Dover Shore Excursion:Post-Cruise Tour to London via Canterbury and Leeds Castle
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Dover, England
- 8 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Combine a transfer to London with a sightseeing adventure with this transfer from the port at Dover to London. Visit Canterbury and gaze at the towering spire of the grand Cathedral before continuing to Leeds Castle, wrapping up with a convenient drop-off at Heathrow or select London hotels.
- A perfect way to make the most of your transfer to London
- Enjoy door-to-door transfers in an executive coach
- Admission to Leeds Castle is included
- Get dropped off at Heathrow or head straight into London
What's Included
- One-way transport by executive coach
- Port pickup and hotel drop-off at selected Heathrow Airport and London hotels.
- Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee
- Entry to Leeds Castle & Gardens
- Maximum of 2 items of hold luggage (23kg each) and 1 item of carry-on luggage (10kg) per person.
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees: Canterbury Cathedral
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Dover Cruise TerminalWestern Docks, Dover CT17 9DQ, UK
This service is available on all dates when Princess, Carnival or Holland America cruise ships are visiting Dover.
End points
This activity ends in a different location. See details below:
Operating hours.8:00 am
Itinerary
Greet your courteous guide at your Dover cruise port and climb aboard a luxury coach destined for the picturesque county of Kent. Listen to insightful commentary and admire scenic countryside during the drive, and then embark on a guided sightseeing tour on arrival in Canterbury.
As you stroll amid grand buildings and ancient historical monuments, gain fascinating insight into the city’s rich historical heritage and opt to visit the incredible Canterbury Cathedral (own expense) during some leisurely free time.
At a time prearranged with your guide, return to your vehicle for the short journey to Leeds Castle, a majestic fortress regularly hailed as the loveliest castle in the world. Receive an insightful introduction to the castle’s colorful past and hear anecdotes dating back to the 9th century.
Spend a relaxed three hours exploring the beautiful grounds and opulent chambers of the castle; see impressive libraries, distinctive water features, and an eccentric museum filled with antique dog collars. Attempt to conquer the complicated maze and opt to dine on a traditional English lunch (own expense) before reconvening with your guide at a prearranged time.
Travel onward to London via the rich area of Greenwich; allow your attention to be directed to iconic landmarks like the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory before passing over Tower Bridge to your centrally located London hotel.
Worry-free Shore Excursion: If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
As you stroll amid grand buildings and ancient historical monuments, gain fascinating insight into the city’s rich historical heritage and opt to visit the incredible Canterbury Cathedral (own expense) during some leisurely free time.
At a time prearranged with your guide, return to your vehicle for the short journey to Leeds Castle, a majestic fortress regularly hailed as the loveliest castle in the world. Receive an insightful introduction to the castle’s colorful past and hear anecdotes dating back to the 9th century.
Spend a relaxed three hours exploring the beautiful grounds and opulent chambers of the castle; see impressive libraries, distinctive water features, and an eccentric museum filled with antique dog collars. Attempt to conquer the complicated maze and opt to dine on a traditional English lunch (own expense) before reconvening with your guide at a prearranged time.
Travel onward to London via the rich area of Greenwich; allow your attention to be directed to iconic landmarks like the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory before passing over Tower Bridge to your centrally located London hotel.
Worry-free Shore Excursion: If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.
The White Cliffs of Dover (Pass By)
1
Canterbury Cathedral
2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included
2
Leeds Castle
3 hours • Admission Ticket Included
3
London
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 12 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- If you are staying in Central London districts, drop offs will begin at 4.30pm.
- We are able to offer drop off at any London city centre hotel, guest house or air bnb.
- If you are staying in a London Heathrow airport hotel, you will be dropped off from 6pm. For other London airport hotels you will be dropped at Victoria Station, where there are trains and buses to all four major airports
- Most major hotels have coach access, but some smaller hotels and apartments are in pedestrian areas or on very narrow roads that a large bus cannot access. In these cases, you will be dropped off as close to your accommodation as possible, but it may require a short walk with your luggage
- Please note that Canterbury Cathedral is a working religious building, and is sometimes subject to last minute closures
- 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.
- This service is available on all dates when Princess, Carnival or Holland America cruise ships are visiting Dover.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.3
based on 63 reviews
Kathleen_W, Aug 2025
A wonderful experience, very professional and friendly tour guide who made everything more interesting with her insights and knowledge. Our friendly driver was also excellent
Cynthia_P, Jul 2025
We had a great time on this post-cruise tour from Dover and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and scenic way to spend the day before heading to London. The stops at Canterbury and Leeds Castle were well chosen, and both offered unique experiences.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and did a fantastic job leading the walking tour through Canterbury. However, we felt that the walking tour could have been shorter—perhaps about half the length—as it left us with very limited time to explore the stunning Canterbury Cathedral on our own. A bit more free time there would have made the visit even more enjoyable.
