitions. It’s also worth visiting The Stables on Tontine Street (particularly to see the work of the excellent Robyn Neild) and the Brewery Tap exhibition space further down Tontine Street. After Art at the top of the Old High Street has a selection of fine art too.

    The annual Open Quarter event also sees many of the local artists and creatives open their studios to the public for a week or so and is worth checking out. There is also The Folkestone Triennial, which occurs every three years (more info below).

    Folkestone has the largest urban outdoor collection of contemporary art in the U.K. The Folkestone Triennial is a big art festival which is held every three years - the next one is 2024 - but there are many permanent artworks around town from the past events, meaning you can visit the public artworks all around Folkestone from our previous art triennials even if it’s not a triennial year. Each Triennial runs for a few months and the town gets busy during these times.

  • Film & televised sport: Watch the big screen on the Harbour Arm. The Silver Screen cinema is a lovely independent cinema in the town centre. Check out Folkestone Doc Club and Folkestone Doc Fest for some fantastic documentaries.

  • Sea sports: Folkestone Sea Sports offers paddle boarding and kayak hire and lessons during the late spring and summer months. More info to come….

  • Other: catch a show or event at The Leas Cliff Hall, at The Quarterhouse, or at the Tower Theatre, or go to the fabulous old school style Silver Screen cinema in the town centre, where tickets are just £6 or so.

  • Health and wellness: there are a number of sound baths now in Folkestone. Check out Local Foreigner’s sound baths @ Glassworks, or Yoke. I’m pretty useless when it comes to anything about health and wellness as I’m not particularly a beacon of healthy living.

The Lower Leas coastal park is a gorgeous place running alongside the beach for a walk or picnic plus has a fab adventure playground for kids. You can access it near Mermaid beach (there are plenty of entry points). Walk down the zigzag path (a gorgeous, albeit steep, walk on a sunny summer’s day - it can feel like being on holiday in the Med sometimes) if you’re wanting to access the leas coastal park from the leas promenade.

The Leas Promenade is basically the big path along the top of the cliffs (you’ll often find live music at the bandstand during the summer), whilst the Leas Coastal Park runs below it, nearer sea level. There are toilets near the children’s play area. There is a great (and very popular) little cafe named The Lift Cafe on the eastern side entrance to the Leas Coastal Park (just opposite the new flats on the beach - you can’t miss them - and at the bottom of the funicular Leas lift). Their onion bhaji sub is delicious.

In August 2023, HatsHats Coffee arrived in the Leas Coastal Park with a small cabin (takeaway only) selling drinks and some light snacks. They are right next to the amphitheatre, at the bottom of the zigzag path. Bonus that they also have a few public toilets.

  • Walk around the West End and view the gorgeous architecture (around the Leas promenade, Clifton Crescent, Earl’s Avenue etc).

Pop down to Sandgate

Sandgate is a lovely village on the west edge of Folkestone (not as far away as that might make it sound), essentially further along the beach. It’s an easy walk or cycle for those who are mobile, or via a short drive.

There are some fab cafes, restaurants and shops. I’ll post some recommendations here soon but for now will mention Loaf cafe, Orchard Lane Coffee House, John Dory wine and The Little Fish Shop. Docker (suppliers of delicious bread around Folkestone) have also just opened a new pub/bar in summer 2023 - I particularly recommend the apple vodka and apple juice on ice combo they have in massive gin glasses . It is always full of people standing outside whenever I’ve gone past so looks like it’s been a big hit already.

Things for Kids to do in Folkestone

We have a fab adventure playground in the coastal park, and there is also a decent children’s play area in Radnor Park, very close to Folkestone Central train station. If you venture to the opposite side of Radnor Park you’ll find a large duck pond. A short walk away on Radnor Park Avenue is the Folkestone Sports Centre, with skywalk, dry ski slope and swimming pool. There is also the Silver Screen Cinema on Guildhall Street.

  • F51 is our new, huge, indoor skatepark. It also has a climbing wall and coffee shop.

  • Kidz Planet on the outskirts of town has a variety of age segregated activities.

  • Beatbox Baby Rave events are held at St John’s Church on St John’s Church Road.

  • Hang out on the beach! We have a small Sandy beach - Sunny Sands - and plenty of shingle beach running down to Sandgate and Hythe. Mermaid Beach is one of our pebble beaches which is popular.

  • Pop to The Warren country park - there are some more secluded beaches here also.

Practical info

  • Dogs: Folkestone is very dog friendly - I’ll soon include a separate post on recommended places to visit with your pooch. Re beaches and dogs, in short from 1 May - 30 Sept they are not allowed on sunny sands or mermaid beach but may be allowed on others. Check the Folkestone and Hythe council website here for info on dogs/permitted beaches. We also have a lovely pet products shop called Not For Humans, located on the Old High Street.

  • Public toilets - by The Leas Cliff Hall on the Leas Promenade; along the Harbour Arm (just off the old train platforms near Pilot Bar, also by The Goods Yard, and then a third set further down the Arm); on Radnor Park near the kids’ play area; in the Leas Coastal Park near Mermaid Cafe, next to Hathats coffee at the amphitheatre in the coastal park.

