Take Southeastern’s direct train from London St Pancras to Canterbury West. It takes about 54 minutes, calls at three stations on the way and involves no change. On a weekday it left St Pancras roughly once an hour from 06:37 until 23:40, and the five o’clock hour had two trains instead of one, at 17:20 and 17:50.
Southeastern also runs direct from London Victoria, but that service goes to Canterbury East rather than Canterbury West, stops eleven times and needs about an hour and a half. On the weekday timetable it left Victoria at ten past the hour from 07:10 to 21:10, with extra trains at 05:42, 06:40 and 15:40.
A third direct Southeastern service leaves London Bridge for Canterbury West, making twelve stops and taking about 1h 38m. It ran roughly hourly from 07:13 to 23:45, mostly at 43 minutes past.
The Victoria and London Bridge trains are worth using if you are starting nearer either station, or if one happens to leave well before the next St Pancras departure. In the evening the choice narrows: the last Victoria train listed was the 21:10, while St Pancras kept sending trains to Canterbury West until 23:40 and London Bridge until 23:45.
The weekday timetable also has London journeys with a change at Ashford International, taking around an hour and a quarter, but nothing that beats the 54-minute run from St Pancras.
The London routes end at different stations: St Pancras and London Bridge trains at Canterbury West, Victoria trains at Canterbury East. Canterbury West is just over a kilometre from the Buttermarket, about 14 minutes on foot, while Canterbury East is 800 metres and about 11 minutes away. Even with that shorter walk, the Victoria route gets you to the Buttermarket a little over half an hour later than the St Pancras train does.
By road the 62 miles via the M2 and A2 take around an hour and a half, so the St Pancras train is comfortably the faster way into the city.
Journey times and changes below come from the rail and bus timetables for Tuesday 1 December 2026. Weekend and holiday timetables differ, so check the day you travel.
From London St Pancras on the weekday we checked: about hourly between 06:37 and 23:40.
From London Victoria on the weekday we checked: about hourly between 05:42 and 21:10.
From London Bridge on the weekday we checked: about hourly between 07:13 and 23:45.
By road it is about 62 miles from London to Canterbury, mostly via the M2 and A2 — roughly 1h 33m with clear roads. Car parks in Canterbury are listed on the Getting Here page.