Dover Castle
Dover Castle
4.5
About
The most iconic of all English fortresses commanding the gateway to the realm for nine centuries. Climb the Great Tower, meet the characters and immerse yourself in vivid medieval interiors. Then delve deep within Dover's White Cliffs to witness the drama in the Secret Wartime Tunnels. Roam through centuries of history at Dover Castle, from the Romans to the 20th century, in an action-packed day out.
Duration: More than 3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Dover Castle
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
154 within 5 kms
Attractions
87 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- wwhughesjrSpartanburg, South Carolina304 contributionsGreat visit for the historyWe spent nearly 5 hours at Dover Castle and enjoyed the entire time. The staff greeted us warmly, had lots of information, and answered any questions we had with ease. We started with the tour of the WWII tunnels; fascinating to see the equipment and layout of the place, and our guide was very knowledgeable and interesting. We then walked uphill to a quick lunch and then further uphill to the upper castle and apartments of the royals. I especially liked the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment and Queen's Regiment Museum which was filled with military history displays. This was well-worth the time, energy, and money spent. On a clear day, you get a great view of the harbor and town below. Highly recommend a visit.Visited May 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 17 October 2023
- Clive DIpswich, United Kingdom120 contributionsAmazing day outWe were told it could take a day to look around the castle, and they weren't wrong. What an amazing day out. The staff were very helpful and knowledgeable. The Naffi coffee shop was lovely and fairly priced. The castle itself is well worth the money as car parking is included. The additional tours offered were brilliant.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 17 October 2023
- Mike SWitham, United Kingdom1,918 contributionsWell worth a visitVery expensive - so spend the day seeing all its attractions to get your moniesworth. The views are amazing, so bring a camers. The highlights of the castle are the two tunnels. No photography allowed, but it is a brilliant experience - but you do have to queue up sometimes for over half hour. The inside of the tower is interesting; there are lots of steps to negotiate, and there is not a great deal to see. They also have a small museum there - but I did not have time to visit.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 18 October 2023
- Barbara SReading, United Kingdom20 contributionsA full day out for history loversFor anyone with an interest in history, this is a whole day occupation - and even then you may not see it all! If your interest is purely Second World War, there is a good half day with plenty of authentic artifacts and reconstructions, plus the Napoleonic era tunnels resued for WWII. Though there is a good map, the site as a whole is not as self explantory as I had expected, so I wish I'd bought the guide book.Visited October 2023Travelled with familyWritten 18 October 2023
- Carol CUnited Kingdom5 contributionsWonderful experience, so much to seeSo interesting. Second World War tunnels to medieval towers. Take a picnic because there’s enough to see and do for a whole day! Well worth the entrance fee. Avoid cafe at busy. Times though, extremely slowVisited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 26 October 2023
- Stephney WLondon, United Kingdom8 contributionsWell worth a visitVery interesting castle with a lot to see and do. I found the hospital tunnel and secret wartime tunnel particularly interesting but unfortunately, it's guided so it feels very rushed with limited information from the guides. Much better if you could do it on your own and read the information provided and linger over things that you find interesting. The chapel and Roman lighthouse are delightful.Visited August 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 8 November 2023
- Jen MMontclair, Virginia47 contributionsFantastic Great Tower and views from the top!I loved it! One downside. I only had 2 hours. I needed 4. The Great Tower was amazing. I took so many amazing pictures, even in darker places. I used my cell phone and its options to brighten them up. The grounds were well kept and just beautiful. I learned so much from my walk about. Wish I could have gone in a few more buildings. But? I’m still impressed. The views of Dover and the English Channel were great! I wish I’d had more time.Visited November 2023Travelled soloWritten 12 November 2023
- BargeegirlWest Sussex, United Kingdom692 contributionsHuge area but need the weather.This castle is so huge. The tunnel experience is worth booking and also ensured you do the hospital tour too. The castle itself is dressed really well, and adds value to the rooms. Staff/volunteers are all friendly and helpful. Our only issue was the very low cloud, so much we couldn't see anything. Even the castle was shrouded in cloud. We really appreciated the exhibition in the church, which was very thought provoking. This is a Brilliant place to go for all the family , but involves a lot of walking and a lot of steps.Visited November 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 19 November 2023