  • Cash machines - there are very few ATMs around the Creative Quarter and Harbour areas. You are probably best to get cash before heading down the Old High Street. There are a number of ATMs at the banks on Sandgate Road, or by Tesco on Bouverie Road West (near Castle Hill Avenue), or Tesco on Foord Road. There is also an ATM in Wilko. There is an ATM by JJ’s taxis on Tontine Street though it charges a fee.

Other really useful sources of information about the town

Liu Batchelor produces some fantastic short videos about cafes and restaurants in Folkestone, which helps to give you a better idea of how some of the places I have suggested above actually look in reality

Folkestone Foghorn is a print and digital magazine which includes features on the town, new businesses and also includes plenty of listings. You can also usually find printed copies in Bounce Vintage, Yoke and The Quarterhouse.

  • Instagram accounts:

    • @thingstodoinfolkestone, with colour coded categories and highlights categories making is easier to navigate. Still a work in progress (there are at least another 70 venues, groups and items that I have photographed but still need to add)

    • @tonyquarrington

    • @liu_batchelor

    • @coolasfolke

    • @folkestoneforghorn

    • @folkestone_foodies

    • @folkestoneisbeautiful

    • @experiencefolkestone

    • @folkestone_all_things

    • @shopindependentfolkestone

    • @folkestonefoodreviews

    • @folkestonefollow

  • To get an up to date view on things going on, you’ll find that both Steep Street coffee house and Bounce Vintage tend to have plenty of flyers advertising local events.

  • Creative Folkestone’s website includes listings of events at the Quarterhouse and Digital:Glassworks.

  • Live music events are listed on the Folkestone gig guide website from folkestonemusic.co.uk

  • Folkestone and Hythe council also publish an events listing

  • The Harbour Arm is one of our focal points for things to do and is essentially a big concrete pier, lined with restaurants and food stalls, and often hosts plenty of live music in the summer.

  • Every last Friday of the month is Last Fridays, featuring performances, exhibitions and music across the Creative Quarter.


Living in, or moving to, Folkestone

I’ll update this soon with my experience of moving to and living in Folkestone. I don’t regret moving here at all, and absolutely love it - hence posting blog pages about the town over the years. I have met some wonderful people, and it’s been amazing to see the town flourish even in the seven years I’ve been here. Sunny days here feel like being on holiday sometimes and I can’t believe how lucky I am to live here.

That doesn’t mean the town is perfect - there are, like everywhere, plenty of less fantastic things about the town, and not enough is done to help reduce inequality, raise the living standards of everyone in the town and provide sufficient public services. It’s a problem replicated throughout the country. The local council has this year seen successes for Labour and the Green Party, which will hopefully mean more positive change. A lot of locals are very against the proposed new development of luxury apartments on the Harbour Arm (which I do not think will happen in its current design, thankfully) so that’s a regular topic of conversation at the moment too.

For now, my favourite streets around Folkestone are (in no particular order) :

  • Clifton Crescent for its beautiful buildings (mostly flats now) and fab sea views.

  • The Bayle - I love the characterful and colourful terraced houses here.

  • Castle Hill Avenue - mostly flats, I love the grand buildings and the boulevard feel. Close to the station also.

  • Grimston Gardens - a very popular area of mostly period conversion flats with a private residents’ garden in the centre. Flats on Earl’s Avenue are also popular.

  • Radnor Park area - Radnor Park West overlooks the park and pond and is a mixture of very large houses and conversion flats, and on the other side, Bournemouth Road, Radnor Park Crescent, Bournemouth Gardens, Victoria Road and Wiltie Gardens are popular for family terraced (often town) houses. Broadmead Road also seems to be getting increasingly popular. Great for commuters as not far from Folkestone Central Station. Also - Julian Road and Avereng Road.

  • Alder Road - some large detached and semi detached houses a short walk from the station.

  • East Cliff - mostly terraced houses, former fishermen’s cottages etc. This is a really popular road, and Dudley Road behind it is also getting more popular. It’s a longer trip to the station and supermarkets but near the sea.

  • Wear Bay Road - lovely sea views and many of the buildings are still houses rather than flat conversions. Quite a few have gone through some really impressive renovations.

  • Kingsnorth Gardens - a pretty spot. Many of the houses have been converted into flats. Very close to the station (which some people will love, others may not).

  • Dolphins Road - semis with good views of the hills and some large gardens.

  • Bonsor Road - popular terraced houses

  • Radnor Cliff

  • Augusta Gardens - gorgeous buildings, mostly flats.

  • There are loads more I have no doubt missed (sorry).

As you’d expect, the prices are at a premium on the above as they are popular locations.

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Things to do in Folkestone, top things in Folkestone, Folkestone recommendations, best things in Folkestone, visiting Folkestone, Folkestone tips.

DISCLOSURES: All views are my own. I have not received any remuneration, benefits, free stuff etc in exchange for this post (or any post I make) from any party mentioned here or any other party (I spend my money in these local businesses and promote them for free). I also live in one of the favourite places I mention above (which is probably to be expected given I like that place…).