London to Dover cruise port: train, coach, car or your line's transfer

Dover's cruise terminals are in the Western Docks, postcode CT17 9DQ, and the Port of Dover puts the town 76 miles southeast of London. Ships leave from Cruise Terminal 1 or Cruise Terminal 2. The port's FAQ says its cruise schedule shows which one your ship uses. Our schedule has 95 sailings from Dover between April 16, 2027 and October 27, 2028, with Holland America, Seabourn, Carnival, Azamara and Regent Seven Seas. The Dover sailings page lists every one.

From a hotel in central London, the high-speed train is the quickest way down. If you are flying in on sailing day, start with the Heathrow to Dover guide instead.

How do you get from London to Dover cruise port?

By train from St Pancras, then a taxi for the last 2.5 km. The other choices are slower trains from Charing Cross or Victoria, a National Express coach, your cruise line's coach from Victoria Coach Station, or driving and leaving the car with the port's valet parking.

Option	Time to Dover	Cost as published	Suits
High-speed train from St Pancras, then taxi	1 hour 6 to 1 hour 9 minutes direct	Advance single £17.70, Super Off-Peak £43.00, Anytime £58.60. National Rail, searched November 9, 2026	Most people
Train from Charing Cross, then taxi	About 1 hour 52 minutes direct	Advance single £13.20, Super Off-Peak £34.90. National Rail, searched November 9, 2026	A hotel near Charing Cross and a lower fare
Train from Victoria, then taxi	2 hours 7 minutes direct	From £13.20. National Rail, searched November 9, 2026	A hotel near Victoria
National Express coach 007, then taxi	3 hours 30 minutes on the 9:30 am	No fare on the timetable page	Only if the times suit you
Carnival coach from Victoria Coach Station	About 2 hours	From $109.99 a person. Carnival, read November 9, 2026	Carnival guests who want a door-to-ship ride
Holland America coach from Victoria Coach Station	Leaves about 10:30 am	No price on its Dover page	Holland America guests
Drive and park with CPS	76 miles from London	Quote on CPS's website	People with a car

The rail fares are for one adult, one way, on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, the sample day we searched. Your cruise is probably further off. National Rail says Advance tickets usually go on sale up to 12 weeks before travel, so check again once your date is in range.

High-speed train from St Pancras to Dover Priory

Southeastern runs the high-speed trains from London St Pancras International to Dover Priory, the station nearest the cruise terminals. The port puts the trip at 66 minutes. Southeastern's route page gives a typical 1 hour 7 minutes and counts around 42 direct trains a day. The first direct train leaves at 6:37 am Monday to Saturday and 8:37 am on Sunday. The last leaves at 11:37 pm Monday to Saturday and 10:37 pm on Sunday.

On National Rail's journey planner, searched on November 9, 2026 for Tuesday, November 17, the late-morning direct trains left St Pancras at 10:07 am, 11:07 am, 12:04 pm and 1:07 pm. The 10:07 reached Dover Priory at 11:13 am. The trains in between needed one change and took 1 hour 15 or 1 hour 18 minutes.

For the 10:07, the planner showed three single fares on November 9, 2026: an Advance single at £17.70, a Super Off-Peak Day Single at £43.00 and an Anytime Day Single at £58.60. National Rail marked all three as valid on Southeastern's high-speed services.

National Rail says an Advance ticket is valid only on the date and train you book. Changing it costs £10 plus any difference in fare, and it is non-refundable unless the train is delayed or cancelled and you choose not to travel. That works when the plan is fixed, such as a night in London and a morning train. Coming straight from a flight, a late landing can cost you the booked train, and then you buy another ticket.

Slower trains from Charing Cross and Victoria

Southeastern also runs direct trains to Dover Priory from London Charing Cross and London Victoria. They take longer and cost less, and they suit you if your hotel is near either station.

