Dover Accommodation

Port of Dover Eastern Docks Berths
A choice of four passenger ferry companies operate from the Port of Dover
Direct Kent motorway links to the Ferry Terminals at Dover
The White Cliffs of Dover - the best views of the chalky white Dover heritage coast are from the water with the cliffs reaching up to 300 feet in places
Dover Harbour views from Admiralty Point, Dover Castle
White Cliffs & Dover Port views from Dover Castle
Heading towards France. On clear days you can make out the Cap Blanc Nez white cliffs just near Calais, 21 miles across the English Channel

Dover Ferry Calais Boulogne Dunkerque Car Hire Dover Cruise Port

The Port of Dover is one of the busiest leisure passenger ports in the UK, with four main ferry companies offering upto 55 ferry crossings daily across the English Channel. Main Dover Ferry providers include P&O Ferries, SeaFrance, Speedferries and Norfolkline Ferries, and destinations include Calais, Boulogne and Dunkerque. Onboard services on the ferries are particularly good for families, with lots going on for the kids. With UK airports increasingly becoming a nightmare, ferries across to France with your car are both easy on the pocket and stress-free!

Dover is also the UK's second largest Cruise port, with a choice of large cruise liners departing from the now two Terminals at Western Docks. Take your pick from the likes of Fred Olsen, Saga, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Hurtigruten for cruises around Norway, the Mediterranean and Caribbean, Greenland and more. Award winning on-site Dover Marina offers three large berthing areas with a wide selection of facilities including leisure facilities and shops. Transport services in and out of the Port of Dover couldn't be better, with excellent road links direct from the M20/A20 and M2/A2, and a regular shuttle bus service operates from Eastern Docks to nearby Dover Priory Station for London or other Kent links.

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Dover Port & Marina, Dover Parking & Car Hire

With four major ferry companies and a host of big name cruise companies operating at the Port of Dover, this port is a busy one. Continuous upgrade and improvement have included a second Terminal 2 serving cruise liners at Western Docks established in 2000 catering for increasing demand. The Port of Dover has more than kept up with the times.

The two main passenger dock areas - Eastern Docks and Western Docks have modern terminals with numerous facilities including shops, restaurants, bars, currency exchange and lounges. During school holidays passenger services facilities are open 24 hours. Regular shuttle bus services depart from Dover Priory station around every 20 minutes direct to the Eastern Docks and for passengers wanting to connect by rail to London the train journey from Dover Priory Station takes around 2 hours.

A choice of car hire Dover companies are based in arrivals at Eastern Docks including big names Hertz, Avis, Europcar, National & Alamo and Enterprise. See their individual webguide for prices. Secure on-site parking at Dover is extensive, and you can book car parking online via the Port of Dover webguide. Free parking drop-off at the Travel Centre is restricted to 15 minutes. A comprehensive Dover Port guide leaflet, with maps of both Dover and the relevant cross channel ports is via the Port of Dover webguide. Dover Marina is within the port complex and offers three outstanding berth areas for yachts and pleasure boats. The Marina holds the coverted 5 Gold Anchor Award and offers excellent facilities including on-site shops, 24 hour surveillance CCTV, fresh water and electricity, broadband access and on-site yacht club. See the Port of Dover's webguide for more details and berthing tariffs for both long and short stays.

Port of Dover, Harbour House, Dover Kent CT17 9BU. Tel. 00 44 (0)1304 241427.

Dover Ferry to Calais, Boulogne & Dunkerque

Four ferry companies operate at Dover Port, with two ferry companies offering a frequent daily ferry service to Calais, one to Dunkerque and the other to Boulogne. Which one you choose will be dependent on taste, circumstance, convenient crossing times and special offer availability best price. Norfolkline, P&O and SeaFrance (the longer ferry journies) offer better onboard facilities for children with play areas, video games and often staff on hand to supervise especially in school holidays. The fast Speedferries 50 minute Dover to Boulogne crossing has less facilities onboard for children, as you'd expect with the faster crossing, however there's a cafe and boutique gift shop. Dunkerque is better situated for pushing on by car to Holland and Belgium, whilst the Dover to Calais or Boulogne offer fast French motorway connection to Paris and Disneyland Paris. P&O ferries offer the most frequent (upto 25 sailings daily) service from Dover to Calais.

On all ferry services from Dover you can take your car across (with foot passenger only service also offered, and special deals for daytrip returns). For detailed information on each of the Dover Ferry companies offering ferry routes to France check their individual webguides and online booking service for details. The choice is huge, Dover is one the UK's busiest ports, so you can pretty much choose the ferry crossing time and date to suit you. With no luggage restrictions, few delays and excellent value rates for families pushing on to skiing holidays or Disneyland Paris, shopping trips in Calais and more, cross channel ferries are back in vogue again as airports clog up with delays. This is a relaxing and non-stressful way to take a family holiday in France and Europe!

Dover ferry companies include SeaFrance offering Dover to Calais in just over 2 hours with around 15 sailings daily each way, P&O Ferries Dover to Calais in 90 minutes with upto 25 crossings daily each way, Norfolkline Ferries Dover to Dunkerque in 1 hour and 45 minutes with upto 12 sailings daily each way and finally Speedferries offering the fast Dover to Boulogne service from the Hoverport at Dover taking 50 minutes with upto 5 crossings daily each way varying through the year from 3 to 5 sailings.

Norfolkline Ferries operate from Dover Eastern Docks to Dunkerque, Eastern Docks, Dover, CT16 1JA Kent. P&O Ferries, Travel Centre, Eastern Docks, Dover, Kent CT16 1JA and SeaFrance also operate from the Eastern Docks Ferry Port, whilst SpeedFerries services operate from the Hoverport at the Western Docks. Both Western and Eastern Dover Dock areas are clearly signposted off the direct Motorway links in Kent including the M20/A20 and M2/A2 bypassing Dover town centre. Both the Western and Eastern Docks areas have ample facilities listed in detail via the Port of Dover Passenger Services Buildings guide (see Port of Dover webguide right).

Cruise Holidays from Dover

Dover is a port centre for Cruise Holidays, Britain's second biggest cruise port. Two terminals situated in Western Docks serve the many cruise ship companies operating here, alongside a Port of Call area. Dover now has the capacity to play host to upto three huge cruise liners at any one time!

You've a huge choice of Cruise companies offering cruises departing from Dover. Choose from weekend cruises to Belgium or the Norwegian Fiords and Waterfalls to long haul 21 days of heaven on Caribbean or Mediterranean Cruises. A number of big name cruise operaters offer a choice of cruises from Dover including Fred Olsen, Norwegian Cruise Line, Saga Cruises and lesser known more wild cruise offered by the likes of Hurtigruten who can whisk you on a tour of the Antarctic, Greenland and elsewhere.

The Dover Port website (link right) offers a comprehensive search database for cruises operating out of Dover. Alternatively check some of the Cruise company webguides listed right. There's some superb deals on cruises, especially if you book well ahead.

For more information on cruise holidays from Dover Port/Western Docks Terminal 1 and 2, download the Cruise Holiday leaflet via the Port of Dover's website.