Planning your journey - from abroad

Kent is an easy place to get to whether you're travelling by sea or air. Once you are here you'll also find an excellent road network and efficient local rail and bus services.

Through the channel tunnel

If you're travelling by car you can drive straight onto the Eurotunnel train at Calais. In just 35 minutes you'll arrive in Folkestone, where you can join the M20 which runs through the heart of the county. Eurotunnel trains run all day and night, and at peak periods, there is a train every 15 minutes.

If you want to leave the car at home, then use the high speed Eurostar service which runs from Paris, Brussels or Lille to Ashford International Station in Kent. It's a fast and efficient way to travel - the journey takes just 1 hour 40 minutes from Brussels, 2 hours from Paris and only 1 hour from Lille! When you arrive at Ashford International Station, you can walk over to the local station for frequent train services to other parts of Kent. Alternatively, you can hire a car from the International Station car hire desk.

Across the sea by ferry

There are frequent Channel crossings between Kent and Nord-Pas de Calais. P&O Ferries and SeaFrance operate ferries on the Calais-Dover route where you can travel with your car or as a foot passenger, Speedferries travel from Boulogne to Dover, and Norfolkline runs a ferry service exclusive to motorists from Dunkerque to Dover.

Further information can be found at www.doverport.co.uk/ferry

Arriving by air

From Gatwick you can hire a car and be in the heart of the county in just 45 minutes. Heathrow and Stansted also offer easy access to Kent via the M25 and M11 motorways. Alternatively, you can catch the frequent Gatwick Express train direct to London's Victoria Station (30 minutes) and then hop onto a train to one of Kent's mainline stations.