• From Charing Cross. Southeastern counts around 16 direct trains a day and gives about 1 hour 52 minutes. On the November 17 search, the 11:04 am arrived at 12:55 pm, with an Advance single at £13.20, a Super Off-Peak Day Single at £34.90 and an Anytime Day Single at £50.50, as shown on November 9, 2026. National Rail marked these tickets as not valid on the high-speed trains between St Pancras and Ashford.
• From Victoria. On the same search, the direct trains left at 10 minutes past the hour and took 2 hours 7 minutes. The lowest single shown on November 9, 2026 was £13.20 on the 11:10 am.

Buy the ticket for the route you will ride. A Charing Cross ticket does not cover the high-speed train from St Pancras.

From Dover Priory to the cruise terminals

Take a taxi. The port says the terminals are a 30 to 40 minute walk from Dover Priory, and Holland America puts the station 2.5 km from the terminals, five minutes by car. The port and Southeastern both say there is a taxi rank outside the station.

• Taxis. Holland America's Dover page says Uber is not available in Dover and that taxis are limited, especially in the morning. Allow time for a wait at the rank on a busy sailing day.
• Shuttle bus. YMS Travel runs the port's shuttle. On turnaround days, the port says, only a limited service runs, between the cruise terminal and the train station. The port adds that a station shuttle runs on selected dates. Neither the port nor YMS Travel showed a timetable or fare for it on November 9, 2026, so don't build your plan around it.
• At the terminal. The port has baggage handlers to help with luggage. Its FAQ says there is no left-luggage service before or after a cruise and nowhere to buy food or drink in either terminal.

National Express coach from Victoria Coach Station

National Express route 007 runs from Victoria Coach Station to Dover, but not to the port. In the timetable valid from November 9, 2026, the 9:30 am departure reaches Pencester Road bus station in Dover town at 1:00 pm every day of the week, after stops including Lewisham, Canterbury and Folkestone. Four or five coaches run a day. You still need a taxi from Pencester Road to the terminal, so at three and a half hours plus the taxi, the coach is the slowest way to the ship.

Cruise line transfers from central London

Two of the lines sailing from Dover sell a coach from Victoria Coach Station, 164 Buckingham Palace Road, straight to the ship.

• Carnival. One departure, at 11:30 am on embarkation day. Carnival puts the drive at about two hours and lists the transfer from $109.99 a person on its page, read November 9, 2026. You can buy it up to two days before sailing. At the coach station, the departure screens show the bay under Carnival Cruise Line, Dover. Intercruises Shoreside and Port Services runs the coach.
• Holland America. Its Dover port page describes a transfer from the Victoria Coach Station Departures Building at about 10:30 am. It asks guests to arrive by 10:15 am and look for staff with a Holland America Line sign. The page shows no price. Holland America's FAQ says transfers run on embarkation and disembarkation days only and that unused transfers are not refundable.

For airport transfers from these and the other Dover lines, see the Heathrow to Dover guide.

Driving to Dover and cruise parking

The Port of Dover has on-site, undercover valet parking run by Cruise and Passenger Services, CPS, which takes bookings through its call center or website. CPS's Dover page explains how it works.

1. Drive to the cruise terminal. The postcode for satnav is CT17 9DQ.
2. CPS staff book the car in, photograph it and give you a barcode receipt. You go to check in for the cruise.
3. A CPS driver takes the car to the secure car park inside the port.
4. Coming back, hand the receipt in at the key collection point. Marshals direct you to the car.

CPS's Dover page showed no prices on November 9, 2026. For a price, use the quote form on its website.

If someone is driving you, the port's FAQ says passengers can be dropped off at the terminal but there are no waiting areas inside the port.

Getting back to London after the cruise

The port says taxis wait at the ranks outside both terminals when a cruise comes in. Take one to Dover Priory for the train, which runs the same routes in reverse. Carnival's coach to Victoria Coach Station leaves the port at 8:00 am on debarkation day.

For the night before, compare hotels near the Dover cruise port with where to stay in London before a cruise. If your ship leaves from the Thames instead, see getting to Tilbury or Greenwich embarkation.