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    Deal & Sandwich
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    Deal & Sandwich

    Deal and Sandwich are located on the east coast of Kent between Dover and the Isle of Thanet, ten kilometres apart.

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    9. Deal & Sandwich
    Deal and Sandwich are located on the east coast of Kent between Dover and the Isle of Thanet, ten kilometres apart. Deal is a port town without a harbour: Ships used to anchor in the roadstead off its pebble beach, where today a long promenade, a pier, and two fortresses of Henry VIII stand.Sandwich was in the Middle Ages one of England's most important ports until the river silted up. The town remained small and has retained its street network, its town gates, and hundreds of old houses. Together, both places offer a tranquil contrast to the ferry traffic in Dover.
    Deal has around 30,000 inhabitants and stretches for kilometres along its pebble beach, from Walmer in the south to dunes in the north. Its compact centre features Beach Street promenade, Middle Street with its fishermen's houses, and High Street with shops and cafés. Everything is a ten-minute walk; Walmer Castle is about 30 minutes along the beach.Sandwich, 10 km northwest, has just 5,000 inhabitants and can be explored in two hours. The town lies on the Stour, 3 km from the sea; between them are dunes, golf courses, and a bird sanctuary. Both places are linked by rail and bus and can be combined in a day. For more comfort, stay overnight in Deal.

    Sights in Deal & Sandwich

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Museum

    1Deal Castle

    Henry VIII had the fortress built in great haste in 1539 and 1540, as he feared an invasion from France and Spain after the break with Rome. It is the largest in a chain of coastal forts and pure artillery architecture: a circular central tower, surrounded by two rings of six semi-circular bastions each, similar in layout to a Tudor rose.You walk through the dark underground passages, from which the moat could be covered, across the gun platforms and through the commander's living quarters. The complex is located directly on the seafront promenade at the southern end of the town. English Heritage manages it; one hour is sufficient for a visit.
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    Castle

    2Walmer Castle and Gardens

    Walmer Castle, two kilometres south of Deal, was built at the same time as Deal Castle as a gun fort. Since 1708, it has served as the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, an honorary post held by, among others, William Pitt the Younger, the Duke of Wellington, and the Queen Mother. Thus, the fortress gradually transformed into a country house.Wellington died here in 1852; his room, complete with armchair and a pair of his boots, can be seen. Behind the house lie expansive gardens with a mighty, cloud-pruned yew hedge, a kitchen garden, and a garden created for the Queen Mother's 95th birthday. From Deal, you can walk here along the beach in half an hour.
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    Attraction

    3Deal Pier

    Deal Pier is a plain concrete structure from 1957, replacing two predecessors lost to storms and war. It extends approximately 300 metres into the Channel and is the only fully preserved pleasure pier in Kent.No hustle and bustle here: Anglers sit on the benches, and at the end is a glass-enclosed café with views back to Deal's seafront and out to the ships passing offshore. Access is free. On a clear day, you can see the French coast.
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    Museum

    4Richborough Roman Fort

    At Richborough, three kilometers north of Sandwich, Emperor Claudius's legions landed in 43 AD; here began Roman rule over Britain. The site, then called Rutupiae, lay on a strait that separated Thanet from the mainland, and became the province's most important port.Visible are the ditches of the first bridgehead, the foundation of a monumental triumphal arch, and the up to eight-meter-high walls of the fort, which was built in the 3rd century against Saxon pirates. A reconstructed wooden gate and a museum with finds help visitors imagine the past. English Heritage manages the site; without a car, you can reach it on foot via a riverside path from Sandwich.
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    Church

    5Sandwich: Old Town and St Peter's Church

    Sandwich was one of the five Cinque Ports in the Middle Ages, a port of national importance. The Stour silted up, but the town endured: Within its ancient walls, now a walkway, half-timbered and brick houses crowd narrow streets that retain their medieval course. By the river stand the 1384 Fisher Gate and the Barbican, a bridge gate that collected tolls until 1977.St Peter's Church stands in the centre. Its tower collapsed in 1661, rebuilt by Flemish religious refugees with an onion-shaped dome; you can climb it for views over the rooftops to the sea. From here, the curfew bell still rings every evening at eight. Two hours are enough for a town tour.
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    Restaurants in Deal & Sandwich

    1

    The Blue Pelican

    A small restaurant on Beach Street, right on Deal's seafront promenade, combining Japanese techniques with Kentish ingredients. The menu offers small plates for sharing, plenty of fish, grilled items, and ferments. One of the most interesting spots on this stretch of coast; book ahead.
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    2

    Engel's Paradise

    A small Polish restaurant on Cannon Street in the north of Deal, a little off the promenade. Serving Pierogi, soups, Schnitzel, and other hearty home cooking in large portions. Family-run and highly rated; you should reserve due to the limited number of tables.
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    3

    Goose on the Green

    A café with a small deli on The Strand in Walmer, opposite the seafront green and halfway between Deal Castle and Walmer Castle. During the day, it serves breakfast, brunch, sandwiches and cakes with good coffee. Handy for a break on a walk along the beach.
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    Essen und Trinken

    In recent years, Deal has become one of the better places for food on the Kent coast, with small restaurants, wine bars, and bakeries on the High Street. In Sandwich, you'll mainly eat in old inns on the Quay.

    Saturday Market in Deal

    Every Saturday, traders on Union Road sell vegetables, bread, cheese, fish and bric-a-brac. A good place to try Kent products.

