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Dover (London), England

White Cliffs of Dover

Introduction

Dover is the port for London and the departure point for ferries heading to France. Dover is approximately 75 miles southeast of London.

Where You're Docked

Ships dock at the cruise terminal at Admiralty Pier on the western end of the harbour. Port info and cruise schedule here http://www.doverport.co.uk/?page=Cruises

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Money and Tipping

England's currency is the British Pound (GBP) though England's version is called Pound Sterling. Though not expected, a small tip (5-10%) is appreciated when eating at restaurants or taking a taxi.

Going to London

There are frequent trains to London leaving from Dover Priory Station. Journey takes from 1-2 hours and cost around £35 for an off-peak return trip. The fastest journey will be to St Pancras station. You can take the National Express bus from Pencester Rd to London Victoria Coach Station for £6.50 but this journey will take over 2 1/2 hours. Train schedule and fares can be checked here http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ Info on your options here http://www.londontoolkit.com/travel/dover_london_transfers.htm

On Your Own Tours may drop off at Waterloo Place west of Trafalgar Square and at the south end of Regent St.

Local Transportation

From the cruise terminal, there may be a private shuttle service provided to the town center (King St) and to Dover Castle. Fares are £5 to the town centre and £6 to Dover castle round trip (Dec 2011).

If you want to go to a bigger city close by, Canterbury is a good option. Trains from Dover Priory to Canterbury East Station run twice hourly (hourly on Sundays). The trip takes 30 minutes and the fare is £7.70 return (Dec 2011). http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk

To take the bus to Canterbury, take bus 15 or 15A from Pencester Rd. Buses run every 30 minutes and journey takes 40 minutes. Fare is £4.20 one way or £5.70 return. http://www.stagecoachbus.com

Hotels

Search hotels in London here
Search hotels in Dover here

Sights

Dover

• Dover Castle - Dover's main tourist attraction. £16 entry includes wartime tunnels. http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/dover-castle/
• Roman Painted House - An exceptionally well preserved Roman hotel with intact wall paintings. Closed Mondays in the summer. £3 entry. http://www.theromanpaintedhouse.co.uk/
• White Cliffs Visitor Centre - take bus 15 from Pencester Road (1/3 mile from Rail Station) to Castle Hill Top (5 minutes journey), then 1 mile walk to Visitor Centre. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Canterbury

• Cathedral - Canterbury's main attraction. Entry £9.50 (Apr 2012). http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/

London

It is difficult to see all the main sites in London in a couple of hours. A zone 1-4, one day travelcard is your best deal to use the buses or subway. Price is £12 (Jan 2015). Single trip fare are very expensive to encourage the use of contactless Oyster cards (£4.80 vs £2.30 with Oyster). If in London for more than a day, it makes sense to get an Oyster card for a refundable £5 where the daily rate is capped to £6.40 for zones 1-2.

As an alternative to an Oyster card, contactless credit cards (Amex, Mastercard and Visa) and devices (Google Pay and Apple Pay) may work and rates are capped. https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/how-to-pay-and-where-to-buy-tickets-and-oyster/pay-as-you-go/contactless-and-mobile-pay-as-you-go

• Houses of Parliament/Big Ben - Interesting tours of the parliament are available in the summer. Tube Westminster.
• Westminster Abbey - Unlike most churches in Europe, churches in England tend to have admission fees. Adjacent to Parliament. Entry £16. http://www.westminster-abbey.org/
• Piccadily Circus/Leicester Square - This area is London's main theater district. Chinatown is to the north of Leicester Square.
• Trafalgar Square - This large square is home to the National Gallery (free).
• South Bank Walk - A nice riverfront promenade through central London. A good route is to start at St Paul's Cathedral, cross the Millenium bridge and then head west to the London Eye.

• St Paul's Cathedral - You can climb up to the dome. Entry £14.50 (Jan 2012). http://www.stpauls.co.uk/
• London Eye - This large ferris wheel has nice views of London. Entry £19 (Jan 2012). http://www.londoneye.com
• Tower of London - This old castle in central London is home to the crown jewels. Entry £20. http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/
• Tower Bridge - Symbolic bridge beside Tower of London. Often mistaken for London Bridge. Observation level in one of the towers. Tower admission £8. http://www.towerbridge.org.uk

Shopping & Restaurants

Dover's main shopping streets are Biggins and High St. Supermarket chains Asda and Morrisons can be found on Bridge St & Charlton Green. There is also a Co-op supermaket off Castle St by the Town Center.

Canterbury has more shopping options including the large Whitefriars Shopping Centre next to the bus terminal. Excellent but expensive fish and chips can be found at City Fish and Chips, 30 St Margaret St.

London's main shopping streets are Regent and Oxford. Covent Garden is a nice area with a covered market and lots of restaurants and shops. Harrod's and Selfridges are two of London's most famous department stores.

Internet

Cafes and restaurants may provide free wifi to customers.

Maps

Dover

Canterbury

Weather

Dover Weather Forecast

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