Dover (England)

Dover is a major port town in East Kent, facing into the English Channel. At just from the French port of Calais, it is the closest port to continental Europe on mainland Britain. It is most famous for its Castle, and for its white chalk cliffs which have been celebrated in song.

Understand
Dover has been a permanent settlement since at least the time of the Romans, who were the first to record its presence, giving it the name Portus Dubris. It also marked the start of Watling Street, a major Roman road. The Roman lighthouse built on the present-day site of Dover Castle is one of the oldest buildings in Britain. In medieval times Dover was one of the Cinque Ports responsible for England's maritime defence. The others silted up, while Dover remained important for trade and defence.

Visitor information

 * Dover tourism website

By car
The A2/M2 runs in from London and the Medway towns via Canterbury. The A20 is a continuation of the M20 from Folkestone. The A256 comes in from Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate.

By coach
National Express operates the 007 coach service from London Victoria Coach Station to Dover Pencester Road in the town, about from the ferry port. The 007 departs around seven times a day, and has intermediate stops at Canterbury, some north Kent towns, and local stops in South East London. It's both much cheaper and much slower than the train service, usually taking around 3 hours from London.

By train


Fare and timetable information is available from Southeastern, the sole train operator at Dover.

There is no shuttle bus between the station and the ferry port, so you will have to walk the roughly 1½ miles (2.25 km) or get a taxi. Welcome to Britain!

By boat
Due to its proximity to continental Europe, Dover is the busiest cross-Channel port in the UK, with 18 million passengers passing through its gates every year. Regular ferry services operate to Dover from Calais and Dunkirk.

The ferry between France and Dover costs around €40 each way if on foot, and around €100 each way for a car with two passengers, although big discounts are available if booked in advance or with special offers. Irish Ferries and P&O Ferries operate to and from Calais while DFDS Seaways sails from Calais and Dunkirk. As of March 2024, only P&O offers access to foot passengers, and that only a few times a day. P&0 is also usually cheaper, but is only able to do this by exploiting non-European labour working under conditions that would be illegal on land in either France or Britain.

Other routes operate from France to the UK, and might be cheaper, but won't be quicker.

By bus
Stagecoach East Kent are the main bus operator in the Dover area. Maps, timetables and fare information are available on their website. Stagecoach runs both urban, rural and inter-urban local buses, including regular buses to Deal, Folkestone, Canterbury and further afield.

By foot
Dover is small enough that much of it can reasonably be explored on foot. The main shops are in King Street, Cannon Street and Biggin Street.

See






Do
There is a cliff-top 6-km walk from near the Eastern Docks to St Margaret's Bay. Or you could walk the scenic North Downs Way, a walking trail that follows the low hills that run alongside the coast.



Buy
The town centre isn't that special. The main shops are in King Street, Cannon Street and Biggin Street.

Go next

 * St Margaret's Bay is just a few miles east towards Deal. This bay breaks up the white cliffs with a small hillside village, a scenic beach, lots of parking and some eateries (including the Coastguard Pub, the closest pub to the continent). On a nice day, the afternoon sun lights up the white cliffs on the French side of the channel quite clearly.
 * Folkestone
 * Sandwich
 * Canterbury
 * Ashford