Ramsgate is a Kentish seaside town with more architectural substance than most English coastal resorts. The Royal Harbour — the only royal harbour in the country, a distinction conferred by George IV in 1821 — is lined with Regency and Georgian townhouses climbing the chalk cliffs on both sides, and the inner marina still has working fishing boats alongside the yachts.
The town's finest feature is its network of tunnels. The Ramsgate Tunnels, built as air-raid shelters in the Second World War, stretch for 6.5 kilometres beneath the streets and could hold 60,000 people — virtually the entire population at the time. Above ground, Augustus Pugin — the architect who designed the interiors of the Houses of Parliament — lived and worked in Ramsgate; The Grange and the church he built for his own family are open to visitors. At the harbour, the Sundowner — one of the Little Ships of Dunkirk — is moored and occasionally open for visits.
The Main Sands beach is good, and the chalk cliffs and rock pools along the coast towards Broadstairs make for pleasant walking. The Ramsgate Maritime Museum in the harbour Clock House covers the town's seafaring history, including its role in the Dunkirk evacuation. Ramsgate is increasingly popular with day-trippers from London, about 75 minutes by high-speed train from St Pancras.