The Millers Arms Inn
by the TopOfHotel team
A romantic riverside inn — 12 rooms, cathedral views, and a buzzy pub on the ground floor.
A romantic riverside inn — 12 rooms, cathedral views, and a buzzy pub on the ground floor.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
All 12 rooms are en-suite and kept clean in a straightforward English-inn style — compact, but well laid out and never cramped. The headline is that a few of them look straight at Canterbury Cathedral through the window, which is exactly why a lot of guests pick this place. Beds are soft, linens are fresh, and the Wi-Fi is free and quick throughout the building. There's no air-conditioning — rooms rely on fans, and reviewers say that holds up even in summer, though a hot night is still a hot night.
Food and amenities
Breakfast is included in every rate, with both a Full English and a continental option, and guests describe it as fresh, hot and filling rather than perfunctory. The ground-floor pub is really the heart of the place: a warm local with a rotating set of Kent ales and bar staff who get repeatedly praised for friendly, useful recommendations. Out back, a riverside garden on the Great Stour makes an easy spot to sit on a good day. Free Wi-Fi runs throughout.
Location and getting there
You're in the middle of Canterbury, right on the Great Stour. Canterbury Cathedral is a 5-minute walk, Canterbury West station sits about 0.4 km away — roughly four minutes on foot, with direct trains to London St Pancras in under an hour — and Westgate Gardens is right next door. The High Street and its restaurants are an easy stroll. It feels quieter than the hotels on the main road, yet still puts every major sight within walking distance.
Things to know before booking
The ground-floor pub gets lively in the evenings, particularly Friday and Saturday, and that noise can reach the lower-floor rooms — light sleepers should request a higher floor. There's no AC, only fans, so a hot summer stretch can run warm. And there's no on-site parking: drivers use Westgate Car Park (about 5 minutes' walk) or the Riding Gate lot, so build that into your budget if you're coming by car.
Our take
This is the pick for couples who want a romantic riverside base and for travelers who like a traditional English pub-with-rooms over a polished hotel. Rates open around £58 (about US$73) a night with breakfast, which is genuinely good value for the location and the experience. It's not the right call if you're sensitive to pub noise or you need a cold, air-conditioned room to sleep.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- Sits directly on the Great Stour — a genuinely romantic riverside setting that's hard to find inside a walled city, with the old mill weir running past the back garden.
- A few rooms look straight at Canterbury Cathedral through the window. There aren't many of them, but they're the reason a lot of guests book here in the first place.
- A cooked breakfast is included in every rate — both a Full English and a continental spread. Reviewers call it fresh, hot and filling, not a token buffet.
- The staff are the headline in nearly every review: warm, casual, and quick to remember names and preferences even on a first stay. Several guests describe it as feeling like a second home in England.
- The downstairs pub pours a rotating lineup of local Kent ales, and the bar staff get singled out for good recommendations — handy if you want a pint without leaving the building.
- The ground-floor pub gets lively in the evenings, especially Friday and Saturday. Rooms on the lower floors can pick up the noise, so light sleepers should ask for something higher up.
- No room has air-conditioning. There are fans, and guests say they cope fine, but a hot July or August stretch can get warm at night.
- There's no car park of its own, so drivers have to use a paid public lot a few minutes' walk away and factor that into the daily cost.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Canterbury
Day tours, attraction tickets and experiences around Canterbury — book ahead on Klook with mobile e-tickets.
See activities in CanterburyAffiliate link — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Insider Tips
- Book a Cathedral View room well ahead — only a handful of rooms see the cathedral straight from the window, and they sell out fast over summer.
- If you want quiet, request a top-floor room. The pub buzzes on Friday and Saturday nights, and the noise drops off sharply on the upper floor.
- Skip the search for parking out front — there isn't any. Use Westgate Car Park, about a 5-minute walk, or the reasonably priced Riding Gate lot.