Luxury New Homes in Kent

The best places to live in Kent

With a balance of country living and lively town centres, Kent offers a wide range of different ways to live. Whether you’re downsizing, escaping the city, moving closer to Kent local amenities, or growing your family, there’s something for every taste and preference.

As one of England’s larger counties, Kent gives you unmatched freedom of choice, with property prices strong and resilient no matter where you go.

Royal Tunbridge Wells

The only Kent town to make Garrington’s coveted Best Places to Live list in 2025, Royal Tunbridge Wells is known for exceptional quality of life. That’s the result of ample green space, a rich history, and proximity to London, major airports, and the coast.

The town’s stunning architecture sets the tone. Near to luxury new homes, you’ll find historic properties like the Hotel du Vin, a luxury hotel in a Grade II-listed mansion, and the Opera House, built in 1902 and now the home an elegant pub. Tunbridge Wells also provides families with an extensive choice of coveted schools, including two high-performing grammar schools—one for boys, one for girls—and Beechwood School, a fee-paying school for children aged 3-18.

Sevenoaks

25 minutes from London by train, Sevenoaks is perhaps best known as a commuter hotspot for those working in the capital. This has driven investment in the area, seeing its population grow significantly, house prices increase, and a complete spectrum of amenities emerge—from gyms and recreation to major retailers, boutique shops and a variety of restaurants.

Despite this growth, Sevenoaks remains intrinsically tied to Kent’s culture of agriculture and rural life. Knole Park offers is a magnificent 600-year-old estate with 1,000 acres of trees and parkland, alongside family-friendly events including an outdoor cinema. And Sevenoaks Nature Reserve is the perfect place to explore hectares of the landscape that makes Kent so special—and spot the birds and aquatic life that has called the county home for hundreds of years.

Canterbury

Home to an iconic cathedral where Christianity took root in the UK, Canterbury is a quaint medieval city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, it’s a property value stronghold with plenty to see and do.

One favourite is the King’s Mile, a charming area behind the cathedral that’s lined with quirky independent shops, pubs and restaurants. This area is also where you’ll find part of The King’s School, England’s oldest public school, founded in 597 AD, and The Parrot, a 14th century inn with exceptional food and a spacious beer garden. All less than an hour from London via the high-speed rail services on HS1, and a 30-minute drive to beloved seaside destinations including Deal, Whitstable and Margate.

Sissinghurst

In easy reach from prestigious schools and the winding walking trails of Sissinghurst Garden Estate, Sissinghurst was the natural choice for our Gallica development. Despite being a fairly small village nestled between Ashford and Tunbridge Wells, Sissinghurst offers everything you need day-to-day while making it easy to access nearby towns and cities.

One unmissable stop is The Milk House, a former coach house that’s now a lively pub and restaurant, offering wood-fired pizzas and locally sourced ales. The pub even hosts its own annual festival with family-friendly activities. Sissinghurst is also conveniently inside the catchment area for Cranbrook School: a co-educational grammar school and one of few state schools where boarders learn alongside their peers.

Best schools in Kent

For families moving to Kent, the county offers numerous highly regarded schools. The county is one of the last to retain the selective grammar school model, offering test-based access to historic educational institutions designed to push the most gifted students.

In rankings of the top state secondary schools in England, Tonbridge Grammar School secured the third position, followed by Dartford Grammar School in fourth place. For the top independent schools in the Southeast, Tonbridge School achieved sixth place.

For pupils with additional needs, Five Acre Wood School in Maidstone specialises in its ASD provision, while Ifield School in Gravesend caters to more severe needs.

Kent also provides a complete range of choices for further and higher education, including the University of Kent with a sprawling Canterbury campus set in acres of parkland. The university is particularly notable for its high volume of internal students and, in turn, it’s vibrant, multicultural feel.

Kent transport links

Kent is often a favourite destination for Londoners who want to move further out into the peaceful countryside. With the HS1 high-speed service, the capital is accessible in under an hour from most parts of the county. In smaller towns and villages, you’ll often find a station with a direct connection to the fast services that run from the Channel Tunnel to London St Pancras International.

