For too long, this rakish but ravishing old port has been overlooked in favour of its better-known Kent neighbours, Broadstairs and Margate, but now Ramsgate is having a turn in the spotlight. Time Out magazine named the town one of the best places to visit in 2024 – a “beauty”, it said, but not as “achingly trendy” as Margate ..
. yet. Read Next The Sussex seaside villages with coastal walks and an Art Deco lido Ramsgate is not as blingy either.
It does all of the usual seaside stuff (the beach is glorious) but it’s the town’s palpable sense of history that really stands out. It has the UK’s only royal harbour (a status granted by George IV in 1821) and contains about 1,000 listed buildings; tiers of fancy Regency terraces curve around the marina’s natural bay – a bustling boaty waterfront where chandleries rub shoulders with chip shops. There are verdant squares and Victorian pleasure gardens linked to promenades by a zig-zag of steps and alleys, cliff walks and cliff-top views, yachts, salty old pubs, restaurants, arty shops, landmark churches and some unusual attractions – like Britain’s largest network of civilian bomb shelters.
Travel essentials There are enough indoor attractions to make Ramsgate a good wet-weather or year-round destination, but the town really comes alive during its summer regatta, Ramsgate Week (11-16 August). Ramsgate Festival of Sound follows a week later (22-25 August) with a programme of live music staged in various venues .