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Dover is around 80 miles from Gatwick Airport. There are no direct
public transport links between the two destinations. All transfers
by public transport between Gatwick and Dover require a connection
in Central London.
Travelling by National Express Bus is the cheapest
but slowest option with a connection at Victoria Coach Station.
Frequencies are lower and journey time much slower than by train.
The Dover rail alternative is much faster overall
than bus but more expensive. There are a myriad of possible routes,
but for visitors the simplest is to travel into Central London and
connect to trains at either Victoria or London Bridge.
Using private hire motor transport between
Dover and Gatwick the journey will take around 90 minutes.
National
Express Bus Dover - Gatwick
National Express Coaches are comfortable long distance coaches
with onboard washroom and toilets. There are broadly hourly
buses from Gatwick (both terminals) to London Victoria and again
broadly hourly services from Victoria to Dover. Total journey
time should be around 5 hours. |
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Victoria
is very central, and the coach station has a left luggage office.
In Dover, National Express buses terminate at the ferry terminal,
(Eastern Docks). A taxi is required for
passengers going to or from the cruise terminal in the Western
Docks. |
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Luggage
allowance is two suitcases, neither of which should weigh more
than 20kg. It is up to the discretion of the driver if more
luggage is carried. There is no luggage excess charge system,
if everybody in the bus turns up with their full luggage allowance
there is no room for more luggage. |
Fares
: There
are a range of fare options, including bargain advance purchase
fares and heavily discounted tickets for those over 60. Unlike
the railways, full e-tickets can be purchased from the National
Express web site.
National
Express London-Dover Ticketing & Timetables
Journey Time : Around 5 hours |
| Rail
- Dover to/from Gatwick |
The
railway station at Dover is a few hundred metres to the south
of Dover Town centre, a long way from both the cruise terminal
in the Western docks and the ferry terminal in the Eastern Docks.
The port authority runs a shuttle bus between the ferry terminal
and Priory Station.
Passengers for the cruise terminal require a Dover
taxi. As you come out of the front entrance of Dover Priory
Station, turn right for the taxi rank. |
Dover Priory Station |
There
are several trains each hour between London and Dover run by
South East trains. Some trains run to London Victoria, others
terminate at Charing Cross stopping at London Bridge and Waterloo
East among others.
Journey time should be well under two hours.
Luggage is only limited by the amount you can personally carry
onto the train and stow in the passenger cabin.
There are many trains each hour between Gatwick
and London Victoria and Gatwick
and London Bridge connecting to the Dover trains
Journey
Time : Around 2 - 3 hours |
Fares
: Fares
are complex. Saver return fares are walk up tickets available
on the day heavily discounted - but you cannot travel before
09:30, Monday to Friday.
Use 'the
trainline' - for timetables and available fares.
For overseas visitors the big problem with train tickets is
that there are no true etickets at the moment, so you miss the
reasonable advance purchase fares. Tickets ordered online can
only be sent to UK postal addresses. |
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However,
there is an option where you can order online and pickup the
tickets on arrival at a special ticket machine. This scheme
is called Fastticket. The big but is that Fastticket machines
are only on selected stations. There no Fastticket machines
at Dover or Charing Cross. The good news is that there is a
machine at London Victoria and Gatwick.
Use 'the
trainline' - for timetables and ticketing with the Fastticket
option. |
Taxi
from the Cruise Terminal
If you are catching a train or bus out of Dover you will need to use
a taxi.
If you are catching a National Express coach then you need to go to
the Eastern Docks, the train station is a few hundred metres from
the town centre.
Taxi cabs are metered, in 2007 the approximate price for a taxi between
Dover Cruise Terminal and Dover Station or Ferry Port for National Express
buses was 7 pounds UK Stirling. There is normally a board outside the baggage
hall with current prices posted.
The taxi cabs may take Euro and US dollars but don't count on a good
exchange rate, its best to pay in sterling.
If you want a taxi to go further afield like London or the airports then
make sure you get a firm quote before you depart.
The taxi cabs at Dover are quite varied. The standard ones are normal
European style saloon cars, able to carry 4 passengers only with little
room. If you are large you will be in discomfort trying to seat 4
people.
The boot may only take 2 large cases, smaller than North American
cars.
There are larger cabs on the rank, but its a hit and miss affair and
queues for the taxi cabs can be very long. |
Taxi
Fares Posted Outside Terminals |
Typical
Dover Taxi Cabs |
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