This high-speed connection is also an entry point into the wider European network. While services from Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International have been paused, HS1 enables easy access to St Pancras for Eurostar to Paris and Belgium, while 35-minute LeShuttle car services continue to be offered from Folkestone. Alternatively, Gatwick, Heathrow, Stanstead and London City Airport are all easily accessible for trips abroad.

Finally, Kent is well-connected to the road network, not just through its intricate web of A-roads, but also the M20 and M25.

Best places to visit in Kent

Food, shopping and entertainment

Unlike a lot of the country, Kent finds harmony between high-street brands and local, independently owned businesses. Whether you’re planning a memorable meal, looking for some retail therapy, or taking in a show, this balance gives you more choice and freedom.

In Canterbury, you’ll find one-of-a-kind fashion shops right alongside the familiar spread of coffee shops, fast-food and chain stores. In Whitstable, Revival Food & Mood is a spectacular café and mental health hub. And for a complete day of shopping, cinema and entertainment, Bluewater is a sprawling shopping centre that’s home to more than 300 shops, from Apple to Abercrombie.

Explore Kent’s iconic landscape

As we did with Gallica, Kent property developers pay special attention to how contemporary architecture plays alongside the county’s natural landscape. That’s for one reason: when nature has done such an exceptional job of creating bold, dramatic and picturesque views, your only job is to accentuate and amplify them.

It’s a landscape that’s spectacular to explore, whether you’re headed out on a long hike through the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or looking up at the striking White Cliffs of Dover, immortalised by everyone from Shakespeare to guitarist Eric Johnson.

Join the community at popular events

With a strong sense of tradition and literary connections to Chaucer, Dickens and many more, Kent has a thriving creative community that drives a busy calendar of popular events and festivals.

In Broadstairs, the annual Dickens Festival on the beach is a three-day celebration with live performances, consumes, and historic demonstrations. For live music, Margate offers an annual soul festival with live music, DJ sets, and food stalls. And the beloved Canterbury Festival is a biennial event for music, theatre, circus, comedy and talks.

Family fun beside the Kent seaside

With 350 miles of sand, shingle, cliffs and beaches, the Kent coast is a wonderful place to enjoy all year long. Bracing against the cliffside winds or dipping your toes into the warm waves at Deal, there’s plenty to see and do, whatever the weather.

A favourite for young families, the small seaside village of Dymchurch includes a fun-filled fairground that’s free to enter, with a family coaster and bumper cars. Dymchurch is also on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, a one-third full size steam and diesel route that’s the perfect day out for all generations.

For a livelier time on the coast, Margate is home to spacious beaches backdropped by Dreamland, the picture-perfect vintage amusement park and where you’ll find the UK’s oldest surviving rollercoaster. Further along the beach, Margate’s Turner Contemporary serves up a calendar of free exhibitions by renowned international artists.

Discover Kent’s rich history

People searching for new build houses in Kent aren’t the first people to have fallen in love with the county. For centuries, Kent has been the home of royalty, literary giants, and strategic military bases along the France-facing coastline.

Dover Castle is perhaps the single historic site that sums up the sheer diversity and significance of Kent. Across this one English Heritage property, you’ll find a traditional medieval castle alongside comparatively modern secret tunnels, used to plan the rescue at Dunkirk in World War II.

Another highlight is Down House, the former home of Charles Darwin and the place where he wrote On the Origin of Species. Today, Down House includes museum-style exhibits on Darwin’s theories, alongside a celebration of the natural world with ample greenhouses and gardens to wander through.

Kent real estate and property market predictions

In much the same way as Kent was cherished through history as a strategic base between the capital and the coast, today’s property market in Kent is bolstered by this sense of it being the best of both worlds.

According to Rightmove, the Kent home prices are marginally below the southeast average, but significantly higher than the wider UK average. As a result, Kent remains a good investment where value appears to have room to grow even further. Data from local property specialists Caxtons highlights a 2.3%-3.9% decrease in property prices throughout Kent compared to last year, while key areas like Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells continuing to show marked increases.

This data reflects a nationwide property market experiencing the fluctuations you would expect from a volatile economy and widespread economic uncertainty. But it’s the outsized performance of property in places like Sevenoaks is testament to the importance of location—not just in terms of a county, but the most desirable places within it.

If you would like to find out more about our developments in this fantastic part of the country, simply get in touch with our experienced sales teams and they will be happy to help.