Folkestone: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
English|
GBP 69 - 145 The Relish
 Located in the West End of Folkestone, The Relish is a 5-star guest house a short walk from the sea and various restaurants. It has luxurious rooms an… MoreGBP 30 - 80 The Portland Hotel
 Opposite the Leas Cliff Hall, beside the sea and Folkestone town centre, The Portland Hotel has a popular bar and restaurant (dinner inclusive deals).… MoreGBP 47 - 69 The Hamlet Hotel
 With views across the English Channel, The Hamlet Hotel is just a 10-minute walk from Folkestone Harbour. There is a traditional restaurant, cosy bar,… MoreGBP 30 - 70 The Carlton Hotel
 This traditional sea-facing hotel is situated on The Leas, Folkestone´s cliff-top promenade. It has free parking and motorway connections to Eur… MoreGBP 30 - 75 The Salisbury Hotel
 A short walk to Folkestone city centre and the seafront, with views of France on clear days, The Salisbury has a bar, a restaurant and free on-street … MoreGBP 60 - 80 The Ship Inn
 Just 5 minutes from the Channel Tunnel, The Ship Inn offers free parking, free Wi-Fi and a traditional pub restaurant. Situated in Sandgate, the inn i… MoreGBP 27 - 115 Wycliffe Hotel
 Only 5 minutes’ walk from Folkestone town centre and the Leas beaches, the Wycliffe Hotel offers cooked breakfasts and free off-road parking. The ho… MoreGBP 32 - 65 Windsor Hotel
 The Windsor is family run and family friendly, offering reasonably priced basic guest accommodation right by Folkestone’s famous Leas Promenade and … MoreGBP 30 - 99 The Southcliff Hotel
 On Leas Promenade, overlooking the English Channel, The Southcliff Hotel is a 15-minute drive from the Channel Tunnel Terminal. There is free Wi-Fi, a… MoreGBP 50 - 145 Premier Inn Folkestone (Channel Tunnel)
 This Premier Inn is just 5 minutes’ drive from the Eurotunnel Terminal, Folkestone beaches and the M20 motorway. It offers a bar, restaurant and fre… MoreGBP 40 - 95 Langhorne Garden Hotel
 Langhorne Garden Hotel is just metres from The Leas promenade, and features 2 lively bars and a restaurant. Set in a Victorian building, the hotel has… MoreGBP 38 - 130 Burlington Hotel
 Overlooking the Leas Promenade and English Channel, The Burlington Hotel features a traditional restaurant and leafy gardens. Set in a grand period bu… MoreGBP 21 - 315 Britannia Grand Burstin Hotel
 Overlooking Folkestone Harbour, Britannia Grand Burstin Hotel offers free parking, free Wi-Fi and wonderful sea views. Just 15 minutes from Dover, the… MoreGBP 40 - 70 Best Western Clifton Hotel
 Overlooking the English Channel, the Best Western Clifton Hotel offers en suite bedrooms, many with sea views. It is 10 minutes from Folkestone town c… MoreGBP 25 - 90 Chandos Guest House
 Just 15 minutes’ drive from Dover Ferry Terminals, Chandos Guest House offers cooked breakfasts and cosy rooms with free Wi-Fi. With free parking, t… MoreGBP 50 - 69 Crete Down Guesthouse
 Surrounded by the countryside, a 5-minute drive from the centre of Folkestone and 15 minutes’ drive from the Eurostar terminal, Crete Down offers fr… MoreGBP 28 - 84 Kentmere Guest House
 In Folkestone centre, the Kentmere is just 5 minutes’ drive from the Eurotunnel Terminal and a 10-minute walk from the beach. It offers family rooms… MoreGBP 53 - 121 Holiday Inn Express Folkestone Channel Tunnel
 With free parking and air-conditioned rooms, this hotel is 1 mile from Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal and a 20-minute drive from Dover Port. Wi-Fi is … MoreGBP 50 - 280 Garden Lodge
 Just 10 minutes’ drive from the Eurotunnel Terminal, the Garden Lodge boasts a swimming pool, fitness room and free private car park. A full English… MoreGBP 30 - 98 Banque House
 A short walk from Folkestone town centre and 5 miles from the port of Dover, the Banque House can reserve free parking spaces for guests and serves fu… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Folkestone: Guide
Folkestone is a town on the Kent coast, in the South England|South of England.
