Shell Grotto

Amazing place, apparently discovered in 1835, but who constructed the grotto is a complete mystery Shells all seem to be local, like whelks, cockles, limpets, winkles, oysters, scallops etc, millions of them used to create the patterns on the walls. Mind boggling! Only takes 15 minutes or so to see, but well worth the walk from the station. Friendly staff, a decent gift shop, a visit to remember!

Visiting the Shell Grotto was an unforgettable experience. The moment I stepped inside, I couldn’t believe my eyes — every surface is covered in intricate patterns made entirely from seashells. It’s both mysterious and magical, and truly unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. This is absolutely a must-see destination for anyone. After exploring the grotto, I enjoyed browsing the charming gift shop, which offers a wonderful selection of seashells and other unique treasures to take home as souvenirs.

Amazing visit. Set out beautifully with clear history and information. The shop is lovely and manned with knowledgeable staff. Well worth a visit.

Interesting place to visit and cheap activity. It takes approx 10 mins to walk around you can make it longer if you really want to inspect the design. But it is very small so if you area bit wary of tight spaces be aware this may not be for you. They have some interesting facts before you head down to the grotto. The team are friendly and the gift shop is lovely if a bit small when there are lots of people. Definitely worth a visit

What a wonderful place. I think that this place deserves more visibility to the tourists than it has got at the moment. The place is truly the work of someone with a fine artist mind and a lot of patience and dedication. It is beautifully done. Thankfully it is now preserved well so the general public can enjoy the lovely artistic work.

Stunning place decorated with many shells. Definitely worth a visit. There is also a shop to buy all sorts of small things. Not far, 3-4 minutes walk, there's a carpark with a pound stretcher, there the parking is free for two hours.

Much smaller than expected but still very interesting with a little bit of history and alot of skill. I feel the entry price is far too expensive for something that took me 5 minutes to walk around, but for someone particularly interested in the artwork and fancy something different to look at, its still good. The gift shop is a must see as has plenty of gorgeous seashells and a few other pretty items for sale. No toilets or parking, if your lucky you can find free street parking nearby.

Amazing, I have never seen anything like it. They must if had plenty if time on their hands, and loved shellfish!!

I moved to Margate 20 years ago and they have improved the Grotto year on year . It's superb now with a nice entrance and a great gift shop for cards/ shells / stone jewellery . Quite a mysterious place . Endlessly fascinating . How it was even made underground . And why ? It's not a huge exhibit but you must go .

This magical underground discovery is full of mystery. As you enter through the shop front and descend down the spiral staircase, you are surrounded from floor to ceiling with shells. No one is entirely sure of the origin or purpose for these designs. Interesting family visit: 1 - 2 hours. gift shop & snack bar with limited seating. Definitely worth a look!

Well, it's one of those things on our 'had to be done' list so we finished our few days in Margate with a visit to the shell grotto. It is a fascinating place and a visit certainly pricks your curiosity. Why would anyone take the time to construct such a secret shell cavern? Unfortunately the shells are all grimy so the overall impact is somewhat macabre rather than beautiful. To be honest, it gave me the creeps. However, I've been and ticked another Margate must-do from my list!

Literally just around the corner from the house i grew up in and only managed to get round to visit this in my mid 20's!! Really enjoyed it, its an unusual little place and defintely worth a visit. The gift shop was nice as well and managed to pick up an unusual looking shell gift for the girlfriend. Really recommend as something a bit unusual

Mysterious underground passages and rooms lined with millions of shells in weird and wonderful patterns, Definitely worth a visit to marvel at the oddness of it. Also has a small museum chronicling people's efforts to explain it since it was discovered in the nineteenth century.

Cheap and definitely worth stop here if in the area. I like the fact it keeps you guessing as to why the F it's actually there! Smugglers? No way...... what smuggler would go to the depths of art added to the walls? Anyway relatively cheap and worth while seeing.

This is super great and creepy and pretty cheap. It has a t-rex head made of shells. The 'mysterious origins' spiel is entertaining but hammy - they've gone so far as to carbon-date a single shell, as though the age of a dead crustacean would shed any light on the age of the grotto (it's clearly late 18th century). The museum and shop are also full of hilarious shell-themed items.