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Everyone wants something different out of a day trip. There are the people that just want to lie horizontal on the beach for hours, the ones who want to stop by as many historic sites as possible, and the ones who will spend all their time collecting trinkets from indie shops and galleries. Then, there are the people that go to new places with just one thing on the agenda: good food.
Of Time Out’s 20 best places for a day trip from London in 2025, there’s one place that stands out when it comes to outstanding bars and restaurants to rival those here in the capital. It’s... Deal! And you can get there from St Pancras in just one hour and 20 minutes.
In Time Out’s guide to the town’s best bits, travel writer and Deal local Kate Wicks said: ‘Along the award-winning High Street, you’ll find a wealth of independent shops, bars, and restaurants, but it’s Deal’s sedate (yet uplifting) atmosphere that remains its biggest draw. Ten miles from Dover, this is a town beside the sea, rather than a seaside town (for kiss-me-quick amusements, head to Margate): it’s creative, classy and also happens to be one of the UK’s top hidden foodie destinations.’
Arrive hungry – Deal is full to the brim with exceptional grub. So much, in fact, that it’s Time Out’s favourite foodie getaway in the country. There’s the classic fish ‘n chips from Middle Street Fish Bar, the crab doughnuts at The Rose hotel, the French dishes at Cherub’s, Japanese izakaya at The Blue Pelican, the organic wines at Le Pinardier wine bar, the swanky lunch at 81 Beach Street and the pig’s head and haggis terrine at Frog & Scot.
But there’s only so much eating and drinking you can do. Kate also recommends wandering around the historic Deal Castle, filling your boots at Deal Town Market, seeing some art at Linden Hall Studio and spinning vinyl at Smuggler’s Records. Make sure to go down to the seafront too, and look at for a grey seal or admire Deal’s historic Victorian pier (which is getting a £1 million facelift next year).
See the rest of Time Out’s best day trips from the London.
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