Ho Ho Ho, it’s almost Christmas time, the most wonderful time of the year! Are you a student studying in the gorgeous city of Canterbury and need some festive inspo to stop you from twiddling your thumbs? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Luckily for students, Canterbury is bursting with fun festive activities, because whatever you may think, Christmas is NOT cancelled this year! We’ve done our research and came up with some COVID safe ideas to keep you busy over the festive period.

Latest Government Advice For Canterbury

With Canterbury placed under a strict tier 3 very high alert, it’s important to abide by the strict government rules as a student. Just to clarify, here are the rules applying to Canterbury, just so you don’t forget!

Pubs open for takeaways online
Gyms open and most outdoor sports allowed
No household mixing but the rule of six allowed in certain outdoor areas

These rules will be reviewed on December 16^th, so it’s difficult to say whether certain events will be running or not. But we’ve done our research to ensure our selection will deffo be on the cards, so get ready because things are about to get Christmassy!

1. Canterbury Cathedral Christmas Carols

As part of the Crimbo season, Canterbury Cathedral will be bringing their super-popular services online this year. Dates and times will be added closer to the time, but look out for the Evensong with Christmas music on Christmas Eve! So, get your mince pies and mulled wine ready, just because you can’t enjoy the Christmas Carols inside doesn’t mean you won’t have a blast.

2. Virtual Guided Tour

virtual guided tour of canterbury for christmas

What better way to get to know the city you’re studying in with a virtual guided tour? Lasting around 45-minutes, you don’t even have to leave your cosy accommodation for this, you can stay in your PJ’s! Learn a whole bunch of history about Canterbury from the comfort of your own home, what more could you want?

3. Christmas Dinner In Canterbury

Normally there would be plenty of scrumptious eateries in Canterbury to get your dream Crimbo dinner, pigs in blankets and all! However, due to Tier 4 restrictions, Christmas in Canterbury would mean you cooking your own Christmas dinner - and with the fabulous, fully-kitted kitchen in your accommodation, you'll have no problem doing it. Whether you're prepping a succulent ham or a veggie centrepiece the only Christmas rule is to make plenty of it - whether you're cooking for the flat, or just yourself.

4. Visit A Christmas Market

Christmas in canterbury christmas market

The popular Canterbury Christmas market returned this year from December 4th with plenty of local trader stalls to mooch around. However, due to Tier 4 restrictions, it had to close early this year. However, if you're missing the mulled wine and roast chestnuts, you can treat yourself to some homemade ones, they're pretty simple to make, actually.

5. Watch A Christmas Film

Christmas in Canterbury movies to watch in 2020

The cinemas and theatres may be closed under the Tier 4 restrictions but that shouldn't stop you from getting your Christmas movie fix. Whether you're watching Home Alone, The Polar Express or Love Actually or you'd rather dig into a familiar boxset, the most import thing is to get cosy and add plenty of snacks. So without further ado, grab some popcorn and snacks, because it’s about to get super festive.

6. Go For A Festive Walk

christmas in canterbury calls for a festive walk

Pop your walking boots on and get some fresh air, because there’s nothing better than a nice festive walk around Canterbury. The Blean Wildart Trail is just a 12-minute drive from your student digs and lasts for around 1.1 miles. Follow the path and see if you can spot a heron or two, who knows, it might even end up snowing and you can get some Insta-worthy pics! Blean Woods National Nature Reserve is super close to your student accommodation too, a beautiful stretch of ancient woodland filled with wildlife. Just make sure you bring some wellies with you, you don’t want to mess up your shoes!

7. Stroll Around Canterbury Cathedral

In line with tier 4 restrictions, Canterbury Cathedral will be open for public services of worship and private prayer. Just because the cathedral may be closed to visitors, doesn’t mean you can’t stroll around the precincts and use the open space for a nice walk. Soak up the stunning views of the cathedral and grab yourself a hot choccy whilst you’re at it! Did you know? Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in the whole of England, now that’s pretty impressive right? So what better time than now to have a stroll around the grounds and admire the spectacular views! We hope you found this merry guide to Canterbury useful, we get that times are pretty strange at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some festive fun! Struggling for Christmas gift ideas? Here are 10 cool Christmas gifts you can buy online in our latest blog.

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A Very Merry Guide to Christmas in Canterbury 2020