Pre-Cruise Tour from London to Dover Port via Dover Castle

London, England

6 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Ensure a stress-free journey from London Heathrow Airport or your Central London hotel to Dover port with this shore excursion and transfer. Once aboard your shared vehicle, travel into the scenic Kent countryside and visit the Battle of Britain Memorial overlooking the White Cliffs of Dover, and enjoy a two-hour visit to Dover Castle with entry included—all before your cruise departure.

Relax with hassle-free pickup—no more stressing over traffic
Perfect for those less mobile or who prefer less walking
Make your Dover cruise transfer fun and informative
Let your guide worry about the cruise timings while you have fun

What's Included

One-way shared transfer
Services of a tour manager
Photo stop at the Battle of Britain memorial
Maximum of 2 items of hold luggage (23kg each) and 1 item of carry-on luggage (10kg) per person.
Entry to Dover Castle

Gratuities
Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

We collect from selected London city centre and Heathrow airport hotels. Please provide the name and address of your accommodation in the additional information box and we will contact you after booking to confirm whether we can offer pickup directly from your hotel, or to provide a suitable alternative. We will also confirm the time of your pickup.

Drop-off point

Dover Cruise Terminal
Western Docks, Dover CT17 9DQ, UK

Operating hours
.7:00 am

Itinerary

Battle of Britain Memorial

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Dover Castle

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate

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

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Kendra_H

Exceptional! I would highly recommend for anyone looking for a transportation option to Dover. They were kind and courteous to all passengers including those who were late. They waited for them to make sure nobody was left behind.

Reviews

3.9

based on 28 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

The bus got stuck in...

Janice_B, Aug 2025

The bus got stuck in Ferry Traffic we did not have tickets to get admission to Dover Castle so he dropped us off early at the cruise terminal, very disappointed in not being able to go and view the castle.

Waste of money, Disappointing, Avoid!

Christina_L, Aug 2025

Viator should be ashamed of itself with its “Pre-cruise Tour from London to Dover Port via Dover Castle”. After paying $543.67 for 2 adults and 1 child, we absolutely felt had due to Viator’s DELIBERATE, false advertising and deceptive language of “via” the Dover Castle. We realize the Castle ticket was not included, but there was absolutely nothing “via” about this tour. Yes, we could look up (WAY UP) in the distance to vaguely see the Castle, but Viator is straight misleading people with this offering. I urge you, do not waste your money on this. We could’ve paid less for a private transfer and been happier.

U still need to pay...

DANIEL_N, Jul 2025

U still need to pay ticket to enter Dove casltle. The term tour is misleading! Should be label as transportation only

Pre cruise to dover

Steve_B, Apr 2025

Great experience. Our driver/guide was friendly and informative. The stop for the British memorial was good and the castle in Dover was fun

Very happy

Lisa_B, Aug 2024

Driver was great. Very informative, helpful, friendly and efficient. He’s very good at his job. Also very punctual

Great tour.

Sharon_M, Aug 2024

Loved this Tour. Pick up from the Hotel was great, took a tour from Victoria Station and this was was much better. There was a 2 hour delay in the pick-up due to protests and street closures but we were keep informed of what was going on. Bus was very clean and confortable.

Sent such a big bus it didn’t fit. Pickups took far too long.

Philip_s, Jul 2024

They sent a full size bus that was too big to fit on the streets of hotel pickups. If they have pickups at those hotels, they need to send smaller van. As a result, we were on the bus for 4 hours , and the bus driver had to take a mandatory half hour rest. The result was being 3 hours late to Dover Castle and having to race around, not seeing everything at this great attraction. While nice to be picked up at your hotel, it resulted in sitting far too long on the bus. This company needs to understand the vehicles required to fit into the roads hotels are on.

Difficult

Sharon_M, Jul 2024

Did not pick us up at Hotel, bus couldn't get there so we walked 3 blocks with suit cases. I am in my 80's and have RA. Should of picked up with car. The walk up hill to castle is very steep. 30 minutes isn't enought time to do. Would take 3 hours or more. Just use if you are very fit and need to get to cruise

Must do.

Stacey_H, Jul 2024

Convenient pickup from our airport hotel in London Heathrow. The bus was very clean and maintained, and had a functional, accessible, clean bathroom. Our tour guide, Michael, was excellent. Viator obtained our Dover Castle tickets for us which was also very nice. They got us to our cruise ship in good timing. No worries of being late. Thank you very much. 😊

London to Dover

James_S, Jul 2024

The emphasis was certainly on arriving at our destination in Dover on time so we could embark on cruise ships. Picking us up at our London hotel and the handling of our luggage was exceptional and appreciated. The sightseeing service felt like a throw in. Again can’t complain too much as getting us to our ship for embarkation was much more important!

Good transfer tour.

Frederick_K, Jun 2024

The trip was well organized with good communication regarding pick up times. There was no guiding in Dover castle and that would have been helpful. More time in the memorial also needed .

Fantastic

Kendra_H, Jun 2024

Bad communication

Leslie_N, Sep 2023

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.

Too long!

elizabeth_f, Sep 2023

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!!!

Good experience

Kensey_D, Aug 2023

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.

Dover Castle

Kristen_B, Jun 2023

Only issue, not enough time at Dover Castle. We only had 2 hours there but you need 3 hours. It's super interesting.

Be in good shape/fit

Heather_P, Jul 2022

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.

Very excellent. On time considering...

William C, Sep 2015

Very excellent. On time considering London traffic

Very good but there was a ferry struck...

Patricia M, Aug 2015

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

Picked us up at small hotel, did spend...

Robert K, Aug 2014

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

This excursion was great. It made it...

susan r, Sep 2013

This excursion was great. It made it so easy getting to our ship and we loved spending time in Dover Castle/

This was absolutely perfect. If you...

Nancy S, Sep 2013

This was absolutely perfect. If you need a transfer from London to Dover, this worked out perfect for us. Other than spending about 2 hrs on the bus picking up people from hotels, it was well worth it. For us, it appeared the 3 of us were the only ones going to Dover Castle. So after a short stop at the pier to drop off luggage and passengers, the driver took the 3 of us to Dover Castle for our "excursion". I'd say the only negative was there was not enough time. It's a huge place and you need lots of time to explore. We didn't get thru the tunnels, but made the hospital, which is similar. Also have to make the Tower. It was well worth it, becuz we got to do something other than wait on the ship for 5 hrs before departing.

The driver and tour guide were very...

JudieF, Sep 2013

The driver and tour guide were very professional and timely. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour and would recommend it as a post cruise tour.

Trip to Dover was smooth. They arrived...

Elizabeth L N, Aug 2013

Trip to Dover was smooth. They arrived at our hotel earlier than we had been told. Fortunately, we were ready early.

From the time we were picked up at our...

Don, Jul 2013

From the time we were picked up at our hotel to the time we arrived at Dover Castle, 5 hours had passed. It's a two hour trip from London to Dover. The balance of the 5 hours was spent picking up people from other hotels in London, waiting at Victoria Station, and picking up more people from hotels near Heathrow. We enjoyed Dover Castle, and the cost of the transportation from London to Dover was reasonable, but I can't recommend this to anyone. Weigh your options. Dover Castle, itself, was excellent.

Likely to Sell Out