    Fish from beach

    Some fishermen still pull their boats over the pebbles onto the beach. Their catch, depending on the season, plaice, sole, cod or mackerel, ends up in the local restaurants.

    Micropubs

    These tiny pubs without music or slot machines, serving only draught beer and cider, are a Kent invention. Deal has several of them.

    Culture and History

    Landing Place of the RomansOn this flat stretch of coast, Julius Caesar landed in 55 and 54 BC during his two expeditions to Britain; almost a hundred years later, Claudius's invasion army crossed here at Richborough. The reason was the same that later made the coast dangerous: an open beach where ships could be beached.Off Deal lie the Goodwin Sands, shifting sandbanks where hundreds of ships have been wrecked over the centuries. Between them and the shore lies The Downs anchorage, where sailing fleets awaited favourable winds. Deal's boatmen supplied them, rescued shipwreck survivors, and smuggled so extensively that in 1784 the government had their boats burned on the beach.Sandwich and the Cinque PortsSandwich was one of the five ports that provided ships to the Crown in the Middle Ages. In the 16th century, the town received Flemish religious refugees, who brought weaving and market gardening, and whose gables still shape the townscape today. The town also lent its name to the sandwich, via the title of the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. On the dunes outside the town lies Royal St George's, one of the golf courses where the Open Championship is held.

    Nightlife

    1

    The King's Head

    An 18th-century pub on Beach Street, right across from the beach and close to the pier. In summer, its facade is hung with flower baskets, and the tables out front are full until evening. Draught beer, pub food, and a few guest rooms.
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    2

    The Ship Inn

    A traditional pub on Middle Street, the lane in the old fishing and smuggling quarter behind the promenade. Dark wood, nautical pictures, a stove, and a good selection of Kentish ales; no food, no music from loudspeakers. A place for a quiet beer among locals.
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    Anreise und Unterwegs

    Mit der BahnDeal und Sandwich liegen an der Strecke von Dover nach Ramsgate. Von Dover Priory brauchst du rund 15 Minuten nach Deal, von dort weitere sechs Minuten nach Sandwich. Schnellzüge von London St Pancras erreichen Deal in etwa anderthalb Stunden.Mit dem Auto und BusVon Dover fährst du über die A258 in 20 Minuten nach Deal. Busse verbinden Deal mit Dover, Sandwich und Canterbury. In Deal parkst du am einfachsten an der Promenade südlich der Burg, in Sandwich am Quay.Zu Fuß und mit dem RadDie Promenade von Deal ist flach und für Fahrräder freigegeben; nach Süden führt sie über Walmer bis Kingsdown, wo der Klippenweg nach St Margaret's Bay und Dover beginnt. Nach Norden gelangst du durch die Dünen von Sandwich Bay nach Sandwich, etwa zehn Kilometer.

    Accommodations in Deal & Sandwich

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    Nearby

    Dover

    Dover

    Dover is England's most important ferry port to the continent: From here it's only about 35 kilometers to Calais. Above the town rise the white chalk cliffs, the White Cliffs of Dover, and Dover Castle, one of England's largest castles, with Second World War tunnels in the rock below.Many only experience Dover in transit. If you plan half a day, you can hike along the cliffs to the South Foreland Lighthouse or visit the castle before continuing by ferry.
    Canterbury

    Canterbury

    Canterbury in the county of Kent is one of England's oldest cities and has been a pilgrimage destination since the Middle Ages. At its heart is the Cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Surrounding it is a walled Old Town with half-timbered houses, narrow lanes, and the River Stour, where you can be punted through the city.Canterbury is just under an hour by train from London and half an hour from Dover – a good stop on the way to the ferry or as a base for exploring the Kent coast.
    Whitstable

    Whitstable

    Whitstable is a fishing town on the north coast of Kent, ten kilometres north of Canterbury, and has been known for its oysters since Roman times. Fish stalls and black-tarred fishermen's huts line the harbour; behind the shingle beach, rows of colourful beach huts extend west to Tankerton.The main street is almost free of chain stores and full of small shops, galleries, and cafés. On summer weekends, many Londoners visit; during the week and off-season, the town is quieter. At low tide, the water recedes far, and at sunset over the Thames Estuary, everyone gathers on the beach.
    Côte d'Opale (Opal Coast)

    Côte d'Opale (Opal Coast)

    The stunning Opale Coast stretches along the English Channel and enchants with dramatic chalk cliffs, wide sandy beaches, and charming coastal towns, perfect for hiking and relaxation.
    Rye & Camber Sands

    Rye & Camber Sands

    Rye is located in eastern East Sussex on a sandstone hill that was once a peninsula in the sea. As an ancient town, it was part of the Cinque Ports confederation and thrived on fishing, trade, and smuggling. Then the bay silted up, the coast receded, and Rye was left approximately three kilometers inland. This economic insignificance preserved its medieval layout.What remains today is a dense network of cobblestone lanes, half-timbered houses, and Georgian brick facades. Mermaid Street, with its crooked gables, is the most famous. From the tower of St Mary's Church, you can overlook the rooftops and the flat marshland of Romney Marsh.A few kilometers to the southeast begins Camber Sands, the only extensive dune beach in East Sussex. At low tide, the sand stretches out for several hundred meters. Together with the neighboring town of Winchelsea, a 13th-century planned settlement, this area offers excellent opportunities for exploring on foot over one or two days.