Leeds Castle was a highlight! We felt the timing there was just about right—maybe even slightly more than we needed—but it was a beautiful and peaceful stop.
The only hiccup was a miscommunication at the beginning of the tour. We had been told to wait at the cruise terminal for a driver holding a sign that said “International Friends,” and the terminal staff advised us to stay put. However, the driver was actually waiting in the parking lot by the bus, which caused a 30-minute delay for the group. A little clearer communication in advance would have helped avoid the confusion.
Despite that, the tour was well organized overall, and we were very pleased to be dropped off right at our London hotel with our luggage in tow. This tour is a convenient and enjoyable option for anyone disembarking in Dover and looking to make the most of their travel day.
Richard_L, Jun 2025
Great experience. Enjoyed the ease of getting off the ship and loading luggage on the bus. Canterbury Cathedral was amazing.
Leeds Castle was also cool.
Kathryn_C, Jun 2025
A glitch at the start about meeting places cost us almost an hour 🙁. After that, the rest of the day was good! We enjoyed Canterbury Cathedrsl and Leeds Castle on our way back to London. Kudos to our driver Tony, who did an awesome job in terrible London traffic. Got us safely to the hotel by 5:30.
ellen_g, Jun 2025
Leeds Castle and Canterbury Cathedral wonderful!
English was not our tour guides first language, and she was difficult to understand.
Instead of dropping us off at Heathrow hotel, bus drove to London city center to drop off people. Then we had to switch to a van to go to Heathrow hotel. This took additional 2 hours. There was confusion at Dover port in the morning with guide so bus left an hour late so we were rushed all day.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Good Morning,
thank you for your review. I have discussed your comments with staff involved and have also checked the vehicles Tacho Graph which is a legal requirement on coaches in the UK. This gives us full information on the vehicles movements and timings. I can see that the vehicle left Dover port at 08:45am which is just 15 minutes past the scheduled departure time, not 1 hour. We always factor in additional time into itineraries to allow for slight delays across the day.
The route from Kent takes us into south london. The nature of booking a shared transfer does unfortunately mean there are other passengers to drop off in addition to yourself. We utilise smaller vehicles to help speed up this process, which is why you were transferred into a smaller vehicle to take you to Heathrow.
We're sorry you were disappointed with your experience but thank you for taking the time to share your feedback
stephen_r, Jun 2025
We got lucky and had a private tour by Maxine(Max). She was very knowledgeable and we had a fantastic tour.
We all enjoyed the spacious vehicle and all the details provided. We took some very beautiful routes, stopping along the way for pictures.
Max was great. The driver Paul was a good driver and he provided highlights along the route back.
kara_p, Aug 2024
Canterbury was the best of the two. I would give 4.5 if I could. Should spend more time there and add another hour. Did not get to see everything after taking the time to tour the cathedral. The time in Leeds should be shortened, although beautiful, was done touring with time to spare. Tour guide was awesome!! Bus driver into London was friendly and information. Highly recommend just make sure to go faster through the cathedral for more town views. My group all felt the same reverse time allowed in the towns.
Terrence_E, Aug 2024
Our guide was waiting for us as we got off the ship. The tour bus was very comfortable. Enjoyed driving by Dover Castle on the way to Canterbury . We really enjoyed our tour of this wonderful place and wished we could have had lunch there.
It was a beautiful day to visit Leeds Castle which was very nice.
Liz our tour guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable. A wonderful experience.
Alexia_L, Jul 2024
Places where good. First guide ok, second guide not very good. Timing was off, we ended up arriving very late to our hotel and missing anothee tour.
On the bright side, Leeds castle is a must.
Cathy_R, Jul 2024
Great tour for after a cruise. Allowed for sightseeing of great places we would have overlooked had we not booked this tour. Picked up right at the pier after saying so long to our cruise. Excellent transfer for drop off at our hotel after the tour.
Tiffany_S, Jul 2024
Fantastic tour at the end of our cruise back to the airport. When we got off the ship we just asked where was the tour for International Friends, as they tried to send us to the area for Carnival Tours. The guide was very sweet and knowledgeable, and I'm sorry but I forgot her name, but she said she lived in Canterbury. She was on time waiting for everyone even though the bus got sent to the wrong area by the port staff (the Carnival tour area). The bus was luxury and plenty of room. And the driver was attentive to helping us with all our luggage. Canterbury, even on a Sunday when you couldn't get in to see the cathedral due to services, was the most charming adventure. We were allowed time to shop, there was a street market going on, and we had time to grab some coffee. Then on to Leeds Castle, which was very charming and again, we had plenty of time to tour the castle and eat on the property grounds for a proper Sunday Roast. International Friends did a great job getting everyone to their final destination for the end of the trip whether it was central London, Heathrow or Gatwick. HIGHLY recommend this as an option for getting back to the airport after your cruise if you're flying out the next day.
