travel to margate from london

How to Travel From London to Margate by Train, Bus, and Car

For Londoners and visitors alike, escaping from the big city when temperatures rise is a tempting notion. London is a city that offers nearly every imaginable activity that one can imagine doing—everything but the beach. Thankfully, the coast isn't too far. Margate is a city that's only 77 miles from London and is an edgy beach town destination popular with locals and tourists. Whether you're coming for the waves, the Victorian-era theme park, or the contemporary art museum, it's an exciting day trip for anyone who wants a break from London.

You can easily drive to Margate if you have a car, although between traffic and parking, it's almost always easier to take the train. From St Pancras Station, the train ride is only 90 minutes long and drops off passengers right in the heart of Margate, just a block away from the sand. If you can, buy tickets as far in advance as possible to get the best prices.

What Is the Cheapest Way to Get From London to Margate?

Train tickets from London to Margate start at roughly $32 for a one-way ticket but get more expensive for high-demand times and last-minute reservations. Since Margate is primarily a summer destination, the cheapest tickets sell out especially quick for weekend trips in June, July, and August. You'll find more affordable prices if you travel on a weekday and book in advance when tickets are released—about eight to 10 weeks before the travel date. You can see the schedule and reserve your tickets directly through the National Rail website .

Tip: The least expensive advance tickets are only available on single journeys. If you're traveling to Margate and back to London, you'll save money if you book two one-way tickets instead of a roundtrip ticket.

What Is the Fastest Way to Get From London to Margate?

The train shuttles passengers directly from Central London to the Margate train station in just an hour and 30 minutes, with trains leaving about every 15 minutes throughout the day. You can choose to depart from St Pancras Station or Victoria Station in London, both of which are accessible by various lines of the Underground . The Margate Station is just a five-minute walk from the beach and the Dreamland Amusement Park, and the rest of this small seaside town is easy to explore on foot.

How Long Does It Take to Drive?

Renting a car and driving yourself to Margate takes about the same amount of time as the train in perfect conditions, although London traffic can delay your arrival by up to an hour. Margate is about 75 miles southeast of London off the A2 and the M2 motorway, so it's an easy drive to make a quick day trip or as a pit stop while exploring England's southern coast.

Margate is a small town and parking can be difficult on warm-weather weekends when locals flock to the beach. If you're visiting on a weekday while school is in session, paid street parking should be easy to find and isn't expensive. If you're in Margate on a weekend or during summer break, you can reserve a parking space—for a fee—at the Dreamland parking lot to avoid driving around and looking for a spot or take the train and forget the hassle of parking altogether.

When Is the Best Time to Travel to Margate?

Since Margate is on the coast, summer is the most popular time to visit this seaside town. Train tickets are likely to be more expensive or even sell out in the summer months, especially on weekends. The Dreamland Amusement Park also hosts a variety of events and concerts throughout the year, so check the calendar of events to see if an upcoming activity is of interest to you.

What's the Most Scenic Route to Margate?

There aren't many route options for such a short distance, but if you're driving yourself to Margate, you pass right by the town of Canterbury , famed for its centuries-old cathedral and as the setting for "The Canterbury Tales." It's a small city that packs a lot of charm and history, and worth a visit if you're driving through the area.

What Is There to Do in Margate?

The beach is the biggest draw to Margate, especially in the summer months when families and groups of friends head out of the city to sit on the sand and soak up the sun. Right along the beach is Dreamland, an amusement park that dates back to the 19th century and is home to the oldest roller coaster in the U.K. In addition to waves and rides, the Turner Contemporary is a sleek-looking museum that showcases contemporary artists and has been a major factor in the rejuvenation of Margate. Just minutes away from the museum is a mysterious underground passage known as the Shell Grotto because the walls and ceiling are meticulously filled in with seashells. The Grotto was discovered in 1835, but to this day no one knows how long ago it was created or why it exists.

If you take the train, you can get from London to Margate in an hour and 30 minutes.

One-way train tickets from London to Margate start at 23 pounds ($32).

You can pick up the train at either St Pancras Station or Victoria Station in London, and ride it all the way to Margate. The beach is just a five-minute walk from the train station.

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Trains from London Victoria to Margate

Planning your train journey from london victoria to margate .

Whether you’re travelling for work or having an exciting day out, we’re here to make it easier for you to plan your train journey to Margate.

Below you can find out when the first and last trains of the day will be and how long your train journey from London Victoria to Margate could take – so you can travel at a time that’s right for you.

With Single ticket, Super Off-Peak ticket or Off-Peak Return tickets available, trains from London Victoria to Margate are the easy and affordable way to travel.

