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Rochester Cathedral
Attractions in Rochester

Places to visit in Rochester, led by Rochester Cathedral

Castles or historic places make up 20 of the 34 places on the list. We list 7 places to visit inside Rochester’s built-up area and 27 within 5 km of its edge. 3 of them are cared for by English Heritage. The centre alone has 6 within 1 km. Further out, Royal Observatory Greenwich is 36 km away.

Photo: Rochester Cathedral, Raggatt2000 (Public domain)
In Rochester
7
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
27
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
6
in or near town
Castles & historic places
20
in or near town
Cared for
3
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Where to start in Rochester

Beyond Rochester Cathedral, there are 2 historic houses, a museum and a fort.

CathedralRochester Cathedralin townHistoric house · English HeritageTemple Manorin townMuseumGuildhall Museumin townHistoric houseRestoration Housein townFortFortFort Bridgewoodsin townTheme parkTheme parkDiggerland Kentin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Mapped

The list reaches out to Cooling Castle, 8.1 km away.

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The dashed line is Rochester’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

Grouped by kind

20 castles or historic places and 6 museums or galleries top the count.

Museums & galleries 5 museums · 1 art gallery2 in town · 4 nearby
Castles & historic places 6 forts · 4 castles · 4 historic ships · 3 historic houses · 2 historic sites · 1 cathedral4 in town · 16 nearby
Gardens & estates 2 gardens0 in town · 2 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 theme park · 1 water park1 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 4 attractions0 in town · 4 nearby

Green: inside Rochester. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

3 places are cared for by English Heritage (Temple Manor, Rochester Castle and Upnor Castle).

Every place

Every place, in and near Rochester

It starts in town with 7 places and goes on to 27 within 5 km of its edge.

The 7 inside Rochester come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

279 listed buildings and 8 scheduled monuments are on Rochester’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Rochester →

Big names nearby

Further afield

Royal Observatory Greenwich, at 36 km, heads the 12.

MuseumMuseumRoyal Observatory Greenwich36 km westCastleLeeds Castle18 km southeastBig drawMuseumNational Maritime Museum37 km west · 2.4M visitors a yearMuseumCutty Sark37 km westMuseumQueen's House36 km westHistoric houseHever Castle35 km southwestHistoric house · National TrustKnole House24 km southwestGarden · National TrustSissinghurst Castle and Garden30 km southHistoric house · National TrustChartwell33 km southwestHistoric house · English HeritageEltham Palace32 km westMuseum · National TrustRed House27 km westHistoric housePalace of Placentia37 km west

Places well known beyond Rochester (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Know before you go to Rochester

What are the main attractions in Rochester?

The best known inside Rochester’s built-up area are Rochester Cathedral, Temple Manor, Guildhall Museum and Restoration House. In all, 7 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 27 more within 5 km.

Does Rochester have a museum?

6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Rochester: Guildhall Museum, Medway ArtBox, Royal Engineers Museum and PS Medway Queen.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Rochester?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Rochester, 3 places are cared for by English Heritage (Temple Manor, Rochester Castle and Upnor Castle).

What are the best-known days out near Rochester?

Within 40 km: Royal Observatory Greenwich (36 km), Leeds Castle (18 km), National Maritime Museum (37 km), Cutty Sark (37 km).

Where are Rochester’s historic buildings listed?

Rochester has 279 listed buildings, 21 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Rochester when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (32)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.