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.

Important - Car Park Closure

Our main car parks and coach park at White Cliffs will be closed for remedial work from 19:00 on Monday 24 March 2025 until 07:00 on Saturday 29 March. There will be no access to the site. The gate, Visitor Centre, shops and toilets will also be closed. We are sorry for any inconvenience. Access to the coast path will remain open throughout via the pedestrian gates and cliff-top paths. The Visitor Centre, shop and toilets will reopen as normal on Saturday 29 March at 10:00.

There is no nearby alternative parking. The nearest parking is in Dover town centre, then walk up to the pedestrian gate to the Coast Path off Dame Vera Lynn Way via Athol Terrace. Alternatively you can park at St Margaret's at Cliffe village car park, or the St Margaret's sea front car park, then walk via the clifftop Coast Path towards Dover. Members and non-members will need to pay any published charges for parking. Please park considerately and do not park on Upper Road as this carries double yellow line parking restrictions.

If you do walk to White Cliffs, please be aware that there are no nearby toilet facilities, as South Foreland Lighthouse remains closed during the week. If we are able to reopen the car park sooner, this will be announced via this page, on The White Cliffs of Dover home page and our White Cliffs Facebook page.

Thank you for your understanding.

Arrival information

There is no vehicle access to Fan Bay Deep Shelter or South Foreland Lighthouse. Please park at the White Cliffs Visitor Centre parking or at the Additional Parking facility, when open. If you have limited mobility, please see our access statements for the White Cliffs of Dover and South Foreland Lighthouse.

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.

Car park levels 1-3 have hard surfaces. Level 4 parking is currrently closed to allow the surface to recover and will reopen in Spring 2025. The gate to Level 4 is locked, please don't proceed beyond level 3 entrance.

A parking charge of £6 for cars applies at all times. National Trust members, motorcycles and vehicles displaying a valid blue badge 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. The Pay By Phone code for car parking at White Cliffs is 803459.

You can also pay at the shop in the visitor centre when open. The car park gate closes at 7pm each day. We regret that you cannot park or camp overnight.
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 easier to use and it is only a short distance from Fan Bay Deep Shelter and the lighthouse.

At White Cliffs, please use the level 1a parking area, which is accessed from the main drive past the Visitor Centre - proceed straight on towards the gate, instead of turning left up the hill. Please park in the marked spaces only and do not park across several spaces as this restricts the amount of parking available and there is a risk you will be blocked in by other vehicles.

A parking charge of £9 for motorhomes and campervans applies at all times - National Trust members and vehicles displaying a valid blue badge 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. The Pay By Phone code for motorhome or campervan parking at White Cliffs is 803461.

You can also pay at the shop in the visitor centre when open. The car park gate closes at 7pm each day. We regret that you cannot park or camp overnight.

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. A parking charge of £25 for coaches applies at all times 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.

A parking charge of £6 for cars and £9 for motorhomes and campervans applies at all times. National Trust members, motorcycles and vehicles displaying a valid blue badge 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. The Pay By Phone code for car parking at our additional parking facility is 803460 and for motorhomes and campervans is 803462.

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 Seasonal 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 20245 (all dates inclusive):

July:
Saturday 26 and Sunday 27

August:
Saturday 2 and Sunday 3
Saturday 9 and Sunday 10
Saturday 16 and Sunday 17
Saturday 23, Sunday 24 and Monday 25 (Bank Holiday)
Saturday 30 and Sunday 31

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. Please check before you travel.

The additional parking may be used at short notice for capacity reasons, or for events or essential work outside of these dates – details will be published on the website and on Facebook.

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 parking facility even if the main facility 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.

Viewing the White Cliffs

There is an ideal viewpoint for the White Cliffs, just 400 metres from the car parks. From the car parks, walk down the hill to join the road that passes the visitor centre, and turn away from the visitor centre, so that you are walking with the sea on your right hand side. Go through the gate and onto the gravel path in front of you to go up the hill. The viewpoint for the cliffs is at the top of the hill.

You are now on the King Charles III coast path - you can continue walking to Fan Bay Deep Shelter and the lighthouse and even beyond towards Kingsdown, Walmer and Deal, if you have time. Please note that this is a footpath and cycling is not permitted.

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 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.