Things to do in Dover

[ohmyminnie]

We are on the August 11-night Northern European Cruise, ending in Dover. Is it worth spending a night or two in Dover post-cruise? Any recommendations on hotels/acitivities? If we do, it is easy to get transportation back to London for our flights home? Thanks!

 

[BadPinkTink]

Dover is mainly a commercial port whose main business is both passenger ferries and cargo ships to France and international cargo ships. Dover is one of the main ports for cargo into The UK both from Europe and international. The cruise part is a very small part of Dover port.

Dover village / town is a very historic area, with a castle and the famous White Cliffs. Most people find a half day in the area they can see most of what is of interest.

You will need to take a train from Dover port to London St Pancreas and then take the underground Piccadilly Line from the next door station Kings Cross to Heathrow.

Many USA people don't like the idea of taking the train and hauling their own luggage and arrange private transport from Dover Port to Heathrow or London or other parts of England.

Most USA people see the Dover area before the cruise, then go to London or other parts of England after the cruise before flying back to USA.

 

[ohmyminnie]

Dover is mainly a commercial port whose main business is both passenger ferries and cargo ships to France and international cargo ships. Dover is one of the main ports for cargo into The UK both from Europe and international. The cruise part is a very small part of Dover port.

Dover village / town is a very historic area, with a castle and the famous White Cliffs. Most people find a half day in the area they can see most of what is of interest.

You will need to take a train from Dover port to London St Pancreas and then take the underground Piccadilly Line from the next door station Kings Cross to Heathrow.

Many USA people don't like the idea of taking the train and hauling their own luggage and arrange private transport from Dover Port to Heathrow or London or other parts of England.

Most USA people see the Dover area before the cruise, then go to London or other parts of England after the cruise before flying back to USA.

Thanks! We start in Copenhagen and end in Dover. We will probably just head to London after since that sounds easier, but wanted to explose my options.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Thanks! We start in Copenhagen and end in Dover. We will probably just head to London after since that sounds easier, but wanted to explose my options.

You will be off the ship in the early morning. I'm not sure if there is anywhere to store luggage at Dover train station, but you could research that. If you find somewhere to store luggage you could spend the morning, up to lunch time in Dover and then get the train to London in afternoon / evening. The train to London is about 2 hours.

 

[dcassetta]

Dover Castle is worth a visit, and you might also consider a stop at Leeds Castle or Canterbury on your way to London.

There are companies that offer post-cruise tours. We have not done this personally, but friends booked a tour where they traveled in a nice mini-bus and had time at both Leeds and Canterbury before arriving in London about 6pm.

 

[ohmyminnie]

Thanks!

 

[CarolynU]

If you wanted to see Dover Castle ( which is mostly ruins but is steeped in history) then I would suggest staying at the Premier Inn on Dover seafront and then either walk up a very steep hill or take a cab.
Or alternatively give Dover a miss and stay overnight near Leeds Castle and visit here which has extensive grounds as well as the castle interior and a maze.
Or alternatively head straight to London for your flight.
Trains are possible or for a car service I can recommend a local company who I always use for this journey. I do it frequently as I’m local.
If I can help in any way let me know.

 

[ohmyminnie]

If you wanted to see Dover Castle ( which is mostly ruins but is steeped in history) then I would suggest staying at the Premier Inn on Dover seafront and then either walk up a very steep hill or take a cab.
Or alternatively give Dover a miss and stay overnight near Leeds Castle and visit here which has extensive grounds as well as the castle interior and a maze.
Or alternatively head straight to London for your flight.
Trains are possible or for a car service I can recommend a local company who I always use for this journey. I do it frequently as I’m local.
If I can help in any way let me know.

Thanks! I'm not sure if it is allowed, but I would like to know the name of the car service if possible.

