We checked 19 shops and markets in Canterbury, Whitstable and Herne Bay, from Wrapped! to Madame Oiseau, for opening hours. Updated November 2026.
The Canterbury area has 19 places for Christmas shopping in 2026, 14 in the city and 5 on the coast, and this guide lists them with addresses, opening hours and what each sells. Most people will start at the Christmas market, Wrapped! on Burgate or Whitefriars.
Few shops had posted Christmas hours by early November, so ring before a late trip in December.
Dates for the diary
- Thursday 12 November: the Canterbury Christmas market opens at 10am.
- Friday 13 November: the lights switch-on runs from 5pm to 8pm. Visit Canterbury says Park & Ride is free from 2pm.
- 14 November to 24 December: the free Sylvanian Families window trail. Collect a ticket from the Beaney on the High Street, get stamps from 8 shops, then claim a mini prize at Fenwick.
- Wednesday 18 November: Canterbury Pottery’s last order date for delivery before Christmas.
- Saturday 28 November: the Pilgrims Hospices pre-loved Christmas fair.
- Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December: the last Westgate Hall makers markets before Christmas.
We found no date for late-night shopping or Christmas parking offers in Canterbury in 2026 when we checked. We will add them when they are published. Until then, see parking in Canterbury and Christmas train times.
Christmas markets and fairs
1. Canterbury Christmas Market
The market has 120 wooden huts on St George’s Street, in Whitefriars and in the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral, according to Visit Canterbury. It is free to enter.
Visit Canterbury promises “gorgeous gifts and great grub”, with live music and a visit from Santa. Our full guide to the market covers the music programme and the paid attractions.
Open 12 November to 24 December; Mon to Fri 10am to 6pm; Sat 9am to 7pm; Sun 10am to 5pm; closes 4pm on Christmas Eve
Price free entry
Address St George's Street, Whitefriars and the Cathedral Precincts, Canterbury
Website canterburychristmasmarket.co.uk/travel-local-information
Good for gifts, festive food, live music, Santa
2. Westgate Hall Makers Market
Westgate Hall says its market brings together “talented Kent makers, artists and producers”. The hall lists Kentish produce, crafts, homewares and jewellery, with dozens of stalls under one roof.
It runs with C&C Markets, which describes itself as a consortium of Kent makers. Dogs are not allowed on site, except assistance dogs.
The hall suggests Pound Lane car park, CT1 2BZ.
Open Fri 13 November 5pm to 8pm; Sat 14 and Sat 21 November, Sat 19 and Sun 20 December, 10.30am to 4pm
Price free entry
Address Westgate Hall Road, Canterbury, CT1 2BT
Website westgatehall.org/westgate-hall-market
Good for Kent makers, local produce, jewellery, homewares
3. Pilgrims Hospices Pre-Loved Christmas Fair
This is a one-morning fair run by staff and volunteers from Pilgrims Hospices shops. The charity lists festive stalls, Christmas cards, vintage and collectibles, toys and a tombola, with refreshments.
It also promises Christmas presents for all ages and a visit from Santa.
Open Saturday 28 November, 10am to 2pm
Price free entry
Address St Dunstan's Church Hall, Canterbury, CT2 8LS
Website pilgrimshospices.org/?p=51835
Good for pre-loved gifts, vintage, toys, charity
Burgate and the Cathedral Quarter
4. Wrapped!
Wrapped! calls itself an independent gift shop “selling design-led products with a story”. It opened in 2017 and says everything is hand-picked, with the same products at the same price in the shop as on its website.
Its site sells candles and diffusers, games and puzzles, mugs, coasters and kitchen textiles.
Open Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5.30pm; Sun 10am to 5pm
Address 22 Burgate, Canterbury
Website wrapped.shop
Good for gifts, candles, games, mugs
5. Canterbury Pottery
Betty Chapman founded the pottery in 1963, and it is now run by her son Richard and his wife Jan. The studio is at the back of the shop.
They make high-fired stoneware that the pottery says is suitable for the oven, microwave and dishwasher. The range runs from mugs and plates to lanterns, lamps and garden pots, and there are gift vouchers.
Open Mon 9.30am to 5pm; closed Tue; Wed to Sat 9.30am to 5pm; closed Sun
Price free UK delivery on online orders over £75, excluding Northern Ireland
Call 01227 452608
Address 38a Burgate, Canterbury, CT1 2HW
Website canterburypottery.com
Good for handmade pottery, made on site, gift vouchers
6. Violet Elizabeth
Violet Elizabeth sells clothing, jewellery and homeware, with a haberdashery upstairs. It says its designs are created in the studio above the shop, using fabrics from artisans in 14 countries.
