The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales
4
This location was reported permanently closed
About
Travel with "Chaucer" and his band of pilgrims from the Tabard Inn in London to Canterbury Cathedral. Our costumed characters will introduce you to what is arguably the most famous collection of tales written in Medieval Britain. The handheld audio guide will then lead you through our stunning recreation of medieval England and lead you into five of Chaucer's most loved tales. These are tales of unrequited love, attempts at cheating death, bawdy infidelity and the chance to discover what every woman wants. . .Still as engaging for today's audiences as they were 600 years ago. Laugh with us and learn with us! The Canterbury Tales visitor attraction is the only attraction in the UK dedicated to this famous piece of English literature and is an essential addition to any Canterbury itinerary. Foreign language audio guides are available, as is a children's version (toning down the rather bawdy nature of the tales).
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
1,291 reviews
Excellent
484
Very good
441
Average
225
Poor
91
Terrible
50
LoftusroadRunner
Doha, Qatar485 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
Thought it was a bit of old tosh really, and not worth the money. Just lead around a series of rooms with a sound recording going off. All instantly forgettable.
If you don’t go, you won’t miss anything and will save £11 or however much it was!
If you don’t go, you won’t miss anything and will save £11 or however much it was!
Written January 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Iris C
Boyle, Ireland192 contributions
Oct 2019
A fun way to spend an hour or so to hear some of Chaucers tales. Good value for your money. Would recommend this.
Written October 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your 5* review! I'm so pleased to read you enjoyed yourselves.
Written October 29, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
alisonclarke110
Gravesend, UK27 contributions
Oct 2019
I visited with a group of people yesterday, can't praise the staff enough, they were bombarded with questions and managed to answer most of them well.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the stories.
The length of the tour was just right too and really interesting.
Excellent all round
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the stories.
The length of the tour was just right too and really interesting.
Excellent all round
Written October 20, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your lovely review; I am delighted that you really enjoyed your visit to us and very much hope to see you again soon!
Written October 29, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
BJonesBaza
Wales35 contributions
Aug 2011 • Couples
Not what we expected.
We have visited the Jorvik Centre in York and expected this to be on a par, unfortunately it was not.
The visitor walks through various stages where dummies depicting the 'Tales' are positioned and an explanation of each given.
Lasts about 40 minutes.
We have visited the Jorvik Centre in York and expected this to be on a par, unfortunately it was not.
The visitor walks through various stages where dummies depicting the 'Tales' are positioned and an explanation of each given.
Lasts about 40 minutes.
Written August 8, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luca p
58 contributions
Meredith was great, helpful and very good performer. The scenery are very nice and gift shop well equipped. Thanks for the nice time.
Written October 6, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your lovely review; I am delighted that you really enjoyed your visit to us and very much hope to see you again soon!
Written October 29, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Katherine B
Whitfield, UK37 contributions
Sep 2019 • Family
Arriving at 4:30 my mother and I were the last tour of the day and got to experience it without any other visitors which was a bonus.
You get what you pay for really: friendly staff, facts and a tour.
The rooms were very well set up and the tour guide ( particularly at the end) was competent, well rehearsed and knowledgeable.
A tour lasts 40 mins so it is quite quick!
The gift shop at the end was very quaint. They could do with a cafe though:)
You get what you pay for really: friendly staff, facts and a tour.
The rooms were very well set up and the tour guide ( particularly at the end) was competent, well rehearsed and knowledgeable.
A tour lasts 40 mins so it is quite quick!
The gift shop at the end was very quaint. They could do with a cafe though:)
Written September 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your brilliant review, it is wonderful to read that you has such a great visit to us and found that you gained lots of insight. You have been very lucky with a tour on your own!
I am also particularly please that you found the staff so friendly; we are particularly proud of our staff and feel they really make the experience!
Written October 29, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Fiona S
1 contribution
Sep 2019 • Solo
Excellent event. This was a second visit and noticed many details I had previously overlooked. The guide was entertaining as well as informative and the ale tasting was a bonus. Would highly recommend to real ale enthusiasts.
Written September 21, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your lovely review; I am delighted that you really enjoyed The Canterbury Ales Event, follow our social media channels to keep in the loop on future events!
Written October 29, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tracey C
Waterloo, Canada26 contributions
Sep 2019
What a great introduction to the Canterbury Tales. We had our 18, 15 and 11 year old children with us. We were thoroughly entertained and given a great introduction to the famous stories. It is light and fun. The presenters were enthusiastic and the stories short and to the point. If you know nothing about the Tales, this is a perfect place to start. It also gave a perfect historical context to the town. I would not miss it!
