From innovative art galleries to quirky museums and historic churches, Kent boasts a wealth of fun, free attractions.

Whether you’re after family days out on a budget or ideas for the weekend that won’t cost the earth, these top attractions are sure to put a smile on your face. Here are our favourite picks…

The Battle of Britain Memorial, Folkestone

This wartime memorial is a fascinating look into Britain’s military past. At the heart of the attraction is the National Memorial to the Few, dedicated to those who won the Battle of Britain in 1940 and unveiled by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1993. There is also the Scramble Experience, an interactive audio-visual display, and the Hawker Hurricane replica.

Details: Open daily from March 1 (closed Sundays until the end of February) from 10am to 5pm. No booking required.

The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, Canterbury

Housed inside a Grade II listed building in the heart of the city, The Beaney is a hub for historical artefacts, art displays and kids’ activities. There’s lots to see, including the natural display of birds and butterflies, collections from Asia, Africa and Europe, art from the Baroque and Pop eras and the original Bagpuss puppet, which was filmed in Kent in the 1970s.

Details: Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sundays from 11am to 4pm. No booking required, however some exhibitions and activities are priced separately.

Buttercups Sanctuary for Goats, Boughton Monchelsea

If your kids are huge animal lovers, they can visit the 140 goats currently living at the sanctuary. The goats have been rescued from all over Kent, London and Sussex and are looking for new homes but, until they find someone to adopt them, they are waiting to say hello to visitors at the sanctuary.

Details: Open Friday to Monday from 11am to 3pm. No booking required for general admission, but tours and experiences can be booked online.

Chapel Down, Tenterden

While you need to pay for a wine expert to take you through this picturesque vineyard, there are self-guided tours you can enjoy for free. Pick up a map from the shop or download it from the website and choose either one of two routes around the beautiful vineyards. You can even bring your own picnic.

Details: Open daily from 10am to 5pm. No booking required.

Crab Museum, Margate

What better way to celebrate the seaside than with a museum dedicated to shellfish. The unusual Crab Museum shares how these small beach-dwelling creatures have a huge impact on our biodiversity and tells the unbelievable story of the giant Margate crab.

Details: Open Thursday to Sunday from 11am to 5pm. No booking required.

Cranbrook Museum

The timber-framed building inside which this museum is hidden is a piece of history itself, dating back to 1480. The building, and the surrounding gardens, are worth exploring for the 6,000 items on display detailing Cranbrook’s heritage.

Details: Open Tuesday to Saturday from 2pm to 4.30pm from April to October, and Sundays during August. No booking required.

Dover Museum

Find out all about the history of this port town at the Dover Museum. The main exhibition is the Bronze Age Boat, the remains of which were discovered in 1992 by archaeologists in Dover and are thought to be around 3,500 years old.

Details: Open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm. No booking required.

Eynsford Castle, near Dartford

Duck inside this Norman castle and explore the ruins, but remember to bring your umbrella as it’s missing a ceiling. The castle dates back centuries and was abandoned after a dispute regarding its ownership in the 1300s. The curtain wall still stands, as do the remains of the hall building where those who lived inside the castle would have gone about their daily lives.

Details: Open daily from 10am to 4pm. No booking required.

Fleur de Lis Museum, Faversham

Travel back in time to the pre-Roman settlement on the bank of the Creek that started this market town. The displays inside the museum then take you through King Stephen’s 12th century Abbey, timber-framed buildings from the Elizabethan era and the history behind the town’s major industries, including the Shepherd Neame brewery.

Details: Open Friday and Saturday from 11am to 3pm. No booking required.

Folkestone Museum

From its origins as a small harbour town to its recent status as a trendy seaside destination, the museum takes visitors through Folkestone’s ever-changing landscape. The collection includes fine art, Victorian fashion, wartime artefacts and geology samples from the cliffs.

Details: Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm. No booking required.