- fluffievellutoHenlow, United Kingdom1,181 contributionsNeed to return to see the restThought we'd given ourselves enough time - but this site is huge with so much to see. Looks like we'll be coming back, as didn't managed to visit the hospital tunnels and we even had to rush the castle. What we did see was really interesting, and on a weekday it wasn't busy. Just plan to stay all day - not just an afternoon!Visited September 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 29 November 2023
- explorermum13Durham, United Kingdom37 contributionsWonderful exhibits!Dover Castle was a treat. There is so much to do. Our favourite was our 10 year old noting the tower was similar to the tower in London. We definitely plan to go back and see the underground attractions.Visited August 2023Travelled with familyWritten 19 December 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
6,473 reviews
Excellent
4,622
Very good
1,388
Average
295
Poor
102
Terrible
66
Jack B
Berkhamsted, UK31 contributions
Aug 2020 • Couples
At historic sites one expects to find three things; information boards about the site and it's rooms, genuine artefacts from different parts of the sites history and a tour guide to help you through the highlights. On all three accounts the castle utterly failed. The rooms are filled with cheap uninteresting, shoddy replicas that take you out out of the historic feel. The information about each building and the rooms is scattered and at times non-existent.
All in all, when one considers the price and the fact we only spend an hour there,
it can only be judged as nothing short of robbery. Very sad.
All in all, when one considers the price and the fact we only spend an hour there,
it can only be judged as nothing short of robbery. Very sad.
Written 25 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MyIronLung
Whitstable, UK60 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
Been to Dover Castle many many times as we are local and have passes, but this was the first time in many years that we ate in the on site cafe (usually bring a picnic but the weather was too awful to sit outside) - I cannot believe the cost of the food! £5.95 for a wrap? £4.95 for a small gluten free roll! It cost £30 for 2 adults and 2 children to have lunch IN A CAFE. And the food wasn’t even particularly outstanding - just sandwiches and a couple of slices of cake. Absolutely barmy. It turned a ‘free’ day out into a very expensive day for us and it has completely turned us off ever returning.
Absolutely love the castle but the cafe was an absolute rip off.
Absolutely love the castle but the cafe was an absolute rip off.
Written 1 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RobDouglas1
65 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Dover castle was a fantastic day out with English Heritage. The castle history has a wonder variety from the tower, Roman lighthouse to the tunnels. There was something for everyone. We will definitely visit again.
The staff are great and in some cases have an unenviable job. The tunnel tours are every 30 minutes and are first come first served basis and can only be for 30 people at once.
The staff are great and in some cases have an unenviable job. The tunnel tours are every 30 minutes and are first come first served basis and can only be for 30 people at once.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kinga K
Acton, UK266 contributions
June 2022 • Friends
I really enjoyed getting here and the train journey was just over an hour. The Castle is big and there’s lots of experiences and activities happening. The guided tours are worth it but make sure you get there first thing in the morning otherwise there’s no chance of getting in and instead of visiting the castle you will end up in a queue. The entry price for the day is a bit expensive and if you don’t get to do the Dunkirk and underground hospital guided tours it’s not really worth it. There are a few re-enactments happening throughout the day with performers dressed in medieval clothing. Definitely visit the tower as the views are amazing from the top. The underground medieval tunnels are worth a look as well and also the church is beautiful. Wonderful experience
Written 8 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Travellingisthebest
England, UK58 contributions
July 2020 • Couples
We really enjoyed exploring the castle grounds, however it was a shame the tunnels were closed due to Covid which I understand is out of their hands. I also think it’s quite pricey especially when not everything is open. Visited once but wouldn’t rush back
Written 19 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
crakajaxx
Maidstone, UK95 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
Over priced anticlimax.
The tunnel tours are much shorter than in previous years. Considering the tunnels are 3.8 miles long in total, you are down there 10/15 minutes & hardly see any of it compared to my last visit the tour was more involved, we got much more info from the guide.
