Canterbury: A City & Accommodation Guide

Canterbury City Review

I’m     Julia (Jules)                 I’m in    3^rd year           , studying      Marketing  at CCCU                and I live in Canterbury, just off Sturry Road

Your idea of a great night out in your city

The best way to start any night is with your closest friends and housemates; and nothing goes hand in hand with social interaction like a takeaway! Domino’s pizza is always a good shout, and has multiple deals available to get the most for your money. Ordering as a group means you save money, so therefore can order those chicken wings you love so much! If you fancy something a little more exciting, Palace Chinese Takeaway means you can curb those chow-mein cravings for under a fiver. After a delicious meal, it’s off to your nearest supermarket to stock up on pre-drinks, soda and a quick trip to the cash machine before heading out. There are a multitude of clubs available in Canterbury. The most popular club is Club Chemistry; comprising of 3 floors with varying music genres across the road from Canterbury East train station. However, my personal favourite is Alberry’s. On a Friday night, this bar opens its basement floor and host’s a night of indie and rock music which is more to my taste, plus there are more non-alcoholic alternatives available, so there is something for everyone to enjoy at the bar. On the walk (or stumble) home, I always like to stop off at Efes Kebabs. The friendly customer service, generous helpings and lashings of burger sauce will replace that sickly feelings in your tummy with warm deliciousness!

Best places to eat

Canterbury is home to many high street restaurant chains; McDonalds, Subway, Nandos, Wagamamas, Pizza Express and of course Wetherspoons. All these places offer reliable food you know and love from home. However, this is university! Try something new! Café Du Soleil just over from the Westgate Towers serves delicious, high quality food cooked on an open fire for prices even the poorest student can afford! Tacos Locos is also a fantastic place to visit if you are a lover of all things Mexican – they also give you a free shot if you visit on your birthday!  CJ’s is another fantastic place to visit for a healthy, yet filling lunch. The premise is very similar to Subway, but more varied fillings such as hoisin duck and spring onion are available.

Hidden Gems

One of my favourite spots in the city also doubles as a shortcut. Behind the Sainsbury’s on Kingsmead road is a stream that leads all the way to the Marlowe Theatre Gardens. This stream has a footpath that leads away from the main road of the city centre – tucked into a quiet pocket of this historic city. The stream is surrounded by trees, and frequent spots of grass make it the perfect spot for a picnic. Westgate Gardens, located next to the Westgate Towers is another place of natural beauty, and taking a boat trip along the canal is the best way to see this slither of nature embedded in the heart of the city. If you have a couple of quid, you should take the bus to one of the nearby beaches. Broadstairs is the best, but Margate, Ramsgate and Herne Bay all offer the typical seaside experience, all within a direct public transport route.

Best thing about your city

The best thing about Canterbury is the massive student population. With CCCU, UKC, UCA, the American University and Canterbury Collage all located within mere miles of each other, you will always find students wherever you go. This means you can guarantee every night out will bring new friends and events no matter where you end up. Canterbury is one of the warmest places in the UK, so in the warmer months you can guarantee you will be having multiple barbeques and lounging in Dane John Gardens. CCCU students get into the cathedral for free with their university student card; it’s a good chance to see where you and your classmates will graduate, and a definite tourist sight for anyone interested in architecture or history.

Worst thing about your city.

As Canterbury is a tourist hotspot, and is located so close to Dover, you do end up barraging your way through hundreds of tourist trying to get to your lectures, especially in the spring and summer months. French schools take day trips to visit Canterbury and will overtake the city in the same way you did in fresher’s week. Also, the city is small – this is a benefit when living in the city because everything is right on your doorstep. But when you need a store or a location not within the city, it can be a bit of a pain to get to.

Where are they:

Domino’s Pizza
64 A Militray Road, CT1 1LU
01227 789666

Palace Chinese
6 St Dunstans Street, CT2 8AF
01227 462108

Club Chemistry
15 Station Road East, CT1 2RB
01227 462520

Alberry’s
38 St Margaret’s Street, CT1 2TY
01227 452378

Efes
36 Northgate, CT1 1BL
01227 766966

Café Du Soleil
5 Pound Lane, CT2 8AA
01227 479999

Tacos Locos
45 St Peter’s Street, CT1 2BG
01227 379330

CJ’s
29B St Margarets Street, CT1 2TG
01227 478999

Canterbury Accommodation

Canterbury is a city that has almost been built for students. There are so many houses in various locations around the city, you can decide where to live and find a house in a price range to suit you almost instantly. Rent averages at around £82 a week, which initially seems high – but many properties in Canterbury have utility bills included. Considering the national average rent for student accommodation is around £80 anyway, £8 a month for utilities is a pretty good deal!

AfS found students living in Canterbury gave the city an overall score of 58%, increased by its variety of store and facilities and the extensive student community. Almost every student property is within walking distance of shops and campus – and those slightly further have reliable public transport.

Areas which had particularly high satisfaction ratings are properties located in the City Centre, North Holmes Road and localities of Station Road East. These properties rated high in facilities and locations to go in the city.

Afs top tip 

The city is almost split in two in terms of accommodation, depending on which university you go to. If you attend CCCU you are better off being on the south side of town towards Sturry or Wincheap as these locations are much close to campus. UKC students should look for housing around Hales Place as it means you won’t have to trudge up and down that hill to get to every lecture.