James_S, Jul 2024
Probably most importantly, a great job was done in getting all passengers and luggage on the proper busses and and from the disembarkment terminal to the proper end point whether it was the airport or hotel. I applaud and appreciate the effort.
The tour itself and the effort by the tour guide was good. I do not like walking tours where one must stay close to the tour guide in order to hear and understand the commentary. That was certainly the case for the Canterbury tour; but, not so with the Leeds tour where we were dropped off and toured on our own with audio headsets.
Rachelle_S, Jun 2024
Actual tour was awesome plenty of time to explore, very knowledgeable tour guide. Driver was great too. The only recommendation for them would be to find a more efficient way to offload luggage at drop offs (maybe segment order of luggage in order of stops)?
Otherwise we really enjoyed the trip!
sonjastephenson2010, Jun 2024
This was a great excursion right after getting off the cruise ship. It was easy to locate the bus after going through customs..The tour guide and bus driver were wonderful. It was so convenient to drop us off at the hotel.
Ray_F, Jun 2024
The actual tour was great! But being dropped off in London was not so great! The bus driver dropped us off at a hotel in London and someone else was supposed to pick us along with others. One minivan showed up to pickup a dozen people along with luggage! Finally the company paid for cabs for all of us! It was not comfortable feeling being dropped off in a large city with no transportation!
Valerie_T, Jun 2024
Very well run tour with time to explore Canterbury a bit, and ample time to explore Leeds Castle and the grounds. Drop off at airport hotel was very convenient. A great way to end the cruise.
Noma_F, Sep 2023
The Millers Arms in Canterbury was a nice place to have tea while waiting for the more able-bodied members of the tour to return.
Gary_M, Sep 2023
Yvonne is very knowledgeable. She is very friendly and kind. We very enjoy the trip. Carl is an excellent driver.
David_P, Sep 2023
Well informed guide, enough time at both stops to appreciate the beautiful history and architecture.
Karen_B, Sep 2023
Mike was a great storyteller and historian for everything we saw. I felt like he gave us titbits about historical events no one else would have. My only regret was not spending more time at Leeds there was so much to see. Will was a good driver.
Sue_S, Sep 2023
We found this excursion to be wonderful and convenient with pick up at the cruise port and drop off at our hotel. Yvonne, our guide, was very knowledgeable. She truly made sure we had a comfortable experience. Cal, our driver, navigated the traffic effectively. Both stops were pretty awesome. The tour allowed plenty of time for exploring and enjoying the sights.
Lance_S, Sep 2023
Guide was amazing trip exactly what I expected. Bus was comfortable dropped right at my hotel door. Great way back I to town
Diane_C, Aug 2023
Don’t go on a Sunday. No cathedral access and shops closed. Cathedral under renovation so no good photos either.
Janet_A, Jul 2023
A nice tour but I think more time should have been spent at Canterbury rather than Leeds castle. Canterbury town was cute and I would have liked more time to explore.
One item - I paid extra funds for us to be dropped off at our hotel. We were moved from the tour bus to a small van. Six adults (rather large men) was way too many. It was an uncomfortable ride for 90 minutes. I was not happy. Terrible end to a decent tour day.
Lorena_B, Jul 2023
This was an outstanding tour. The standouts to me was the knowledge of the tour guide and the amount of free time allowed at each place to explore on your own if desired. At the end of tour the guide even helped carry our luggage into hotel. Definitely one of the very BEST tours I have ever taken
Jackie_H, Jun 2023
Great tour after our cruise! They took us to amazing castles and then dropped us off at our hotel! Great deal!
Anonymous, Jun 2023
This is definitely no better way to get from the cruise terminal to London. Our guide was wonderful and she was from Canterbury so she gave personal insight into the area. We were given just enough time on our own to explore Canterbury and then we were off to Leeds Castle which was AMAZING!
Tina_B, Jun 2023
Plenty of free time and knowledgeable guide. Hotel drop off from port to hotel was convenient. It was confusing finding the bus on debarkation.
Suzi_D, Jun 2023
This was a good way to get from the port to London and see a bit more of England along the way. The tour company was very organized, and in addition to the history and info the guide provided, we had a decent amount of time on our own at each stop to explore a bit. They were able to drop us off directly in front of our hotel.
Hail_D, Jun 2023
Guide was a great speaker with such knowledge of the areas. Bus driver was funny and a great driver.
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