The castle looks more impressive from the outside. You haven't got a clue where you are going inside, there are no staff giving information, or any information boards. So you walk into a room & haven't got s clue what you are looking at. You just wonder about aimlessly. So not sure what we saw in the castle.
The two cafés on site are very limited with food. So not rely on them for lunch! Pack lunch is a must! If the weather is bad there is no sheltered area to eat your picnic, & I can imagine them not letting you eat it in the cafés. We went to the cafe for hot drinks as we were freezing. They told me that the cafe was closed at 3.20pm! The site closes at 5pm & the cafe closes at 4pm. I told her the rest of my group were already seated in the cafe & she finally relented & let me sit out the rain to drink my drink. If she had told me I couldn't drink my hot drink in the dry out the rain before my purchase I would of changed my mind.
Considering they were open for another 40 minutes I found their unwelcoming presence off putting.
The cleaner was spraying tables near us & others eating. A man was putting chairs on tables & another lady was mopping the floor around us! OK we get the hint!!!!! They need information boards around the site so you know more about what you are looking at & where you are. I think this place could be so much more! For the price I was thoroughly disappointed.
The tunnel tours are much shorter than in previous years. Considering the tunnels are 3.8 miles long in total, you are down there 10/15 minutes & hardly see any of it compared to my last visit the tour was more involved, we got much more info from the guide.
The castle looks more impressive from the outside. You haven't got a clue where you are going inside, there are no staff giving information, or any information boards. So you walk into a room & haven't got s clue what you are looking at. You just wonder about aimlessly. So not sure what we saw in the castle.
The two cafés on site are very limited with food. So not rely on them for lunch! Pack lunch is a must! If the weather is bad there is no sheltered area to eat your picnic, & I can imagine them not letting you eat it in the cafés. We went to the cafe for hot drinks as we were freezing. They told me that the cafe was closed at 3.20pm! The site closes at 5pm & the cafe closes at 4pm. I told her the rest of my group were already seated in the cafe & she finally relented & let me sit out the rain to drink my drink. If she had told me I couldn't drink my hot drink in the dry out the rain before my purchase I would of changed my mind.
Considering they were open for another 40 minutes I found their unwelcoming presence off putting.
The cleaner was spraying tables near us & others eating. A man was putting chairs on tables & another lady was mopping the floor around us! OK we get the hint!!!!! They need information boards around the site so you know more about what you are looking at & where you are. I think this place could be so much more! For the price I was thoroughly disappointed.
Written 25 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DJ9944
Suffolk, UK26 contributions
Aug 2021 • Family
At the moment the medieval tunnels and the hospital tunnels are shut. The WW2 secret tunnels are also closed and only accessible to a limited number of daily tours, which you book on arrival. We arrived at 11:30am and were told there were still tours available, but we were disappointed to find that this information was incorrect and all the tours had been booked up. So with the tunnels closed, there wasn’t a lot to do apart from wander round the battlements and go into the tower.
The good thing is the price (£12.50) reflects the closure of the underground attractions. Coffee and cakes were nice!
So if you are planning on going to Dover Castle, pre-book your tickets for when it opens (10am) and head to the ticket office ASAP and book a tunnels tours.
We came pre-children and the tunnels are great, so will turn with the kids when the tunnels are open again.
The good thing is the price (£12.50) reflects the closure of the underground attractions. Coffee and cakes were nice!
So if you are planning on going to Dover Castle, pre-book your tickets for when it opens (10am) and head to the ticket office ASAP and book a tunnels tours.
We came pre-children and the tunnels are great, so will turn with the kids when the tunnels are open again.
Written 21 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NichaUk
UK1,259 contributions
Sept 2020 • Family
I've never been to Dover Castle, but my kids love a castle so we decided to visit despite some parts still being closed (clearly outlined on the website). After visiting I realise more the significance of the parts that are closed. It would have been great to visit the WW tunnels and hospital. The church and also lower levels of the medieval tunnels also remain closed. At a cost of £44 for a family ticket I do not think this is currently good value.
