Rochester Cathedral seen from the castle grounds on a clear sunny day

Things to do in Rochester

Rochester has a Norman castle and cathedral side by side, a high street with strong Dickens connections and the Historic Dockyard Chatham just along the river.

Ask Doodle about Rochester Filter everything nearby

Places in and around Rochester

Photo of Rochester: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0

Indoor and rainy dayRochester · 2 km

Hollywood Bowl Rochester

Hollywood Bowl Rochester is a large ten-pin bowling centre on the Medway Valley Leisure Park, with 26 lanes, arcade games, pool tables and a bar and diner. Bumpers, lighter balls and ramps help young children join in, while VIP lanes suit adult groups. Allow around 45 minutes per game for up to six players.

Deals include 3 games from £11 and a game with a burger or hot dog, fries and a drink from £9. Prices vary by time and are confirmed at checkout.Directions

Image: Diggerland Kent

Family days outStrood · 2 km

Diggerland Kent

Diggerland Kent is a construction-themed park in Strood where children and adults can ride on and drive real diggers, dumpers and other machinery. Alongside the drives there are rides such as the Skyshuttle, Spindizzy, dodgems and go-karts, plus indoor and outdoor play. It is aimed at children aged roughly 4 to 14.

£25 to £50Directions

Restoration House, from Restoration House

Image: Restoration House

History and heritageRochester · 2 km

Restoration House

Restoration House is a historic city mansion in the heart of Rochester, named after Charles II's stay on the eve of the Restoration and known as the inspiration for Miss Havisham's Satis House in Great Expectations. Tour the rooms and the walled garden during its short summer season. It suits history and Dickens fans and takes an hour or two.

Tickets are bought on arrival; individual prices are not listed online. Pre-booked self-guided groups of eight or more pay £10 per person, and private guided group tours in April cost £17.50 per person.Directions

Image: Eastgate House

History and heritageRochester · 2 km

Eastgate House

Eastgate House is a Grade I listed Elizabethan townhouse on Rochester's historic High Street, run by Medway Council. Its rooms tell the story of the building as a family home, a Victorian girls' school, a hostel and a museum. In the garden stands the Swiss chalet where Charles Dickens wrote, which links neatly with Rochester's Dickens trail.

Under £10Directions

Rochester Cathedral, from Rochester Cathedral

Image: Rochester Cathedral

History and heritageRochester · 2 km

Rochester Cathedral

Rochester Cathedral stands close to the castle in the heart of historic Rochester and is free to visit. Explore the cathedral and its medieval crypt, where there is a café, and see the Textus Roffensis exhibition. Pair it with the castle for a half day in Rochester.

FreeDirections

Image: English Heritage

History and heritageStrood · 2 km

Temple Manor

Temple Manor is a 13th-century hall built by the Knights Templar to lodge important travellers on the road between Dover and London. Visits are by appointment, when you can see faint traces of wall paintings in the first floor hall and the leafy garden around it. It suits medieval history fans and takes about an hour.

FreeDirections

Image: Rochester Castle

CastlesRochester · 2 km

Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle is an imposing medieval fortress guarding an important crossing of the River Medway, with a complex history of destruction and rebuilding. Climb through the great keep for views over the river and city, then explore the cathedral and historic high street close by. Allow an hour or two.

Under £10Directions

Rochester Guildhall Museum, from Visit Medway

Image: Visit Medway

MuseumsRochester · 2 km

Rochester Guildhall Museum

Rochester Guildhall Museum on the High Street packs in local history, from a 200,000-year-old hand axe to a gallery on Charles Dickens. Climb to the Main Chamber, see Rochester Castle under siege in 1215 and walk aboard a reconstructed prison hulk. It suits families and history fans and pairs well with the castle and cathedral nearby.

Under £10Directions

Old Brook Pumping Station, from Old Brook Pumping Station

Image: Old Brook Pumping Station

MuseumsChatham · 2 km

Old Brook Pumping Station

Old Brook Pumping Station is a preserved 1929 pumping station in Chatham, open as a museum since the early 1980s and run by volunteers from the Medway Industrial Archaeology Group. See the engines and a collection of exhibits on the industrial history of the Medway Towns. It suits engineering fans and curious families and takes about an hour.

Admission prices are not listed online.Directions

Coming up near Rochester

Halloween at Eastgate House, from Visit Medway (Medway Council)

Image: Visit Medway (Medway Council)

18 Oct to 1 Nov

HalloweenRochester · 2 km

Halloween at Eastgate House

Rochester's Elizabethan Eastgate House marks Halloween with a family scavenger hunt through its historic rooms, followed by a weekend of ghostly programming. The Unexplained and an evening of classic ghost stories round off half term in a suitably atmospheric setting.

Event prices are not yet published; standard 2026 admission is adult £7, child £3.06, family £14.96.Directions

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at Eastgate House, from Visit Medway (Medway Council)

Image: Visit Medway (Medway Council)

28 Nov to 13 Dec

Pantomime and theatreRochester · 2 km

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at Eastgate House

Dickens' A Christmas Carol is performed inside Eastgate House, the Rochester townhouse whose garden holds the chalet where Dickens wrote. Several short performances a day suit families exploring Rochester in the run-up to Christmas, and the Dickensian Christmas Festival weekend falls in the middle of the run.

From £12.50Directions

Storytelling with Victorian Father Christmas, from Visit Medway (Medway Council)

Image: Visit Medway (Medway Council)

20 Dec to 23 Dec

Meet Father ChristmasRochester · 2 km

Storytelling with Victorian Father Christmas

In the last days before Christmas, a Victorian Father Christmas tells stories at Eastgate House in Rochester. It is a gentle, story-led alternative to a busy grotto.

Prices not yet published; check the venue.Directions

Rochester Dickensian Christmas Festival, from Visit Medway (Medway Council)

Image: Visit Medway (Medway Council)

5 Dec to 6 Dec

Christmas marketsRochester · 2 km

Rochester Dickensian Christmas Festival

Historic Rochester turns Victorian for a weekend, with costumed Dickens characters, parades and street performers filling the town centre. A Christmas market runs at Rochester Castle alongside a Bavarian-style food village and a funfair, and the organisers promise snow. Parking in the centre is limited, so the organisers recommend public transport.

FreeDirections

Yuck Yard: Barnaby Bilge's Big Mess, from The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Image: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

17 Oct to 8 Nov

HalloweenChatham · 3 km

Yuck Yard: Barnaby Bilge's Big Mess

A mucky Halloween mystery around the Dockyard, where families follow a security incident report to track down ghostly grime. A live show called The Night Shift adds some theatre to the visit.

Listed by the Dockyard as included with admission.Directions

Family ghost tours at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, from The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Image: The Historic Dockyard Chatham

27 Oct to 31 Oct

HalloweenChatham · 3 km

Family ghost tours at The Historic Dockyard Chatham

A guide leads families round the Dockyard after hours by torchlight, telling stories of shadowy ships and badly behaved spirits. Expect spooky tales and a few gentle jump scares rather than full-on frights.

From £7.50Directions

If it rains

Photo of Rochester: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0

Indoor and rainy dayRochester · 2 km

Hollywood Bowl Rochester

Deals include 3 games from £11 and a game with a burger or hot dog, fries and a drink from £9. Prices vary by time and are confirmed at checkout.Directions

Image: Restoration House

History and heritageRochester · 2 km

Restoration House

Image: Eastgate House

History and heritageRochester · 2 km

Eastgate House

Under £10Directions

Free things to do

Image: Rochester Cathedral

History and heritageRochester · 2 km

Rochester Cathedral

FreeDirections

Image: English Heritage

History and heritageStrood · 2 km

Temple Manor

FreeDirections

Image: Fort Amherst

History and heritageChatham · 3 km

Fort Amherst

Fort Amherst is a large Napoleonic fort above Chatham, built to protect the dockyard and used again in both world wars. The grounds, with ramparts, cannons and views over the Medway, are free to wander with the dog, while guided tours take you into the maze of underground tunnels. It is known locally for its long-running Halloween scare events.

FreeDirections