 

[Intr3pid]

You can also arrange private and shared transfers which will stop at a few sightseeing attractions on the way to London. If you have Harry Potter fans in your family, here is one we did in 2019 after this repositioning cruise:
https://www.internationalfriends.co...s-studio-tour-the-making-of-harry-potter.html

 

[ohmyminnie]

You can also arrange private and shared transfers which will stop at a few sightseeing attractions on the way to London. If you have Harry Potter fans in your family, here is one we did in 2019 after this repositioning cruise:
https://www.internationalfriends.co...s-studio-tour-the-making-of-harry-potter.html

Great! I will definitely check them out. Thank you.

 

[iannovich]

We arrived the day before our cruise and stayed overnight at the Churchill Guest House which is at the foot of the (steep) road leading up to the castle. We had essentially a private apartment in what would have been a basement. It was fantastic. We walked up and toured around Dover Castle, the WWII Command Tunnels, and walked along the cliffs. We had dinner in a nearby Pub (Blakes of Dover) and explored around the town a bit. There were still a few things that we didn't get to, but we hit the major things we wanted to in the day we had there. We looked at a lot of options for getting from London to Dover and ended up taking a bus. It was much more economical than the train but took waaaaaaaay longer than they said it would. I might do it again, but this time knowing that I'd need to double the estimated travel time they advertise. The ride itself was pleasant enough. And luckily we were staying in London overnight before heading back so had plenty of cushion both ways.

 

[ohmyminnie]

We arrived the day before our cruise and stayed overnight at the Churchill Guest House which is at the foot of the (steep) road leading up to the castle. We had essentially a private apartment in what would have been a basement. It was fantastic. We walked up and toured around Dover Castle, the WWII Command Tunnels, and walked along the cliffs. We had dinner in a nearby Pub (Blakes of Dover) and explored around the town a bit. There were still a few things that we didn't get to, but we hit the major things we wanted to in the day we had there. We looked at a lot of options for getting from London to Dover and ended up taking a bus. It was much more economical than the train but took waaaaaaaay longer than they said it would. I might do it again, but this time knowing that I'd need to double the estimated travel time they advertise. The ride itself was pleasant enough. And luckily we were staying in London overnight before heading back so had plenty of cushion both ways.

This is very helpful. Thanks so much!

 

[CarolynU]

Thanks! I'm not sure if it is allowed, but I would like to know the name of the car service if possible.

Hi
The company is called Airlink Cars.
Airlinkcars@yahoo.com
The owner is Andy Stone.
He is very professional and reliable.
He has a variety of size cars and people carriers.
I first used him years ago and use him regularly now. The latest time was to London Gatwick return last month and before that was back in October London Heathrow and return. Naturally he also does single jointed too. Hope that’s useful.

 

[CarolynU]

Single journeys.

 

[Annabell]

We visited Canterbury on the way to London and that was lovely. We did hire a carservice so it was easy to do a stop.

 

[ohmyminnie]

Hi
The company is called Airlink Cars.
Airlinkcars@yahoo.com
The owner is Andy Stone.
He is very professional and reliable.
He has a variety of size cars and people carriers.
I first used him years ago and use him regularly now. The latest time was to London Gatwick return last month and before that was back in October London Heathrow and return. Naturally he also does single jointed too. Hope that’s useful.

Thanks. Just ran a search and it said permanently closed. I just sent them an email so we'll see.

 

[CarolynU]

Thanks. Just ran a search and it said permanently closed. I just sent them an email so we'll see.

No definitely not permanently closed . I only used him a week ago.
Try https://www.airlinkcars.com/

 

[CarolynU]

If you are still having problems and wish me to I can get in touch with him and get him to contact you.

 

[ohmyminnie]

If you are still having problems and wish me to I can get in touch with him and get him to contact you.

Thanks! He already replied to me and said he is definitely open. There was confusion because there was a company in Scotland with a very similar name that is now closed. He sent me his contact info.

 

[CarolynU]

Thanks! He already replied to me and said he is definitely open. There was confusion because there was a company in Scotland with a very similar name that is now closed. He sent me his contact info.

Perfect. I have used him numerous times and he never lets me down. Always on time.