Coaches between London and Dover

National Express bus services between Dover & London including Heathrow Airport

National Express stands out as the largest scheduled long-distance bus service in Europe. As a prominent coach operator in the UK, it provides budget-friendly and comfortable travel options to a wide array of destinations throughout the country, serving more than 18 million passengers annually.

Between Dover and London they operate a broadly hourly service scheduled to take just under 3 hours. These are not van shuttle services, with hotel drops and pick-ups, the London terminus is Victoria Coach Station.

Large 50 seat air conditioned buses with washrooms make around a dozen stops on the journey between Dover and London.

National Express Coaches are slower but cheaper than the alternative scheduled public transport, the Dover train services.

Key points of travelling by coach to/from Dover

Coaches do not stop at the cruise terminal in Dover. You’ll need to take a taxi from either the bus station in the town center or the Dover Ferry Terminal to reach your cruise terminal.
All coaches are spacious and equipped with toilet and washroom facilities.
Your ticket ensures you have a seat, but it does not assign you a specific seat number.
Senior fares are not available.
The baggage limit could be considerably lower than what you have on your flight. Please refer to the luggage section below for more details.
The main bus station in London is Victoria Coach Station, located approximately 600 yards from the Victoria train and Underground stations. Please note that the buses do not stop for pick-up or drop-off at hotels or other locations throughout London.
There isn’t a direct service connecting Dover to London’s airports. However, you can purchase a ticket for travel from Dover to Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, or Stansted airports, with a coach transfer at London Victoria.
The service ties the lowest-priced tickets to a particular trip, so if you miss your departure, you forfeit the ticket. Similar to airlines, pricier options offer greater flexibility.

Dover Town centre or Dover Ferry Terminal?

If you’re traveling to or from a cruise terminal, you’ll need a taxi to get between the cruise terminal and either Dover town centre or the Dover ferry terminal. We expect the fare to be the same, so which option is better for you?

The coach service concludes at Dover town centre, with its initial stop at the ferry terminal after departing from London.

We recommend using the ferry terminal instead. The bus stop at Pencester Road in the town center isn’t a proper bus station and is located in a less appealing area. Plus, taxis aren’t always readily available nearby.

The ferry terminal has become much more pleasant, featuring comfortable waiting lounges and spots for coffee, currency exchange, and more. You can usually find a taxi waiting for you there too.

London Victoria Coach Station

Victoria Coach Station serves as the sole hub in London for scheduled coach services heading outside the city. It’s a vital point for travellers looking to explore beyond the capital.

Located in the vibrant Victoria area, a variety of hotels surround this station, making it a convenient and charming place to stay. Plus, with Buckingham Palace just a short walk away, visitors can easily enjoy one of London’s most iconic landmarks.

The Coach Station offers amenities that resemble those found at a regional airport. Designed it to cater to the needs of travellers, providing access to everything required for a comfortable journey.

London’s airports by bus from Dover

No direct scheduled services run from Dover to either Gatwick or Heathrow Airport.

National Express do operate frequent services between London Victoria Coach Station and Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted Airports.

You can purchase a single ticket between Dover and these airports connecting at Victoria Coach Station.

National Express luggage policy

You can carry two medium-sized suitcases – weighing up to 20kg (44lb) each – plus one small piece of hand luggage per person. Drivers loading the baggage do not weigh bags.

Customers will be permitted to pool their individual allowances if they are travelling in a group or as a family, but they must be travelling on the same ticket. Over this allowance and steep excess luggage charges kick in.

If you need to take extra luggage on your journey, this can be arranged either in advance or on your day of travel when you arrive at the coach station. However buying your extra your extra luggage online in advance is much cheaper.

Lightweight manual wheelchairs and foldable strollers are allowed as long as they can fit in the coach’s luggage compartment. However, manual wheelchairs that weigh over 20kg and non-foldable strollers cannot be accommodated. For powered wheelchairs, prior arrangements must be made to ensure they can be transported. It’s important to check in advance to avoid any inconvenience during your journey.

You can bring your bicycle along on your National Express trip, provided it is a folding model. Just make sure you pack it in a suitable padded bag or a hard case designed for this purpose.

National Express bus timetables, fares & ticketing

National Express offer an e-tickets service – the moment you make your reservation your e-tickets are e-mailed to you. You can pay using major credit cards.

