Folkestone is better connected than most people who live there make use of. It has three stations nearby, with high-speed trains to London. Only a few residents take the train to work. Broadband reaches nearly every premises. The high-speed line is what gets advertised, but most people drive to work or work from home.
For rail, Folkestone Central and Folkestone West both sit on the main line and carry the high-speed service to London, and Sandling is just outside the town. Only about 3% of working residents commuted by train at the 2021 Census. There are 235 bus stops across the area, and about 4% of workers took the bus to work. The London trains are part of the reason people buy here, but most residents don't use them to get to work.
Driving is the biggest single way to work, at about 45% of workers. Working from home comes next at 28%, and about 13% walk to work. Cycling is about 1%, which a town built on a valley between two cliffs rather explains. About 28% of households have no car and about 28% have two or more, so the town is split roughly evenly between households with no car and households with several.
The Department for Transport's journey-time statistics are modelled for the area, not a route from any particular door. On those figures, the nearest town centre is about 10 minutes away by car, 13 by bike, 17 by public transport and 27 on foot. A 27-minute walk into town is longer than the seafront photos suggest, and some of it is uphill.
Broadband is strong. Gigabit-capable connections reach about 83% of premises and superfast about 98%. No premises in the area fall below the legal minimum broadband standard, so working from home is a reliable option here.
Mobile coverage is complete. Every postcode gets 4G or 5G from at least one operator, and about 99% get it from all of them.
Everyday trips are short, on the same modelled figures. A GP is about 7 minutes by car, 10 by public transport and 11 on foot. A food shop is about 7 minutes whether you walk or drive. Jobs are about 12 minutes away by car and 22 by public transport. The hospital is the exception. It's about 23 minutes by car and about an hour by public transport, and it's too far to walk. The public transport times date from 2019 and services have been cut since, so those deserve more caution than the car and walking figures. If you have a long-term condition and no car, check that hospital trip before buying.
The buses themselves run well. On current timetables, the average stop sees about 81 departures on a weekday and about 6 an hour at peak, and about 76% of stops have some service at the weekend. That's a proper bus service, not a stop with two buses a day and a faded timetable.
Road noise is widespread. About 88% of postcodes are near or above 65 decibels, the level at which official noise mapping treats road noise as significant, and the loudest band recorded reaches 75 decibels. Rail noise is a separate source. About 25% of postcodes are near 65 decibels from trains, with the loudest reaching that level. These are area figures and can't tell you how loud any particular bedroom will be.
There are 22 public charge points in the area, with 52 connectors, 7 of them rapid. With only 7 rapid units, charging is something most drivers plan around rather than do while they shop, and home charging comes down to whether you have a driveway.
Folkestone's connections are better than average, with good trains, broadband and buses. The weak points are the long walk into town from the edges and the hospital trip for anyone without a car.