That aside the castle is still definitely worth a visit and walking around the battlements. You also get some amazing views.
That aside the castle is still definitely worth a visit and walking around the battlements. You also get some amazing views.
Written 2 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Donk1
Birmingham, UK448 contributions
Sept 2021 • Couples
Having been to Dover a number of times to catch a ferry we decided to visit the castle. If you follow the brown signs from the town these will take you to where you need to be. There is plenty of parking on site. You need to go to the middle car park which is where the visitor centre is to buy tickets. There seems to be limited access to the main tower for wheelchair users. There are plenty of things to see in the grounds and you can walk around the perimeter and see the views. Unfortunately at the time of our visit some things were closed and there is renovation work going on. The weather can turn with fog rolling in off the sea during our visit which limited the view from the top but can imagine this being spectacular on a clear day. The stairs to the roof are spiral but there is a one way system in place and the stairs wide so not enclosed. The rooms are set up as they would have been but they are not OTT. There is a cafe on site which got very busy around lunch time. We were able to socially distance in the grounds and rooms but did visit in September and also mid week.
Written 10 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Allimacn
Cumbria50 contributions
Sept 2020
The site is huge. But a lot of it remains closed. We knew this before we went, but it does impact on the visit. The one way system through the great tower is ludicrous. You leave the king's bedroom and have no alternative but to go up the steps to the top of the tower. I gave up halfway up (my own fault as I'm unfit), but there should have been an alternative - three other people were doing the same as me. The indoor cafe seating was closed and the woman manning the door letting people in to order was not pleasant or charming in any way! We're members of English Heritage so got in for free, but I'd have been very disappointed if we'd paid to get in.
Written 6 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Best way to get from cruise port to Dover Castle?
Written 17 February 2024
We travelled to Dover Castle by car from River, England, a small community west of Dover, so I don't know about going to the castle from the cruise port. Talking with the cruise line is a good idea; I would imagine they would have information on this, but I've never been on a cruise. I think there is a TI not too far from the cruise port.
Written 18 February 2024
You can purchase tickets at the reception, or go to the English Heritage website
Written 21 August 2023
Is it possible to leave the castle and return on the day e. g to return to your car?
Written 1 September 2021
The car park at Dover Castle is outside the ticket office so once you have left the castle grounds you can go anywhere you want to presumably as long as you return to your car before closing time.
Written 2 September 2021
There are reduced prices for children and senior citizens.
At present most EH attractions are very busy and if you wait and buy on the day you may find that you have to wait for "a spare slot" or not get in at all. For example, Framlingham Castle today (Monday 23 August) had people without prebooked tickets waiting over an hour to get in.
Written 23 August 2021
Martin T
Edenbridge, United Kingdom
We are a party of three all in our 80s and quite slow walkers would we be able to join a guided tour at about 10.45 am on the 15th September to last not more than two hours at the most
Written 26 August 2020
Martin T
Edenbridge, United Kingdom
We are a party of 3 all in our 80s and pretty slow walkers. Are we able to join a guided tour on the 15 September at about 10.45 am or so and lasting not more than two hours?
Thank you
Written 26 August 2020
I think so but for full details contact the English heritage website
Written 27 August 2020
Is the castle open all year round
Written 5 October 2019
Starting in November the castle is closed during the week.
Written 27 November 2019
Hi. Is there guided tours around the castle? Can we walk by ourselves? Thank you.
Written 13 September 2019
Very easy to walk it yourself. Lots of helpful staff if you need anything.
Written 18 September 2019
We took a dog with us, it’s allowed into the ground but not Into any of the castle. We just took it in turns, staying with the dog.
Written 21 January 2020
We are planning a visit to the castle on a thursday in October. is it necessary to buy our tickets ahead or will we be able to just get in at the door/gate without worry of a sell out. Just asking as there is a chance that we may hold off until friday if there is no worries about sell outs
Written 23 August 2019
If you're making a special trip, to be safe book ahead. But it's an enormous site and I can't imagine them ever being full. You can fit a small town in there
Written 26 August 2019
…
Showing results 1-10 of 71
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing