Esplanade Gardens

Esplanade Gardens sits along the clifftop above Ramsgate's Royal Harbour, offering one of the finest sea views on the East Kent coast. Laid out as part of the town's Victorian and Edwardian expansion as a fashionable resort, the gardens form part of the long sweep of green space that runs between Wellington Crescent and the Western Undercliff, linking the elegant Regency terraces to the harbour below.

Visitors can stroll along the promenade paths, settle on a bench to watch the boats coming in and out of the marina, or pick out the chalk cliffs stretching towards Pegwell Bay and, on a clear day, the French coast. Mature planting, lawns and seasonal bedding sit alongside memorials and shelters typical of a traditional English seaside garden, with steps and zig-zag paths leading down to the harbour arches and the sandy Main Sands beach.

The gardens are an easy walk from Ramsgate railway station and the town centre, making them a natural pause on a day exploring Ramsgate's Georgian and Victorian streets, the harbour, and nearby attractions such as the Maritime Museum and the Royal Harbour itself, the only royal harbour in the United Kingdom.