The Canterbury Tales Visitor Attraction Review
The Canterbury Tales Visitor Attraction
Reviewed by Louise Watts
I spent the day in Canterbury yesterday with my Mother aged 67 years and my children aged 2 years (boy) and 16 years (girl). We attended The Canterbury Tales Experience for the very first time, despite spending numerous days in the city over the years.
The attraction is based around the stories of Geoffrey Chaucer from the 14th Century, which are commonly known as “The Canterbury Tales”. They are stories told by a number of pilgrims who made the journey from London (Southwark) to Canterbury to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Beckett at Canterbury Cathedral. The pilgrims were encouraged to tell stories with the best story winning a meal in the local inn.
The attraction has been here in Canterbury for nearly 30 years and is reported as one of Canterbury’s best attractions. There are several awards on display for all to see on arrival at the attraction.
The attraction was easy to find as we used a car park which was suggested on the attraction website which was less than a five-minute walk away. Parking is not cheap, but that is the same in any city.
Admission was reasonable – £9.75 for an adult, £7.50 for children (5-15) and £8.50 for senior citizens and students. You can save money (approx. 15%) if tickets are booked in advance. There is also the option of purchasing a joint ticket for this attraction and the newly re-opened Westgate Towers which is the last remaining medieval gate in Canterbury. The joint ticket is £11.75 for an adult, £7.50 for children and £9.50 for senior citizens and students.
Opening hours in July and August are 9.30am-5.00pm and these vary slightly during the year depending on the season.
On arrival, we were greeted by two members of staff in costume who explained exactly how the attraction worked and gave us audio guides to take around with us. My son had a children’s guide and we had adult guides. It was nice to see that the children could enjoy the stories of Chaucer whilst using language they understood. The attraction takes you (initially with a guide) through different rooms where stories are told. There are a total of 5 stories in 5 rooms and then you are met by another guide at the end to complete the tour. All the rooms are quite dark and not appropriate if you have children who do not like the darkness. There are models of characters in each room. I guess these are the same ones that were there when it opened in 1987 and you could say they are a little dated, however on the flip to that it may not be right if 14th Century tales were told using up to date waxwork models and high technology. I will leave that for you to decide. The whole tour takes approximately 45 minutes. There are steps within the tour so it is not accessible for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
For the month of August, the attraction is also hosting “Medieval Month” and is putting on extra activities for the children in the beautiful medieval garden behind the attraction. This is all included in your admission price and you can come and go throughout the day. The garden and activities are open from 11am-3pm. Activities in the garden include Herbology (looking at medieval medicine), Maypole dancing, Knight school and Storytelling. This was an absolute delight. The staff here were incredibly enthusiastic and I have to mention a particular pilgrim called Toby, who saw us through the tour and activities in the garden. He was polite, keen and wonderful with all the children. Our favourite activity was maypole dancing and it was lovely to see everybody getting involved from my 2-year-old son to my 67-year-old mother!
To round up, I would suggest this attraction is suitable for children aged 5 and above and this is reflected in the price as children under 5 are free. Having said that, my son had a wonderful time with the extra activities laid on this month. I would recommend The Canterbury Tales as a family attraction, however would be cautious with small children particularly if there are no extra activities happening. Canterbury is a beautiful medieval city and I would thoroughly recommend a visit!
Rating: 4/5
Tickets: £9.75 Adult / £7.50 Child 5-15 Years / £27.50 (Family; 2 adults + 2 children)
For more information or to book tickets online visit www.canterburytales.org.uk.
The Canterbury Tales Visitor Attraction, St Margaret’s Street, Canterbury, Kent CT1 2TG
