Kent coast beats Puerto Rico, Vancouver Island and Burgundy in Lonely Planet’s ‘best places to visit in the world’ rankings

The high ranked area has been praised for its history, heritage, iconic natural landscapes, and commitment to sustainable tourism initiatives and regeneration. Kent's coast is also known for its sandy beaches, iconic chalk faces, and a thriving cultural and creative scene.

Here's why Lonely Planet has placed the Kent coast so highly in this year's rankings, making the location such a popular place to live and visit.

The Creative Scene

The Kent coast art scene is currently flourishing, with plenty of independent galleries and creative culture hotspots all over.

Margate in Thanet is home to the famous Turner Contemporary gallery, with neighbouring seaside towns Broadstairs and Ramsgate also home to plenty of quaint, independent galleries since the Isle is renowned for its artistic and cafe culture.

Nearby in Folkestone, there is also an impressive creative quarter busy with cafes, galleries and independent shops.

Historic Heritage

Already coined the Kent heritage coast, this region of the UK is rich in both later and early modern history.

Some historical sights and spots include Dover Castle, the Battle of Britain memorial in Folkestone, Walmer Castle near Deal, the Richborough Roman fort in Sandwich, and the iconic Canterbury Cathedral, to name a few.

In Thanet, you can discover Ramsgate's impressive royal links, with the town home to the only harbour in the UK to be given a royal title. The Ramsgate tunnels also provide you with insight into the blitz during WW2, as over 300 people lived in these interlinked underground tunnels throughout the war.

Seascapes and Beaches

As you'd expect, all along the Kent coast, you can find some of the UK's most loved beaches.

Many of these beaches have international blue flag awards to their name, praised for their high standards of beach management and water quality, including Thanet's Minnis Bay, West Bay, St Mildred's Bay, Margate Main Sands, and Stone Bay,

Outside of Thanet, Kent's Tankerton, Sheerness Beach, Leysdown Beach, and Minster Leas are also Blue Flag beaches in Kent.

If you're interested in moving to Lonely Planet's fourth-best in travel location for 2022, visit www.royalsandsramsgate.com, where you can learn about the luxury beachfront apartments in Ramsgate steps from Ramsgate Main Sands and Ramsgate's Royal Harbour.