Fort Amherst, Chatham

You never know what you might find when visiting Medway’s Napoleonic fort. From wartime re-enactments to nature trails, there are often free activities taking places within its grounds. You can also download the app and follow the Fort Amherst Quest, which takes you through 20 acres of green space, tunnels, ditches, cannons and soldiers’ quarters where you can solve puzzles and log the checkpoints.

Details: Open daily from 8am to 4pm. No booking required.

Guildhall Museum, Rochester

This former courtroom and council chamber was featured in Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations and is part of the town’s rich literary history. Inside, there’s a Making a Mr Dickens gallery all about the Victorian writer’s life in Kent, as well as paintings of Medway’s notable figures over the years.

Details: Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm. No booking required.

Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, Gravesend

This impressive Sikh temple is one of the largest outside of India, inspired by the Golden Temple in Punjab. The building has five elaborate domes, intricate stained glass windows, hand-crafted marble and colourful decoration. Visitors can explore the beautiful place of worship and also book guided tours to find out more about Sikh culture.

Details: Open daily from 4am to 7.30pm. No booking required for general admission, but tours must be booked in advance.

Kent Mining Museum, Deal

Find out what it was like to live and work as a miner in the industry’s heyday with a visit to the Kent Mining Museum. The museum is in Deal’s East Kent coalfield, which was in operation for almost 100 years, and features underground exhibitions, historical artefacts and outdoor spaces at the surrounding Betteshanger Park.

Details: Open Wednesday to Sunday from 9.30am to 4pm. No booking required.

Maidstone Carriage Museum

Explore the county town’s transport history at the Carriage Museum. Opened by Maidstone’s former mayor Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake, the museum has been welcoming visitors since 1946 and boasts a collection of more than 60 vehicles, including horse-drawn carriages, antique sedan chairs and Queen Victoria’s State Landau.

Details: Open on Saturdays from April 15 to September 30 from 11am to 4pm. No booking required.

Maidstone Museum

With more than 600,000 global artefacts, including art, natural history, geology and Ancient Egypt, this museum is home to one of Kent’s largest collections. After undergoing a refurbishment last year, the museum is now reopened with new exhibitions, such as an LGBTQ+ trail, films showing the building’s history and displays from local young artists.

Details: Open Wednesday to Saturday until March 28 from 10am to 4pm, with further opening times to be announced later in the year. No booking required.

Rochester Cathedral

England’s second oldest cathedral, founded in AD 604, is an active place of worship that welcomes thousands of people every year. Visitors can explore the impressive landmark, including the crypt and surrounding precincts, and there’s also a great view of the town’s historic castle and high street.

Details: Open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 4pm and Sundays from 1pm to 3pm. No booking required.

Sandwich Guildhall Museum

Learn all about the medieval heritage of Sandwich with a trip to the town’s museum. There are a number of interesting artefacts on display, including the 1300 AD Sandwich Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest, as well as maps of the town throughout the centuries.

Details: Open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm. No booking required, but the courtroom can be hired out for private functions so check in advance.

Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum, Ramsgate

Admire a collection of 1940s Spitfire aircraft, learn about the pilots who flew during the Second World War and discover how Manston played a part in Britain’s wartime past. You can also have a go on the exhilarating flight simulator - however, this costs extra.

Details: Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. No booking required for general admission, but the flight simulator must be booked in advance.

Turner Contemporary, Margate

This free art gallery is one of the most well-known in the county and has a number of celebrity fans, from Tracey Emin to Kate Moss. There are currently several different exhibitions and galleries that will intrigue and entertain visitors of all ages, including the Sculpture Playscape and Beyond Form: Lines of Abstraction 1950-1970.

Details: Open from Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. Pre-booking is optional on the Turner Contemporary website.

Whitstable Castle

Whitstable Castle, formerly known as Tankerton Castle or Tankerton Towers, is a small castle dating back to the 1500s. While it is now mostly used as a tearoom and private venue, the grounds are still open to the public including the ornamental gardens, rose beds, unique plants and a children’s play area.

Details: Open daily from 8am to 5pm. No booking required.