I recently took my first visit to the little seaside town of Margate. To say I enjoyed it would be an understatement, I’ve been checking RightMove for Margate properties since I got back (pretty cheap, if you’re asking). It’s just an hour and a half from London, easy to get around and full of fun things to do. Here’s my 2 night, 3 day itinerary…

Friday

Get the train from London Victoria, booked early so got a return for around £25. Drink some tinnies on the train there. At Margate station we can’t get a cab and there’s no Uber. So we walk to our AirBnb which takes about 15 minutes.

Our Airbnb in the Cliftonville area is lovely and has sea views. The host gives us some insider tips to Margate including a restaurant suggestion Roost, which we make a booking for that evening.

There’s an Aldi supermarket round the corner so we get some provisions for the weekend. Wine and beer and bagels, eggs, salmon and avocado for breakfast. And snacks of course.

Visit some local pubs including The Lighthouse which is a really cute little place, although I think it must’ve been bought out by BrewDog as that’s the only beer they serve.

Explore the town a bit before getting dinner at Roost. The service here is great and we go for a whole lobster with all the trimming and some local beer. The lobster is DELICIOUS and I could eat 3 more. Still hungry/greedy so get some whitebait too. Finish off with a naughty Knickerbocker Glory. Meal comes to £50 for two people with drinks. Well worth it.

End the night getting pissed in our AirBnB and enjoying the view.

Saturday

Get up early to visit the Tidal Swimming Pool at Walpole Bay as suggested by our host. It’s a 5 minute walk from our place and empty at this time of day. The water is freezing but swimming around is super fun and certainly wakes us up for the day.

Head into Margate for an al fresco lunch at The Greedy Cow which is located in a charming little square. We have a delicious burger and beers.

 

Do a spot of shopping. Transmission Records is great independent record shop where we listen to some old jazz. Haeckel’s is a Margate-based skincare brand which is stocked in Liberty and Selfridges and has a shop on our street. Everything is made from locally sourced seaweed and we slap some testers on our skin. There are lots of vintage clothing and furniture shops – and skate shops too. The hipsters have really made their mark on Margate.

Head to Dreamland, the funfair. It’s much bigger than I expected with loads of rides. We decide to do the rollercoaster – it’s not too big. £5 each. You have to get a card to top up before using any rides. We then get a beer and sit in the outside bit of Dreamland. After that we play old-fashioned arcade games.

Head to the penny arcades to play MarioKart and air hockey, there’s a few arcades opposite the main beach.

We eat dinner and The Buoy and Oyster which overlooks the sea. This restaurant is a bit pricier than yesterday’s. We have a cocktail each which aren’t that good. The oysters are sublime though, really amazing. For mains we have the lamb which is okay, and the catch of the day which is lovely. Skip dessert. £65 for two people.

Walk along the seafront and as we’re pretty pooped we decide to have a night in. Grab some dessert and wine from the supermarket on the way home.

Sunday

It’s our last day, so we have a leisurely breakfast in bed while watching Broad City (AKA the finniest show ever).

Visit the Turner Contemporary galley which is a 10-minute walk from our AirBnB. We leave our suitcases there for free as our train home isn’t for a few hours yet. Love the Michael Armitage exhibition – he’s a Kenyan artist whose large bark canvases are beautiful, if a little dark. I buy a framed print as a souvenir.

Have a beer on the beach – it’s really hot and the beach is packed. There are steps that lead into the sea to sit on of you’re not into sand.

We go for a drink on the strip of bars that lead to the lighthouse as we haven’t explored up there yet. Sit in the sun playing cards.

We have lunch at a little seaside shack. Have the catch of the day and chips for £6. Simple. It’s really delicious too.

Pick up the bags fro the gallery and walk to the station to get the train home to London. Back at home by 6.30pm.

NOTES

Our Airbnb cost £210 for 2 nights but was more expensive as bank holiday weekend

Train cost around £25 return each

No transport needed in Margate

We cut costs by buying food at the supermarket and eating breakfast at the AirBnB.

Click HERE to see what I was wearing in Margate…