Tunbridge Wells is one of eight Kent places in Muddy Stilettos' Best Places to Live 2027, for its schools, restaurants and fast trains. Checked November 2026.

Tunbridge Wells has been named one of eight Kent places in Muddy Stilettos’ Best Places to Live 2027, the lifestyle website’s annual guide.

The guide does not rank its picks. It names eight places per county in a UK-wide “Top 260”, and Cranbrook is the only other place in the borough to make the Kent list.

What the guide says about Tunbridge Wells

The entry opens: “Forget those letter-writing retired colonels: this handsome spa town has had quite the glow-up.”

It says the town is “pulling in young families, London escapees and empty nesters chasing a best-of-both-worlds commuter lifestyle”.

The guide singles out:

  • Essence by Atul Kochhar on The Pantiles, where “the Michelin-starred chef brings his magic to elegant pan-Indian dining”
  • gastropubs nearby, naming The Leicester Arms in Penshurst, The Kentish Hare in Bidborough and The Beacon in Rusthall
  • Royal Victoria Place, which it says “has had a bit of a glow-up” with big names including Primark and Fenwick
  • Live At The Pantiles, “bustling live-music nights every Thursday throughout the summer”
  • the grammar schools, which it says make the town “particularly well served”

Its “best kept secret” is a celebrity one. The guide says Castle Fine Art on the High Street “is one of the galleries representing that Johnny Depp, with his limited-edition artwork”.

What it costs

The guide puts the town’s average house price at £530,758 over the last year. It gives flats at £306,187, semis at £570,650 and terraces at £454,598. These are Muddy Stilettos’ own figures. HM Land Registry’s figures for the borough are in our Tunbridge Wells house prices page.

It says direct trains reach London Bridge “in as little as 44 mins” and gives an annual season ticket to London Terminals as £6,508. Our train times page has the full timetable.

How the list is made

Muddy Stilettos does not publish a scoring method on its list pages. The places are not ranked, and the Kent section is sponsored by Fernham Homes.

Who else in Kent made it

The other Kent places are:

  • Cranbrook
  • Sevenoaks
  • Penshurst
  • Marden
  • Wye
  • Oare
  • Sandgate

Has Tunbridge Wells really had a “glow-up”, and what did the guide miss? Tell us in the comments.