Skip to content
LarkTours

Routes · Europe

Lima to the Kent and Sussex coast: Canterbury and Rye

Lima → Canterbury → Rye

Canterbury
"River Stour in Canterbury, England - May 08.jpg" by Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
London Ontario Skyline 2017 (cropped) (London)
Photo: Mcalpinestudios, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A cathedral city of pilgrims & a hilltop Cinque Port Best season (general guide): May–Sep

South-east England has the country's mother church and some of its best-preserved small towns. This route spends three nights in Canterbury and three in Rye. From Lima you'll connect through a hub to London, then take the train. Canterbury, on the River Stour in Kent, is a UNESCO World Heritage city and depends heavily on tourism.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Canterbury: day one, train from London; day two, cathedral and the precincts; day three, St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's. Then spend days four to six in Rye: day four, train to Rye, then Mermaid Street; day five, Ypres Tower and the town walls; day six, Camber Sands.

UNESCO lists its cathedral, the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church together. Archbishop Thomas Becket was murdered in the cathedral in 1170, and his shrine became one of the great pilgrimage sites of medieval Europe. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales follow a group of pilgrims travelling from London to the shrine. St Martin's Church is the oldest church in England still in use.

Rye lies about three kilometres from the English Channel, where three rivers meet. In the Middle Ages it was an important member of the Cinque Ports, a confederation of ports that supplied ships to the Crown. Rye was then almost entirely surrounded by the sea, but silting has since moved the coastline away. Mermaid Street, a cobbled lane of timber-framed houses, is one of the best-known streets in the town.

The writer Henry James lived at Lamb House, now owned by the National Trust. Camber Sands, nearby, is a long sandy beach backed by dunes. Summer brings the warmest, longest days.

High-speed trains from London St Pancras reach Canterbury in about an hour, and Rye is reached by changing at Ashford.

Safety: Canada's advice for the United Kingdom is to exercise a high degree of caution (updated 26 May 2026), and the US rates the United Kingdom Level 2 (9 Sep 2026).

Suggested outline

  1. Lima

    Start

  2. Canterbury

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    The cathedral city of English pilgrims.

  3. Rye

    By train · 3 nights suggested

    A medieval Cinque Port on a hill.

    Rye East Sussex Mermaid Street
    "Hawkhurst Gang Smugglers Trail, Mermaid Inn, Rye.jpg" by DimiTalen, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Canterbury — Arrive; train from London· Lima → London (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day, then London → Canterbury (overland)
  2. Day 2 · Canterbury — Cathedral and the precincts
  3. Day 3 · Canterbury — St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's
  4. Day 4 · Rye — Train to Rye; Mermaid Street· Canterbury → Rye (by train)
  5. Day 5 · Rye — Ypres Tower and the town walls
  6. Day 6 · Rye — Camber Sands
  7. Day 7 · Rye — Travel home from Rye· Rye → London (by train), then London → Lima (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

Each button opens a live, dated search. We don't show stored fares here: check today's price on the booking site.

Showing dates about a month ahead — change them when you search.

Canterbury

Nearest airport: London Search fares · London ↗

Partner links may earn LarkTours a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, availability and terms are set by each partner.