The area has been inhabited since Roman times. The remains of a Roman villa with bathrooms and hypocausts, mosaics in the courtyard and a kitchen with two fireplaces was discovered on the East Cliff. Folkestone Abbey, or the Priory of St Eanswith, was the first Christian community for women ever built in England: in 630, St. Eanswith, daughter of the King of Kent, ordered its construction for the Benedictine order. It was later destroyed and a new one was built in its place in 1095 by Nigel de Mundeville, Lork of Folkestone. It was an alien priory, belonging to an abbey in Normandy, and the relics of St. Eanswith were kept in its church. As the cliff on which the monastery stood was gradually being undermined by the sea, it was moved to a new site in 1137. The priory existed until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII in 1535. Little has been preserved of the monastic buildings: just the foundations and a Norman doorway.

During the Middle Ages, Folkestone suffered Viking attacks; in 1216 it was devastated by the French; in 1313 it became a member of the Cinque Ports Confederation as a Limb of Dover. Apart from fishing, smuggling also flourished in the 18th and the 19th Centuries. Gold was smuggled to the French troops during the Napoleonic War. The harbour was built in 1820 to protect the boats from the continual storms.

Folkestone was badly damaged during both world wars: being close to the continent, it was shelled continually. In 1917, a Luftwaffe air raid on London was thwarted by low clouds, and the planes dropped their bombs over Folkestone, killing 95 people and inflicting heavy damage. The post-war years were a time of hardship as tourism went into decline. Nowadays, the restored Creative Quarter attracts many artists who take up residence there. The town has a pleasant atmosphere, with wide avenues lined with trees, cinnamon-coloured buildings, a charming promenade and a multitude of restaurants, cafes and pubs. Open-air concerts are held regularly. Folkestone's beaches are a little over an hour's drive from London, there are opportunities for windsurfing, fishing, sailing, bowling and golf.