It is a few steps from the cathedral, and it tells readers to look out for its changing window displays. Its online gift sections start at under £10.
Open Wed to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 10am to 4pm; closed Mon and Tue
Price online, cashmere pashminas £65; velvet robes £145
Address 47B Burgate, Canterbury, CT1 2HW
Website violetelizabeth.com
Good for clothing, homeware, haberdashery, gifts
7. Burgate Books
This is the Pilgrims Hospices second-hand bookshop, also known as Canterbury Books. The charity says it holds more than 5,000 books across fiction, non-fiction, children’s titles, classics and vintage.
It also stocks vinyl. It is one of the charity’s own shops.
Open Mon and Tue 10am to 4pm; Wed to Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 4pm
Call 01227 784283
Address 10b Burgate, Canterbury, CT1 2HG
Website pilgrimshospices.org/local-shops/canterbury-books
Good for second-hand books, vinyl, charity
The King’s Mile
8. Madame Oiseau Fine Chocolates
“The purple chocolate shop” has made artisan chocolates since 2003, using recipes it says are rooted in French and Belgian tradition. It describes the shop as small and tucked away behind the cathedral.
Everything is handmade in small batches, and it has a vegan-friendly range.
Open Tue to Sat 10.30am to 4pm
Price small ballotin £22; medium ballotin £27.50; fruit and nut slab £8
Address 8 The Borough, Canterbury, CT1 2DR
Website madame-oiseau.com
Good for handmade chocolates, gift boxes, vegan-friendly range
9. Paxton & Whitfield
The cheesemonger opened its Canterbury shop in summer 2023. The company dates its first cheese shop to 1797 and says it sells artisan cheese from the UK and the continent.
The shop sells cheese hampers and gifts, and its site is advertising a 2026 advent calendar.
Open Tue to Sat 10am to 6pm; closed Sun and Mon
Call 01227 785535
Address 55 Palace Street, Canterbury, CT1 2DY
Website paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk/pages/our-shops
Good for cheese, hampers, gifts
Castle Street, Beer Cart Lane and Station Road West
10. The Chaucer Bookshop
Established in 1956, the shop fills two floors of an 18th-century building inside the city walls. It says it has more than 20,000 books, from fine bindings to paperbacks.
It also sells original prints, maps, greeting cards and wrapping paper. It advises ringing ahead to check the opening times for the day.
Open Mon to Sat 10am to 4pm; Sun and bank holidays 12 noon to 4pm
Call 01227 453912
Address 6-7 Beer Cart Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2NY
Website chaucer-bookshop.co.uk
Good for antiquarian books, prints and maps, cards
11. Vinylstore Jr
An independent record shop that sells new and second-hand vinyl, and also buys or part-exchanges records. New albums on its website were mostly £25 to £36 when we checked.
Online orders can be picked up free from the shop.
Open Tue to Sat 10am to 6pm
Price new LPs mostly £25 to £36 online
Call 01227 456907
Address 20 Castle Street, Canterbury, CT1 2QJ
Website vinylstorejr.co.uk
Good for new vinyl, second-hand records, free shop pickup
12. The Goods Shed
A farmers’ market, food hall and restaurant in a listed goods shed next to Canterbury West station. Its stalls include a butchery, a fishmonger, a veg stall, a wine merchant, charcuterie and cheesemakers, so it suits food gifts and the Christmas table.
The market and the restaurant keep separate hours.
Open market Tue to Sat 9am to 6pm; Sun 10am to 4pm; closed Mon
Call 01227 462688
Address Station Road West, Canterbury, CT2 8AN
Website thegoodsshed.co.uk
Listing Our listing
Good for local food, wine, cheese, butchery
The big names in the city centre
This is where most people buy the bigger gifts, and Fenwick is the finish of the window trail.
13. Whitefriars
The city’s main shopping centre, with one section of the Christmas market in it this year. The centre says most stores open from 9am to 5.30pm from Monday to Saturday, and many stay open until at least 7pm on some weekdays.
Sunday hours vary by store, so check the shop you want.
Open most stores Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun from 10am or 11am to 4pm or 5pm
Call 01227 826760
Address Gravel Walk, Canterbury, CT1 2TF
Website whitefriars.co.uk/info/opening-hours
Good for high street brands, department store, Christmas market
14. Fenwick
The department store on St George’s Street collects the finished Sylvanian Families window trail tickets this year, and hands out the mini prize. Its store page lists no Christmas hours yet, so check nearer the day.
