The Falstaff in Canterbury

About The Falstaff in Canterbury

The Falstaff has been putting travellers up since 1403, when it was built as a coaching inn for pilgrims who arrived too late to get through the Westgate before curfew. Six hundred years on it is doing the same job from the same spot, immediately outside the gate on St Dunstan's Street, with the towers filling the view from the front windows. The timber frame, low beams and uneven floors of the original house survive; a thorough refurbishment has brought the bedrooms up to a modern four-star standard behind them.

Rooms split between the historic main house and a quieter courtyard wing, and they differ considerably in character - the older ones have beams and sloping ceilings, the newer ones more space and better soundproofing. Say which you prefer when you book. There is a well-regarded cocktail bar and lounge, a substantial cooked breakfast and free wi-fi throughout.

For anyone arriving by train this is probably the most convenient hotel in Canterbury: Canterbury West station is a three-minute walk, with the Goods Shed food market between the two, and the cathedral is ten minutes on foot down the High Street. The building fronts a busy road, so a room at the back is the safer choice if traffic noise bothers you, and parking is limited, with a nearby public car park the usual answer.