Broadstairs is a seaside resort situated adjacent to three picturesque bays, Botany Bay, Joss Bay and Viking Bay. It is famous for its sandy beaches, good conditions for water sports and preserved 18th and 19th century buildings.
Until the first half of the 19th century, Broadstairs was a fishing village with several hundred inhabitants. It had its own pier and was one of the largest fish sellers in the region. The situation changed after the invention of steamboats that could go fishing deeper into the sea.
However, at the same time, the Kent coast became popular as a summer vacation destination. Both representatives of the aristocracy and London bankers, lawyers and doctors came here. Following them, new trends and summer houses were coming to coastal villages.
It was no different with Broadstairs, which owed its popularity to beautiful landscapes and sandy beaches. These advantages of the city have survived to this day, and every year thousands of summer-seekers seeking sun and relaxation come here.
One of Broadstairs's biggest attractions is the local beaches. The main one is the Viking Bay and Beach located in the vicinity of the promenade and a small pier. People who are looking for a quieter place can, in turn, choose the undeveloped, located at the foot of white cliffs, Botany Bay Beach. The third of the local beaches in Joss Bay has a thriving center for windsurfing and other water sports.
The oldest part of Broadstairs has quite a few traditional fishing houses from the 18th and early 19th centuries. There are also historic pensions and old pubs. In the years 1829-1836, the future Queen Victoria rested in the village with her mother several times. Charles Dickens lived here in the mid-nineteenth century. His ties with the city are reminded by the Dickens House Museum.