Find the next train to Margate from London Victoria

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Usual seat availability is based on information we hold for the last 7 days. Availability is stated for many, but not all, trains operated by Southeastern. We're working hard to expand this information for all our services. To feedback on this pilot, email [email protected]

The first direct train leaving London Victoria to Margate departs at:

• 06:40 on Monday to Friday
• 06:40 on Saturday
• 07:40 on Sunday

The last direct train leaving London Victoria to Margate departs at:

• 23:10 on Monday to Friday
• 00:10 on Saturday
• 22:40 on Sunday

Explore my other train ticket options for this journey?

Are you confused about which ticket is best value for your journey? Well, to help, we've put together some quick, handy guides so you can compare ticket types to find the one that's right for you.  If you're a  railcard  holder, you can enjoy 1/3 off the price of most of our standard tickets.

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Other routes.

• London Victoria to Broadstairs
• London Victoria to Ramsgate
• London Victoria to Canterbury West

Tips on how to find cheaper train tickets

Looking to travel on a weekday but not during morning or evening peak times? You can save money on train travel when you buy Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak tickets – single or day return fares.

Are there a few of you travelling together? If you’re in a group of 3-9 adults travelling by train, you’ll save 34% on your ticket price when you travel Off-Peak with Groupsave .

Kids for a Quid

Fancy a fun day out for the family? Book your Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak ticket online and up to four kids aged 5-15 can travel with you by train for just £1 each.

Book your train tickets from London Victoria to Margate

You can buy Southeastern tickets online and collect them from the ticket machine before you travel. You can also buy them from a ticket machine or ticket office at station.

How To Visit Margate on a Day Trip From London & Things To Do!

Categories England , London , U.K

I’d been hearing mixed things about the seaside town of Margate in Kent for a few years, I’d heard that it’s been dubbed ‘Shoreditch by the Sea’ (and I do love Shoreditch !), and even Kent’s Copenhagen (I also love Copenhagen!), but I’d also heard that it’s still fairly run down. I’m pretty stubborn and I like to make my own mind up about places!

So when I saw a return train ticket to Margate from London on The Train Line for just £20.00 I figured I didn’t have much to lose and I should do a day trip to Margate from London.

So here’s what I got up to with one day in Margate, things to do in Margate on a day trip and what I thought of Margate after visiting for the day.

Margate Day Trip from London

How to get to Margate from London on a Day Trip

London to margate train.

A high-speed South Eastern Train leaves St Pancras International station in London and within 1 hour 30 minutes, it arrives at the tip of Kent in Margate.

Margate train station is basic but has all it needs, plus free toilets which is always a bonus.

I left Margate train station and saw the sea straight away which made me pretty happy! Although what didn’t make me as happy was the unfortunate-looking council high-rise block and huge amounts of graffiti on the walls nearby so be prepared for this.

Things to do in Margate on a Day Trip

Dreamland – Margate’s amusement park and a popular thing to do in Margate can be seen at the side of the train track as you pull into Margate station, so it’s very easy to get to from the station which is good!

Dreamland is often the only reason people come to Margate. I haven’t been but I have heard good things about it since it was revamped only a few years ago!

Margate Beach

It’s very easy to walk from Margate train station to the beach which is why this is one of the best day trips from London by train to the beach!

What I noticed first were the humongous seagulls, the typical seaside fairground rides on the beach that I hadn’t seen for years and the smell of hot doughnuts coming from the stalls.

Even if the weather is not good on you day trip to Margate, you can still enjoy this huge, sandy beach. And the weather may improve throughout the day as it did with me!

Vintage Shopping in Margate

I’d heard that Margate has a lot of cool shops, especially vintage shops in its old town and I was pretty sure that I’d seen photos of quirky shopfronts online, all of which made me think that this is where it gets its reputation as a ‘Shoreditch by the Sea’ so I decided to head into the streets to see what I could find.

Admittedly I did come across quite a few vintage shops really easily, they are not hidden at all, if this is your thing you would find them quite appealing I think!

I also noticed some nice bars and pubs, but then I took a turn up the main high street which is where all of the chain shops and food outlets are and it just looked like any other English Town (it really reminded me of Dover Town actually), with a Poundland, a Subway, a McDonald’s, plus more closed down and abandoned shops. It was a bit of a shame and put a sour taste of Margate in my mouth.

Turner Contemporary Gallery

By the time I had reached the end of the beach I was pretty close to the Turner Contemporary Gallery . I’m not a huge fan of Galleries however I saw that it was free to enter, so I went in.

The Turner Contemporary Gallery is only quite small and having opened in 2011, it’s still fairly new which shows from its interior and exterior as it’s pretty different to the rest of the architecture in Margate.

