Ferries to Dover

The Dover ferry port is in the county of Kent, at the narrowest point of the English Channel. From here you can reach Calais and Dunkirk. Together the connections add up to as many as 82 departures a day, with crossings taking between 1.75 and 2 hours. The port is served by DFDS, Irish Ferries and P&O Ferries.

Getting there and the terminal

All ferries depart from the Eastern Docks east of the town. Coming from London, you take the M20, which becomes the A20 at Folkestone; stay on it to the Eastern Docks roundabout and turn left into the terminal. Coming via the M2, continue from Faversham on the A2 to the same roundabout and turn right. It's around 110 kilometres from London.

There's no parking on the port grounds themselves: the port explicitly directs drivers to private providers outside. Foot passengers go to the Passenger Terminal at the Eastern Docks, which has a taxi rank, coach stop and a drop-off car park; a shuttle bus takes you from there to the ship. The nearest railway station is Dover Priory, a good mile away and about a 25-minute walk. Bus route 66 takes around 30 minutes from the station to the Eastern Docks.

Check-in

Allow at least an hour. With DFDS, check-in for Calais and Dunkirk generally closes 60 minutes before the scheduled departure; the company doesn't carry foot passengers on these routes. Irish Ferries also requires an hour for cars, vans and motorhomes, 90 minutes with a pet, and two hours for coaches. After that, French border checks still follow within the port, taking place before boarding on the British side. In high season, DFDS recommends arriving two hours before check-in closes.