With a ticket you have a reserved seat on the bus schedule of your choice, no individual seat selection can be made.

You can also buy tickets on the day from the bus station ticket offices, subject to seat availability. Those who have pre-booked have reserved seats and priority.

Especially in the Dover to London direction buses are often sold out from about 8.30am to late morning if a cruise ship is in port. National Express do not put on extra capacity once a schedule is sold out.

Ticket formats

Advance purchase tickets on this route are often deep discounted and on-line also guarantees you a seat. With e-tickets, you simply print your ticket after purchase.

There are alternatives, m-tickets sent to your mobile incur a small surcharge, the same surcharge for collecting tickets from a ticket office. Tickets can also be mailed to you for a larger surcharge.

Important: When you use the National Express journey planner do not select Dover Cruise Terminal as a destination, no bus goes to Dover Cruise Terminal. Select Dover Ferry Terminal or Dover Town Centre.

Similarly, when choosing your options for Heathrow, it’s important to avoid selecting Terminal 2 or Terminal 3. Neither of these terminals is serviced by the Southampton bus, so make sure to opt for Heathrow Airport London instead, which covers both T2 and T3.

Very few National Express buses between Heathrow and London visit Terminals 4 or 5 either, you need to take the Heathrow Express train (free) between these terminals and the Central Bus Station in the middle of the airport.

Transfers between Cruise Terminals & London buses & trains

No shuttle buses are provided between the cruise and the train station or London bus stops at Dover. You therefore need to get a taxi between the cruise terminal and the train station/bus stop.

The fare should be around £8. Taxi cabs at Dover come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, the image tight is fairly typical. If you have two cases per person and more than 2 people you may end up with multiple taxi cabs.

It’s just a 5 minute drive between the cruise terminals at Dover to/from the railway and bus stations and ferry terminal. The cruise terminals are far too far to walk with luggage from the train stations. All fares within Dover should be on a meter.

For longer journeys outside Dover never leap into a taxi without agreeing the price beforehand. Although drivers may offer to accept your Euro or Dollar currency it will almost certainly be at a very poor exchange rate. Only do so as a last resort.

The taxi rank at the cruise terminal is well marshalled. Porters from the ship will normally take your luggage as far as the taxi rank immediately outside the front doors of the cruise terminal. It is customary to leave a small tip with cab drivers, assuming they provide a good service.

Train – faster, more frequent, more expensive than bus

Train link: Dover Priory Station — Dover Priory Station

Travelling from Dover to London by National Express coaches typically takes around three hours. In contrast, the train journey from London St Pancras to Dover is much quicker, clocking in at just 65 minutes, and it avoids the potential for traffic delays. The main drawback of choosing the train over the coach is the higher ticket price associated with train travel.

One of the great benefits of the train is that it operates three distinct services that connect five key stations throughout London. Among these is Victoria, which serves as the final stop for National Express coaches. This setup increases the likelihood that a train station in London, coming from Dover, will be more accessible for your stay in the city.

Tickets

Book train tickets in advance, save money

Full timetables & journey planning
Identify the best fares, including advance fares
Purchase e-tickets or collect tickets at station

Dover Cruise Shuttle Bus – London Hotels & Heathrow to/from Dover

Not public transport, but a useful option offering prices approaching public transport with the convenience of door to door transfers between your cruise terminal at Dover and your hotel in Central London or Heathrow Airport.

In the London to Dover direction the bus picks up from hotels in all of the major hotel districts of Central London and Heathrow Airport where it will pick-up from a selection of Heathrow Airport hotels (but not passenger terminals) before going onto Dover with an optional stop at Dover Castle.

In the opposite direction the service takes the form of guided day tour. After leaving the cruise terminal at Dover the tour visits Canterbury and Leeds Castle before performing hotel drops in Central London late afternoon before going onto Heathrow Airport.

For Disney Cruises the service visits the Warner Bros Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, instead of Canterbury and Leeds Castle.

Typically, the vehicles employed are spacious, luxury touring coaches that can accommodate 50 passengers and are equipped with air conditioning. These coaches are designed for comfort and convenience, making them ideal for long journeys.

Visit our Dover cruise ship direct transfer shuttle bus service page for more information.