Written September 16, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your 5* review! I'm so pleased to read you enjoyed yourselves
Written October 29, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
RobandJanA
RobandJanA25 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
It is glorious. We loved it and haven’t laughed so much for ages. This attraction has the wonderful, quaint cr*pness that only British attractions can have. We chose Saturday afternoon in peak season and were worried that it would be very busy. We needn’t have been concerned as it was completely deserted the whole time we were there and there was a staff to visitor ratio of 5:2 (the five staff were all lovely mind). This attraction is perfect if you have an overdeveloped sense of humour and/or irony and don’t mind paying £10 for 40 minutes of “is this for real?” The comedy began when the chap introducing us to the attraction spent five minutes explaining how the audio guide worked, having prefaced it with “the audio guide just works, you don’t have to do anything”, and then he explained it all over again - even though there was nothing to explain. Fabulous!
Once you are in, It has the appearance of not being updated for a while and is all the better for it. Not for the Canterbury Tales the clumsy animatronics of the 1970s - no, no, this appears to predate that comfortably and benefits from the clever use of plastic moulding, wooden cutouts, pulleys and spotlights. I studied the Canterbury tales at O-level 35 years ago and it was heartening to think that I could still remember more about it than the two actors paid to tell me about it! As a suggestion I think you need to explain a little bit more about the book, the pilgrimage, its context and intent, otherwise it’s all a bit comedy-surreal. Perhaps the girl showing us around forgot that chunk of text? Presumably she was marked down by the chap following us around surreptitiously with a medieval clipboard and biro. Anyway - whatever - it was quite marvellous. “Wake up Harry!”
Once you are in, It has the appearance of not being updated for a while and is all the better for it. Not for the Canterbury Tales the clumsy animatronics of the 1970s - no, no, this appears to predate that comfortably and benefits from the clever use of plastic moulding, wooden cutouts, pulleys and spotlights. I studied the Canterbury tales at O-level 35 years ago and it was heartening to think that I could still remember more about it than the two actors paid to tell me about it! As a suggestion I think you need to explain a little bit more about the book, the pilgrimage, its context and intent, otherwise it’s all a bit comedy-surreal. Perhaps the girl showing us around forgot that chunk of text? Presumably she was marked down by the chap following us around surreptitiously with a medieval clipboard and biro. Anyway - whatever - it was quite marvellous. “Wake up Harry!”
Written June 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your 5* review! We're glad you enjoyed the experience so much, and we appreciate you taking the time to give us some feedback- we always value our guests feedback.
Written July 11, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Colin U
Shoreham-by-Sea, UK63 contributions
May 2018
I visited the Canterbury Tales experience with a group of friends on a coach trip to Canterbury and although the staff tried to make the visit interesting I thought the exhibition rather dated, and not good value.
Written May 10, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, how long is this experience? Looking to come and stay in Canterbury for a couple of nights and thought this looked good for the kids. Is it a whole day thing or just a couple of hours?
Written March 21, 2019
Most of it is a set speed as you walk a bit listen to a story from the Canterbury Tales and then move on. We were there for just over an hour.
Written April 21, 2019
Hi There,
We were thinking of taking my 9 year old son here this year, he doesn't really believe in Santa anymore :( but thought it might still be good to get in the Christmas spirit.
Do you think he will get much out of this or is he is little old.
Were there other older children there?
Thanks
Written November 17, 2017
Hi Can I use Tesco vouchers to pre-book on-line please?
And can I leave the site to go and eat and return again later?
Written October 11, 2017
Chiara P
Canterbury, United Kingdom
Hi,
We do accept Tesco Vouchers but as a form of payment when you are on site, so it's not possible to pre book online with them
We are located in the center of Canterbury and surrounded by restaurants and cafe', so finding somewhere to eat won't be an issue, you can come back later with no issue, the only thing is you can't interrupt your tour and then resume it later.
Thanks.
Written October 12, 2017
Chiara P
Canterbury, United Kingdom
Thank you very much for getting in touch! We are absolutely wheelchair friendly thanks to our hidden lift which enables us to conduct assisted access tours. Please do just let us know at the point of booking that you require an assisted access, and please do be aware that, due to the small size of our lift, we can only accommodate 1 wheelchair user every 40 minutes. I hope that helps!
Written March 20, 2017
Chiara P
Canterbury, United Kingdom
We absolutely are! Please do be aware, though, that some power chairs will be too big for our little lift. We will measure the chair before you go on your tour, and if it is too big we do have an alternative wheelchair that you can use instead.
Written March 20, 2017
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