When I visited there was an exhibition called Animals & Us which was really interesting. This is pretty much all I saw in the museum as the other galleries were closed for private events but it seems that they hold a specific exhibition at all times and if Animals & Us is anything to go by it’s definitely worth heading into the Turner Contemporary Gallery in Margate to check out the exhibition they have on as I really enjoyed it.

Beet Bar Cafe

I wanted a healthy lunch and I had seen Beet Bar recommended on Google, I also happened to pass a sign pointing me in the direction of Beet Bar so I followed the sign into a car park and there was a beautifully decorated cafe in front of me. Beet Bar is a plant-based cafe, mainly selling drinks and smoothies but they also had food on offer.

I got the Raw Thali Bowl which was an array of delights. I really loved it here, it’s so pretty and calm, full of plants, crystals and good music. 

Quirky Things in Margate

On the other side of the beach close to the train station I came across The Bus Cafe and a row of pop-up cafes and bars which were really cool and unique for Margate.

I noticed how much the water was glistening in the sun and the man-made swimming pool that has been created within the sea, and to fully make myself feel better I bought 6 hot doughnuts for £3.50 because no trip the seaside is complete without doughnuts, am I right??

The Shell Grotto is another unique thing to do in Margate which I didn’t do and I have heard is cool.

My Overall thoughts on a Margate Day Trip

It still reminded me of why I’m not a huge fan of England, Margate is, unfortunately, is quite run down and feel’s a bit forgotten too. I feel like if you lived there it would be hard to break out of a rut, you’d get stuck there due to limited possibilities and this also showed when I was walking around.

Overall, I’m glad I went on a day trip from London to Margate as otherwise, I’d always be wondering what it was like, however, I’m not keen to go back and I wouldn’t recommend going on a solo trip to Margate. Hike the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent  solo but don’t visit Margate on your own!

Additionally, if you are not British, you’re visiting London for a few days and want to get out of London on a day trip to the beach, I would recommend Margate because just a few hours here will give you a real insight into the British Seaside- run down, trendy or not. Just be sure to get some Fish and Chips at Peter’s Fish Factory as well as some hot doughnuts on the beach.. and be careful of the huge seagulls!

Let me know what you think! Have you been to Margate, do you agree with me? Have I convinced you to go or put you off going?

For trains to Margate, have a look at The Train Line as I find this the easiest place to compare times and prices.

• For more Day trip from London ideas have a look at these posts:
• 10 Things To Do in Brighton on a Day Trip from London in Rain & Shine!
• Visiting the Seven Sisters Cliffs on a Day Trip from London!
• Visiting the White Cliffs of Dover on a Day Trip from London!
• 10 Things Not To Miss When Visiting Oxford on a Day Trip From London!
• A Day Trip to Stonehenge & Bath from London!

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Joy @MyTravelingJoys

Wednesday 14th of August 2019

OMG...it's like you read my mind! I also live in London and took a day trip to Margate on the train with my bike recently (and am compiling a blog post about that trip). I was hugely disappointed...the town just seemed kinda run down. Not at all what I had pictured from the London media chatting up Margate. I cycled onto Broadstairs and found that to be a much prettier town with lovely Victorian buildings. It's so strange because they are so close together.

Friday 26th of April 2019

Thank you so much for this post. I was thinking about combining a day trip to Canterbury with a quick peek at Margate, but now I am confident to give it a pass. :) I really appreciate travel blogs which are not glossing over things that weren't so great (and also mention free toilets!) and it's especially good to see the perspective of a single traveller. I usually travel solo myself and the widely distributed "and then we had coffee and chatted for an hour while enjoying the views" recommendations are not much use to me. ;) I know this is an old entry though, hope you enjoy your current travels in locations a little bit farther away. :)

TheWanderingQuinn

Thank you for your comment Tamara and glad you found my honesty helpful.

I totally know what you mean about passing time in a coffee shop when on your own, it’s not the same is it. I’m also a big fan of knowing where public toilets are and ideally free ones so glad you appreciate that.

Enjoy your day trip to Canterbury :)

Anna nuttall

Wednesday 8th of August 2018

Ooh I like the look of Margate, and it not to far from London either. Thank you for your photos. xx

It’s so easy to get to from London! :D You’re welcome!

Kara // Heels In My Backpack

Tuesday 7th of August 2018

Ahh sorry it didn't live up to the hype! It's definitely a bit half and half - half cool, half run down. But thank you for the link, lovely! xx

I’m sure it would have been better if I had gone with people! If I ever go again I’ll make sure I do!? And you’re welcome!