Pre-Cruise Tour from London to Dover Port via Dover Castle
4.1
18 Ratings
London

Combine your pre-cruise transfer from Heathrow or London to Dover with an optional visit to one of the world’s most impressive and dramatic landmarks, Dover Castle.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

After completing the hotel pick ups we head east into the county of Kent, known as the ‘Garden of England’, full of freshly grown produce, orchards, vineyards, market gardens and hop fields. Our scenic drive takes us to the south eastern corner of England to our destination, Dover Cruise Terminals. On arrival in Dover we make a photo stop at the Battle of Britain Memorial. Sitting on top of the famous White Cliffs of Dover, the memorial offers stunning views across the English channel to France. A peaceful place, dedicated to the heroes who fought in the skies above Kent in the Battle of Britain in World War Two. Upon the cliff tops stand replicas of the famous Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes and the names of those small band of pilots who succeeded in the Allied victory of The Battle of Britain in 1940. Subject to opening times

Next stop will be at the impressive Dover Castle. A medieval castle, founded in the 12th century and widely known as the ‘lock and key to England’ due to its defensive significance and key role in many wars and battles!

If you choose not to enter the Castle, there will be a 10 minute photo stop, followed by a direct transfer to the nearby cruise terminal. You will arrive at your ship at approximately 11:30am - 12:00pm.

If you choose to enter Dover Castle you will have two hours to visit the Castle and grounds, then the coach will be waiting for you at the entrance to take you to the cruise terminal. You will arrive at the ship at approximately 2:00pm.

Dover Castle is the largest, and one of the oldest in England, with parts dating back to the Roman occupations, the fortress has proved critical in battles and wars spread over centuries. Perhaps the most famous feat of Dover Castle was throughout World War II, where the Castle housed an underground hospital built into the chalk cliffs and the command centre responsible for coordinating the world renowned evacuation of the beaches of Dunkirk, Operation Dynamo. The castle has outstanding views across the English Channel to France and boasts a 2,000 year old lighthouse built by the Romans!

Don’t forget to reserve your entry tickets online at the time of booking, to avoid the main queues. Please be aware that the entrance to Dover Castle from the coach park does require an uphill walk which may not be suitable to passengers with walking difficulties.

Upon arrival at the port you will walk straight to the check in desk. Porters will take care of your luggage, ensuring it is delivered to your cabin. Please make sure you use the luggage label in your cruise pack to facilitate this.

Points of Interest

  • London
What's Included
  • Maximum of 2 items of hold luggage (23kg each) and 1 item of carry-on luggage (10kg) per person
  • Services of a tour manager
  • One-way shared transfer
  • Photo stop at the Battle of Britain memorial
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and drinks
  • Entrance to Dover Castle is not included
Additional Information
  • Each person is allowed a maximum of 2 items of hold luggage (75x51x28 cm - 23kg each) and 1 item of carry-on luggage (55x40x20 cm - 10kg each). If you bring extra luggage it will not fit in the vehicle. In this instance you will be responsible for arranging separate transportation for your luggage to your cruise ship.
  • Should you wish to bring any mobility aids (wheelchairs or walkers) you MUST contact the operator in advance and provide full dimensions and weight. These items must be able to be folded and stored in the luggage hold. Wheelchairs must be counted as 1 item of your hold luggage.
Location
London
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.1
(18 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Doombuggie
Sep 4, 2023
Hotel to port transfer - We booked the hotel to Dover cruise port transfer with a side-excursion to Dover Castle. Sharon was our guide and Paul our bus driver. They collect you from your hotel in smaller vehicle and pool you at a larger location to get on a large motor coach (which for us was near the Tower of London). First driver was actually early and was great as he pointed out a lot of things during that short trip (unfortunately I didn't grab his name). The only hiccup of the day was that there was some mistake done with the bookings and several tour participants were scheduled on this bus but they shouldn't have been given where their hotel was located. So we sat on the bus and waited probably a good hour+ trying to track these people down and then eventually to wait for them to grab a cab to where we were. I felt bad for Sharon and Paul as they made the best of it and I know it was a very stressful situation for them. Clearly International Friends bakes extra time into their schedules as we still got to the castle on time (I would assume this is typically to account for for traffic delays and not administrative mistakes like this one though). Please note that you should have your cruise luggage tags affixed to your luggage by the time you are picked up at your hotel. Once they drop off the people that purchased the Dover Castle excursion, they take the other people plus all of the luggage to the porters at the port, then come back and pick up the side-excursion people and take them to the port. If you choose to carry on your own luggage (vs using the porters) and are doing the castle excursion they said that they will leave any untagged luggage on the bus when they initially go to the port so that you can take it yourself later, but clearly this isn't the norm. On our bus, one person had had luggage that wasn't tagged (intentionally) so they did not give it over to the porters, but this clearly threw off the guide/driver (they were worried it was a mistake). Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to use International Friends again and appreciated the ease of the hotel-to-port transfer.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Extramochafilm
Sep 17, 2019
Best Value Transfer - Only disappointed I didn't purchase this for both before and after cruise! Guide and driver were excellent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
William
Sep 7, 2015
Very excellent. On time considering... - <p>Very excellent. On time considering London traffic</p>
Review provided by Viator
Patricia
Aug 4, 2015
Very good but there was a ferry struck... - <p>Very good but there was a ferry struck which caused a traffic nightmare and reduced the tour. Only had a chance to view the Dover castle from a parking lot to take pictures. No time to go to the grounds</p>
Review provided by Viator
Robert
Aug 20, 2014
Picked us up at small hotel, did spend... - <p>Picked us up at small hotel, did spend an hour or so driving around picking up from different hotels as driver pointed out various buildings/gave history on different areas of London, dover castle was well worth the visit, got us to ship after the crowds had died down</p>
Review provided by Viator
Kensey_d
Aug 24, 2023
Good experience - The driver was an hour late, but it wasn’t their fault. The air museum was nice. The castle was pretty, but if you’re someone with mobility issues it’s definitely a hike to go see it.
Review provided by Viator
Kristen_b
Jun 14, 2023
Dover Castle - Only issue, not enough time at Dover Castle. We only had 2 hours there but you need 3 hours. It's super interesting.
Review provided by Viator
Leslie_n
Sep 5, 2023
Bad communication - We were misinformed of the pick up time which led to a very stressful morning not knowing if we were going to be picked up at all. Didn’t have very much time at the castle because of so many other pick ups. Horrible communication between customer service and us.
Review provided by Viator
Elizabeth_f
Sep 4, 2023
Too long! - We got picked up at our hotel at 7:15 am, got to Heathrow at 9:15 after picking ip others, hit traffic on our way to Dover, bus driver needed two breaks. Just tooooo long! We were exhausted from the length of the ride! Had no stops for the battlefield. Would not recommend for the cost! Bus driver and guide were bery nice and professional, but I didn’t care for it. I should have hired a private car for less money!!!
Review provided by Viator
Heather_p
Jul 2, 2022
Be in good shape/fit - Bus driver very helpful..guide cancelled ..long walk and 122 steep steps to get into castle but beautiful views..not a good tour for elderly.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 9 guests
1 Adult
July 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today