Planning your visit to The White Cliffs of Dover

Image showing cars parked in the level 2 car park at the White Cliffs of Dover, Kent on a sunny day. — Cars parked in the level 2 car park at the White Cliffs of Dover, Kent | © National Trust/Chris Tapley

We want you to enjoy your visit to the iconic White Cliffs of Dover. Please read the arrival and parking information on this page, which will help you have a great start to your trip.

Arrival information

Our main parking is close to the Visitor Centre at Langdon, The What3words location is: www.what3words.com/frames.saying.begins; postcode CT16 1HJ. We have 300 spaces on four levels, with step-free access to the walks and Visitor Centre for visitors with reduced mobility.

A parking charge of £5 for cars applies at all times - National Trust members can park for free. A member of our team will be pleased to take your payment by cash or card at the Welcome Hut. Your payment covers parking for the rest of the day and there is no further charge to walk along the cliffs. If the welcome hut is closed, please pay for your parking by using the Pay By Phone app, through the Pay By Phone website or by phone. Follow the instructions on the signs in the car parks. You can also pay at the shop in the Visitor Centre when open. The car park gate closes at 19:00 each day. We regret that you cannot park or camp overnight.

Car park levels 1-3 have hard surfaces. Access to level 4 parking is via a narrow road with sharp bends - please watch out for other vehicles. This car park has a natural surface that is uneven in places. If you have a large vehicle or one with low suspension, please take extra care. This level is seasonal and will be closed during the winter to allow the surface to recover. Continue to additional parking.
If you have a motorhome or campervan, you can use either the White Cliffs parking or the additional parking, when open. If you have a large vehicle, the additional parking will be much easier to use and it is only a short distance from Fan Bay Deep Shelter and the Lighthouse.

A parking charge of £7 for motorhomes and campervans applies at all times - National Trust members can park for free. A member of our team will be pleased to take your payment by cash or card at the Welcome Hut. Your payment covers parking for the rest of the day and there is no further charge to walk along the cliffs. If the welcome hut is closed, please pay for your parking by using the Pay By Phone app, through the Pay By Phone website or by phone. Follow the instructions on the signs in the car parks. You can also pay at the shop in the Visitor Centre when open. The car park gate closes at 19:00 each day. We regret that you cannot park or camp overnight.

We have limited parking spaces on site and try to accommodate all vehicles, large and small. Please park considerately to avoid us having to disappoint others who wish to visit. At White Cliffs, please use level 3 parking where there are some angled spaces at the end furthest from the entry. Please do not park across several spaces as this restricts the amount of parking available and there is a risk you may become blocked in by other vehicles.

Please do not try to access level 4 parking with a large motorhome or campervan as there is a tight bend at the end of the road, with an abrupt change in level. This may lead to your vehicle becoming grounded. Continue to additional parking.
Coach Drivers

We have space for four coaches only in our dedicated coach park, which is accessed via the ramp on your left hand side when you drive past the gate hut. Parking spaces are offered on a first-come-first-served basis and cannot be booked in advance. Coach parking is charged at a daily rate of £10 and a VAT receipt can be requested from the gate staff, if needed.

Please do not attempt to drive your coach past the coach park ramp as the road becomes narrow with many parked vehicles and you will be unable to turn your coach around. Our additional parking facility is not suitable for coaches due to the narrow road and tight turn.

Coach Passengers

When you disembark, the pedestrian footpath from the car park is on the opposite site of the parking area to the vehicle entry/exit ramp. Please do not walk down the vehcle ramp as it is narrow and there are no passing places. As you exit the coach parking, stay on the footpath and keep the sea on your right hand side, the Visitor Centre is 150 metres away. Toilets are at the back of the building and there is a cafeteria and shop at the front. Cliff walks are signposted from the Visitor Centre.
Blue badge holders can park for free - please ensure that your badge is clearly visible. Please read our access statements for White Cliffs, South Foreland Lighthouse and the additional parking facility. If you have limited mobility and are asked by a member of staff to use the additonal parking, please make them aware of your disability and they will try to assist.

If you are using the additional parking and wish to take a mobility scooter or wheelchair onto the site, please ask the parking attendant to open the field gate alongside the pedestrian gate. Continue to additional parking.

Image showing one of the disabled car parks at the White Cliffs of Dover — The disabled car parking near the Visitor Centre at the White Cliffs of Dover | © National Trust/Chris Tapley

Additional Parking

On certain days, listed below, or if our main car park approaches capacity, we may use our additional parking facility at Wanstone. It is 1.5 miles (2 km) from the main entrance to the site and is close to South Foreland Lighthouse and Fan Bay Deep Shelter. You can download a map here or you can photograph the map on the exit gate from the additional parking.

We regret that you cannot park or camp overnight. BBQs or portable camping stoves of any kind are not permitted in the car park or anywhere on the White Cliffs of Dover.

When you arrive at the additional parking area, you can follow our walking trail to Fan Bay Deep Shelter and South Foreland Lighthouse. This trail will take you to the cliff-top paths where you will get spectacular views of the cliffs and the Strait of Dover.

Additional Parking Directions

Banners and road signs will be displayed when the additional parking is open. We may ask you to use this facility if our parking at White Cliffs is nearing capacity. If you wish to, or are asked to by a member of our team to proceed to the additional parking, please follow the yellow road signs towards St Margaret's village. Keep a lookout for the large banner sign on the double gate at the additional parking entrance.

The What3words location is: www.what3words.com/fidelity.book.approve; postcode CT15 6HY and the entrance is opposite Sherley’s Farm. The Welcome Hut for this facility is located at the end of the concrete road, after you turn into the gateway. There is no roadside parking in Upper Road and please do not obstruct any entrance as these are required for emergency access 24 hours a day.

Although this parking facility is close to the Lighthouse and cliff-top views, it may not be suitable for some visitors with wheelchairs, mobility scooters, or those with reduced mobility. If you arrive at the main gate, have additional access needs and are directed to the additional parking, please make the member of staff aware and they will be able to help you.

Additional Parking Open Days 2024

The additional parking site is open from 10:30 to 15:30 on the published days unless otherwise specified below. The gates are locked at 19:00 and the site is locked on other days. Subject to weather and ground conditions, the additional parking facility will be open on the following days in 2024 (all dates inclusive):

Saturday 4 May - Monday 6 May (Early May Bank Holiday)
Saturday 25 May - Monday 27 May (Spring Bank Holiday)
Saturday 1 June - Sunday 2 June (Half term weekend)
Wanstone Project Dig - dates/times to be announced
Saturday 27 July - Sunday 28 July (School summer holiday weekend)
Saturday 3 August - Sunday 4 August (School summer holiday weekend)
Saturday 10 August - Sunday 11 August (School summer holiday weekend)
Saturday 17 August - Sunday 18 August (School summer holiday weekend)
Saturday 24 August - Monday 26 August (Summer Bank Holiday weekend)
Saturday 31 August - Sunday 1 September (School summer holiday weekend)
Saturday 7 September - Sunday 8 September 10:00 - 15:00 (Heritage Open Day weekend)

Any short-notice changes to this schedule will be announced on this page, on the White Cliffs of Dover website home page, and on our Facebook page: https://bit.ly/3ExH3i2. Please check before you travel.

The additional parking may be used for events outside of these dates – details will be published on the event listing on the website.

If the signs show that the additional parking is open and you wish to visit Fan Bay Deep Shelter or South Foreland Lighthouse, you can choose to use this facility even if the main parking is open. Both places are within 15 minutes’ walk of the additional parking.

Facilities & places to visit

You can check opening times on the White Cliffs of Dover or South Foreland Lighthouse home pages. Please see the Things to see and do at the White Cliffs of Dover and Things to see and do at South Foreland Lighthouse pages for more information.

Toilets and boot washing facilities are at the rear of the Visitor Centre at White Cliffs and there is a dedicated toilet building at South Foreland Lighthouse. Dogs are allowed in all outdoor seating areas. If you have a dog, please see the Visiting White Cliffs and the Lighthouse with your dog page.

Fan Bay Deep Shelter

Please check the opening times for the Deep Shelter on the White Cliffs of Dover home page. The shelter is approximately 40 minutes’ walk from the Visitor Centre or less than 15 minutes' walk from the additional parking. There is no vehicle access to the Shelter.

We can only accept cash payments for tours at the tunnel entrance. National Trust members with a valid membership card are admitted free. There’s a dedicated Fan Bay page to answer your questions.

If you wish to pay by credit or debit card, or if you have forgotten your membership card, please ask at the Visitor Centre or the Lighthouse shop before walking out to the tunnels.

There are no toilets or refreshments at Fan Bay Deep Shelter. You can refill your water bottle free of charge on request.

South Foreland Lighthouse

The Lighthouse is approximately 55 minutes’ walk from the Visitor Ccentre or around 15 minutes' walk from the additional parking. We regret that there is no vehicle access to the Lighthouse.

If you are a blue badge holder or have reduced mobility and would like to visit South Foreland Lighthouse, please call, or email the Lighthouse office in advance of your visit. Contact details are on the ‘Get in touch’ panel on the South Foreland Lighthouse home page.

Call at the Lighthouse shop on arrival to enquire about tower tour availability and to buy your ticket. You can pay by cash, credit, or debit card at the Lighthouse shop. National Trust members are admitted free to the tower with a valid membership card but must still be issued with a ticket at the shop. You don't need to pre-book a tour of the Lighthouse.