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Beaches aren’t just for summer. If you’re reaching the end of the year burnt out, overwhelmed and in desperate need of blowing away the cobwebs, a windswept stroll along an empty bay will surely sort you out. And Margate is the perfect place to go for just that.
Time Out has named Margate one of the best winter day trips from London right now. It’s just under two hours by train from Victoria or St Pancras stations (or roughly two hours and 40 minutes by car), so you can leave in the morning and be back in London feeling like a new person by the evening.
Here’s how to make the most of Margate over the festive season. First, wrap up warm, pick up a steaming coffee or hot chocolate and go on a bracing walk down Margate beach, which is blissfully empty this time of year. Once you’ve got the sea air in your lungs, we recommend heading for the Turner Contemporary Gallery (one of the UK’s best modern art galleries) on the seafront. It’s free and is nice and quiet during the winter months, so you can really take your time. Right now, it has exhibitions showcasing work from Bridget Riley and Simone Leigh.
Afterwards, stop by Buoy & Oyster to feast on fish and chips or a hearty Sunday roast while staring out over the starkly beautiful winter seascape, or grab a warming pint of real ale at cosy, CAMRA-lauded micropub The Two Halves. And there you have it, a perfect winter’s day by the coast. If Margate doesn’t fit your idea of a good day out from London, perhaps you’ll like this blockbuster film studio or this luxurious spa instead.
See all of Time Out’s best winter day trips from London here.
Did you see that Margate’s Northdown Road is one of our coolest streets in the world for 2025?
Plus: The best non-art exhibition in London in 2025
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