Understand
Folkestone is a member of the Cinque Ports, having been incorporated as a Corporate Limb of Dover (England)|Dover. In 1629 the local inhabitants obtained a licence to build a port, prior to which, fishing boats were entirely reliant upon the natural protection of the natural harbour formed by the Pent Stream.
At the end of the 18th century the city became prosperous because of an increase in the fishing and shipping industries and, in the middle of the 19th century, Folkestone was one of the chief resorts of southern England, aided by the construction of the railway line from London. Numerous victorian Hotels, including "The Grande" and "Metropole" are testament to this, together with no less than three railway stations.
Today, though, Folkestone remains as a faded shadow of its former grand self. Since the 1950s it has fallen into decline due in part to competition from Dover, the advent of the Channel Tunnel (with many new jobs in the area because of it convening in Ashford) and the ubiquitous package holiday. However, at present there are several large-scale redevelopment plans in the pipeline for the port and Rotunda area, in addition to the current extension of the town centre to incorporate a new Asda, although the recent decision by Marks and Spencers to quit the town after almost a century has caused some dismay in the local community.
Get in
By car
The M20 links Folkestone with Ashford (England)|Ashford, the A259 runs south along the coast to Hastings (England)|Hastings and the A20 heads up the coast to Dover (England)|Dover.
By train
Fare and timetable information is available from , tel. 08457 484950.
Get around
By bus
Stagecoach is the bus company that operates in Folkestone. Timetables and fares are available on http://www.stagecoachbus.com/eastkent/ Buy your ticket from the driver when you board the bus. A £9 Mega rider plus ticket gives you unlimited travel within the Folkestone area for a week
By taxi
The main Folkestone taxi number is (01303) 252 000
See
The Channel Tunnel Entrance Observe -from the hills to the northwest of Folkestone- the shuttle trains loading cars and lorries before their undersea trip to France. The Channel Tunnel is described as one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World"
Do
Ride the Cliff Lift Victorian engineered water-powered carriage ride, open weekends for transport between The Leas promenade and the stony beach/Lower Leas Coastal Park. (This lift is always under threat of closure, and so I would check before planning to use it). For people with children, there is now a large play area along the seafront, with entertainments at the amphitheatre there in the summer. There is a large swimming pool (with a flume) at the sports centre behind Radnor park.
Buy
Eat
Folkestone Rock Watch how the hard confectionery is handmade at The Rock Shop at the top of the Old High Street
There are a number of cafes in Folkestone, particularly at the top of the Old High Street. Sweet rendezvous sells sandwiches and cakes, as well as some polish dishes in a warm and homely environment. Just across the road, Djangos sells a wider range of food, and is great for sitting outside in the summer.
For people on a budget, the Oriental Buffet and Kalala both sell all you can eat chinese food. We also have a number of Indian and Italian restaurants, a few pubs that sell food, and the slightly more upmarket Paul's, opposite Sainsburys, which sells lots of things on square plates for a lot of money.
Country pubs nearby
The New Inn, Canterbury Road, Etchinghill, +44 (0) 1303 862026. Either jnc 11 or jnc 12 on the M20. A 16th century coaching inn, village pub and highly popular restaurant. Fantastic reputation for fine cuisine, open seven days a week for lunches and evening meals. Terrific food, real ale, oak beams & cosy atmosphere.
One of the most popular drinking establishments in the town is the former Baptist Galleries building, and before that a Baptist Church, now a magnificently restored Wetherspoon pub, complete, some say, with its own resident ghost! Bar vasa along the sea front between sandgate and seabrook is a superb trendy bar to have a drink at with friends and famliy and you have the fantastic view of the sea across the road. This trendy bar has out side seating for the summer weather or a cosy warm seat inside on a cold winters day.
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikitravel article "Folkestone". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 license.Drink
Sleep
Get out
Folkestone has easy access to a number of areas:
Canterbury The famous cathedral housing Beckett's remains, a museum celebrating Chaucer's Canterbury tales, a number of Roman things, as well as some decent shops and cafes.
Dover The remains of a roman villa, and the white cliffs experience museum
Hythe Small town with canal and access to Port Lympe zoo and a petting farm
France Zip across in the channel tunnel to Calais