Open Mon to Sat 9am to 5.30pm; Sun 10.30am to 4.30pm
Call 0800 783 1783
Address St George's Street, Canterbury, CT1 2TB
Website fenwick.co.uk/stores/canterbury
Good for department store, window trail
Whitstable, about seven miles north
15. Harbour Books
Whitstable’s independent bookshop sells new books, and its website takes requests for any title it does not have on the shelf. It also sells gift cards.
It asks for enquiries by email.
Open Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm; Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 10am to 4pm
Address 21 Harbour Street, Whitstable, CT5 1AQ
Website harbourbooks.org
Good for new books, book requests, gift cards
16. Frank
Frank describes itself as “a space for the work and ideas of artists and artisans”. It runs exhibitions alongside its shop, and has worked with the ceramicist Carol Foster on a range of tableware.
It closes on Tuesdays and opens on Wednesdays only in school holidays, so check the day before you travel.
Open 10.30am to 5pm; Sun 11am to 5pm; closed Tue; Wed in school holidays only
Address 65 Harbour Street, Whitstable, CT5 1AG
Website frankworks.eu
Good for ceramics, prints, artists and makers
17. Bounty
Bounty is the shop and studio of the jeweller Lydia Wood-Power, who says the collections are handmade by her and her husband in Whitstable. She takes her inspiration from nature and the sea.
Gift wrapping is free on its online pieces.
Open Tue to Fri 10.30am to 4.30pm; Sat 10am to 5pm; Sun 10.30am to 4pm; closed Mon
Price online, stacker rings from £40; stud earrings from £65; dangle earrings from £75
Address 48 Oxford Street, Whitstable, CT5 1DG
Website lydia-wood-power.squarespace.com/our-story
Good for handmade jewellery, silver, gift wrapping
18. South Quay Shed and Whitstable Harbour
Visit Canterbury says the South Quay Shed opens every day, all year, with units over two floors. Its shopping tenants include Leofwine Jewellery & Gallery.
Along the waterfront, the harbour market huts have included the silversmiths Harbour Smith and Kimmi Makes, which sews bags and cushions. Visit Canterbury’s description of the market stresses the summer months, and no winter hours are published for the huts, so do not count on every hut being open in December.
There is a car park opposite at Gorrell Tank, CT5 1BZ.
Open South Quay Shed daily; individual units vary
Address South Quay, Whitstable Harbour
Website canterbury.co.uk/whitstable-harbour/south-quay-shed
Good for jewellery, makers, harbour views
Herne Bay, about eight miles north-east
19. Herne Bay Pier retail village
Herne Bay Pier Trust, a registered charity, runs a village of retail huts on the pier. It says the retail outlets open daily from 11am, though some keep varying hours.
The pier closes at 3.30pm in the winter months. It warns that it may close at short notice in winter weather, so check on a stormy day.
Open retail huts daily from 11am; pier closes 3.30pm in winter; weather permitting
Address Central Parade, Herne Bay, CT6 5JN
Website hernebaypier.co.uk
Good for seaside gifts, independent huts, charity-run pier
How we chose
We started with the shopping quarters named by Visit Canterbury, then kept independent shops and markets that publish their own address and hours and are still trading. The hours, prices and dates above come from each business’s own site, read on 5 November 2026. We left out several well-known shops because we could not confirm their current hours, including jewellers on Palace Street and St Peter’s Street. We will add them when we can.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@canterburylive.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@canterburylive.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
For more of Christmas in the city, see our guides to the Christmas market, Christmas at Canterbury Cathedral, Christmas dinner in Canterbury and ice rinks near Canterbury. For more to do, see things to do in Canterbury, what’s on in Canterbury this month and our Canterbury business directory.
Frequently asked questions
Which Canterbury shops open on Sundays before Christmas?
On their usual published hours, Wrapped! opens from 10am to 5pm, Violet Elizabeth from 10am to 4pm, Burgate Books from 11am to 4pm, the Chaucer Bookshop from 12 noon to 4pm, Fenwick from 10.30am to 4.30pm and the Goods Shed market from 10am to 4pm. Canterbury Pottery, Madame Oiseau, Paxton & Whitfield and Vinylstore Jr close on Sundays.
Is there late-night Christmas shopping in Canterbury in 2026?
We found no date published for 2026 when we checked on 5 November. Last year’s Canterbury BID guide advertised shopping until 8pm on Saturday 13 December. The Christmas market stays open until 7pm on Saturdays this year, and many Whitefriars stores stay open until at least 7pm on some weekdays.
When is the Westgate Hall Christmas makers market?
The remaining 2026 dates are Friday 13 November from 5pm to 8pm, Saturday 14 and Saturday 21 November, and Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 December. The daytime markets run from 10.30am to 4pm and entry is free.
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