These are some of the best Kent villages to explore for a day out – with all of them in easy reach by car or train from south east London.

With the Easter holidays upon us, there’s nothing better than taking a trip to see the beginnings of spring in the Kent countryside.

We’ve rounded up five of the best Kent villages to explore all with direct train links from south east London stations, like Bromley South.

Here are five of the best Kent villages to visit for your next day out:

Eynsford

Eynsford is a small, picturesque village located in the Darent Valley in Kent and has a lot of classic British charm with old village pubs, a village church, and a bridge that crosses the river that runs through the village.

The village is accessible by a direct train from Bromley South or by bus from Bluewater or Swanley.

You can also see the ruins of what was once Eynsford Castle - a Norman structure which still has some of its remaining walls.

The village offers a number of country pubs, an old sweet shop, and other local shops to buy produce and groceries.

It’s also close to other local attractions including Eagle Heights, Lullingstone Roman Villa and Lullingstone Castle if you’re looking for a fun day out.

Otford

If you’re looking for a high street with quirky shops and views of pretty village streets, Otford would be a great place to visit.

Otford can be reached by train from several south east London stations including Bromley South, Catford and Beckenham.

Otford has a number of tea rooms, cafés, pubs and antiques shops as well as florists and gift shops to explore.

On a nice day you could always take a rest and sit by the River Darent which runs through Otford and enjoy views of the cottages and surrounding greenery.

Chatham

Chatham is a larger town in Kent famous for its historical dockyard, which was the birthplace of Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory.

It’s in easy reach of London by train from Bromley South, or by National Express coach which you can get from various points in south east London.

Chatham’s dockyard is also one of the “most complete” dockyards of the age of sail to survive in the world, according to Visit Medway’s website.

Bridgerton lovers may also be surprised to know that Chatham was used to film some of the scenes from the first series of the popular Netflix drama.

It’s also a short train ride away from the popular town of Rochester, which has a number of attractions and interesting shops, and was once home to the writer Charles Dickens.

Faversham

Faversham is one of Kent’s market towns and is famous for its market selling produce, flowers, antiques and other goods.

You can get a direct train into the town centre from Bromley South, where you’ll be spoilt for choice for shops, cafés and restaurants.

Faversham is also famous for its yearly hop festival in September, which is a big event in the calendar for the town.

If you’re into street photography, Faversham also has many interesting old streets to explore and photograph.

Whitstable

Whitstable is the perfect seaside town to visit in Kent, if you’re looking for a seaside town that’s a little quieter but still has things to see and do.

You can get a train from Bromley South, or a National Express coach to Whitstable from several pickup points in south east London.

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If you’re feeling fancy you can have afternoon tea at Whitstable Castle, or sample some freshly caught Oysters which Whitstable is so famous for.

The town has plenty of shops to browse, from clothing to antiques, and the pebble beach has some great photo hotspots lined with colourful beach huts.