“There’s no lovelier place in the world than Canterbury.” – (Virginia Woolfe)
WISE English is in the city of Canterbury, which is in Kent, South East England. Canterbury is a beautiful and charming city, full of history and tradition. It is also a vibrant student city, home to many students both from the UK and around the world. There are two universities in the city, as well as numerous colleges and schools.
Canterbury Cathedral, medieval pageant
Canterbury’s biggest attraction is the magnificent Cathedral in the heart of the city. It is one of England’s most famous places of worship, and is the home of the Anglican communion. Canterbury has been a pilgrim desination for many centuries. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote about this in the fourteenth century in his famous book, The Canterbury Tales.
St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury Castle
The city itself is small but rich in both history and modern amenities. It is possible to walk from one end of Canterbury to the other in less than 30 minutes. On the way, you will see historic places such as the Westgate Tower, the Norman Castle, the Dane John Gardens, quaint streets, many restaurants, and designer and boutique shops alongside department stores.
The Buttermarket, the Stour river
Canterbury has a dynamic night life with live music venues as well as student bars, pubs and clubs. For cultural entertainment, there are two theatres and three cinemas in the city. There are museums, libraries and art galleries. If you like sport, there are playing grounds, indoor facilities and several gyms.
Exploring the Kent countryside, market stalls
Modern Canterbury is multicultural and has many overseas visitors. Ashford International (a Eurostar train stop), the port of Dover, and London (55 minutes by High-Speed Train) are easily accessible. Students come to study in Canterbury from all over the world. This means that there are restaurants which cater to different tastes. You can try Vietnamese food on a Monday, Italian food on a Tuesday, and Indian food on a Wednesday!
The city wall, Beaney House of Art and Knowledge
Canterbury is one of the first places in the United Kingdom to formalise education. It is home to many prestigious educational institutions. WISE English is proud to be part of this amazing history.
Experience Canterbury for yourself with WISE English!
Getting to Canterbury
WISE is located at 18 Lower Bridge Street, Canterbury, CT1 2LG, just across from the ancient Roman City wall.
Depending on your port of entry, we have listed the main ways of getting to Warnborough College below:
Airport Pickups and Transfers
WISE can organise a ‘meet and greet’ service, or transfers to and from all the major London airports. The student is responsible for payment of any airport pickups and/or transfers (it will cost between £110 to £140 each way, depending on the airport).
Taxis
Taxis can be booked before arrival, or at the airport itself. Many companies provide this service. It will cost between £100 to £150 to come to Canterbury, depending on traffic.
Trains & The Underground (Tube)
London is well-served by a wide train network. Visit the Transport for London website for travel details, prices and times. If you are using the London Underground (or Tube, as it is affectionately called), it may be cheaper to buy an Oyster card.
Heathrow airport
It can take about 45-60 minutes on the London Underground to get into Central London. At Heathrow Airport, get on the Piccadilly Tube Line to get into London (approximately 45 minutes). There is also the Heathrow Express which takes passengers straight into Paddington Station in Central London in only 15 minutes. You can also take the Heathrow Express train service which runs to London Victoria where you can take the South Eastern Train to Canterbury.
Gatwick airport
The Gatwick Express runs every 30 minutes to and from Victoria Station. You can also take local trains into London St Pancras.
Stansted airport
The Stansted Express takes about 41 minutes to the City of London, Liverpool Street station.
Luton airport
Luton is served by fast and frequent Thameslink trains to Central London (St Pancras, Farringdon, or Blackfriars).
From Central London to Canterbury
Canterbury has two train stations: Canterbury East Station (a 10-minute walk to the College) and Canterbury West Station (about a 20-minute walk from the College). You can take the train to Canterbury East from London Victoria (about 1 hour and 40 minutes). You can take the train to Canterbury West from London Charing Cross, London Waterloo East and London Bridge stations (about 1 hour and 30 minutes). A high-speed train service (55 minutes) can be taken from London St Pancras station or London Stratford International. The Eurostar train from Paris will stop at either Ashford or London St Pancras, where you can take the high-speed train to Canterbury. If you are arriving by ferry, take the train from Dover (20 minutes). We are very easy to find with the building displaying a large “WARNBOROUGH COLLEGE” sign. For more information, visit the National Rail website to find out prices and book tickets.
By Coach
The coach station is only a 5 minute walk from the school. National Express coaches leave Canterbury almost every 30 minutes to London Victoria Bus Station with other services available to Dover and Europe. You can pick up direct services to almost any part of the UK from Canterbury. Tickets from London cost from £6 to £20 one way (cheaper prices if you book in advance).
By Bus
Local buses stop at the Coach Station only a few minutes walk.
By Car
Canterbury is just 90 minutes away by car from London. Aim for the M25 and then take the A2 to M2 and then follow the A2 again to Warnborough. There are plenty of car parks in Canterbury.
By International Ferry
Arrival from the continent at Dover or Folkestone, then take a coach or bus to Canterbury Coach Station. Walk under the underpass to 18 Lower Bridge Street (2 minute walk). Alternatively, take the train to Canterbury East station.
