Dover Castle

Don't forget to download your booklet for the Halloween Quest before your visit!

Direction Map

Open daily, 10am - 4pm

See full prices and opening times

Visit Dover Castle

  • Plan your visit

    What to expect on your day out at Dover Castle, including facilities, food and more. Did you know you can get a discount if you travel to us car-free?

  • Become a member

    Visit Dover Castle and enjoy unlimited days out at hundreds of other historic places for free when you become an English Heritage member.

  • Family Guide

    Plan your castle adventure at England's most iconic fortress and experience an unforgettable, action-packed day out.

What's on

Halloween at Dover Castle Have a ghoulishly day out exploring the creepy Dover Castle this Halloween half-term 

Meet Father Christmas Join Father Christmas at the castle for a magical way to start the festive season 

Festive Fun  Experience Dover Castle this Christmas season and join our Victorian fellows for a barrel of laughs and festive fun! 

Members events Enjoy our programme of events exclusively for English Heritage members this season 

Dover Castle Events

Secret Wartime Tunnels

Explore World War II history in the Secret Wartime Tunnels beneath Dover's white cliffs, including newly opened medieval tunnels. Join the guided tour of the Underground Hospital to experience the sights and sounds of a wartime dressing station.

Things to see and do

The Magnificent Great Tower

Step into the Great Tower and explore a vibrant medieval palace filled with color and rich furnishings. Visit the replica kitchen in the basement and enjoy stunning rooftop views. On select days, costumed characters bring the medieval era to life with performances and interactive activities.

Things to see and do

Dover Castle Under Siege

Discover the newly opened Dover Castle Under Siege area at the north end of the castle. Dive into the forgotten tale of the 1216-17 siege and unearth how this pivotal event stopped the English throne from falling into French hands.

You’ll also see what life was like for a soldier in 1800, when fears of French invasion reached another peak. 

Things to see and do

Dover Castle History

Rising above the famous White Cliffs and renowned as 'the Key to England', Dover Castle boasts an eventful 2000-year history.

Discover the Roman Pharos, the oldest surviving lighthouse in the country and one of the oldest in the world, once guiding Roman ships across the English Channel. Right next to it stands the Anglo-Saxon St. Mary in Castro, a church still in use today.

Things to see and do

NEW FOR 2024

Watch this trailer to see what you can expect when you visit Dover Castle Under Siege.

See our opening times

Car-free Travel Discount

Travel to Dover Castle by train, bus, or bike and get 20% off your walk-up ticket. Just show your bus/train ticket or bike helmet to redeem the discount.

English Heritage are working with Good Journey to encourage sustainable travel to Dover Castle.

Find out more

The Bunker Escape Room

Experience a fully immersive escape room adventure deep within the Secret Wartime Tunnels of Dover Castle.

Challenge your friends and family to solve intricate puzzles and crack codes as you race against the clock in The Bunker—the castle’s exclusive escape room experience.

How to Book

Upcoming events

Guidebook: Dover Castle

Price: £5.50

 Dover Castle Timeline

800 BC - AD 43Iron Age Hillfort

Massive earth ramparts and ditches are constructed, which will provide the foundation for the medieval castle's curtain walls. Regular cross-Channel trading takes place.

115-40A Roman Lighthouse

The Romans build a lighthouse here to guide ships into the harbour, the base of the fleet patrolling the Channel.

Membership starts from £42

Membership gives you unlimited access to castles and gardens, historic houses and abbeys, and kids go free...

Join Now

UNLIMITED ACCESS TO OVER 400 HISTORIC PLACES

Live and breathe the story of England at royal castles, historic gardens, forts & defences, world-famous prehistoric sites and many others.

FREE ENTRY FOR UP TO SIX CHILDREN

Free entry for up to six children accompanied by an adult member (under 18 years and within the family group).

FREE HANDBOOK TO PLAN INSPIRING DAYS OUT, WORTH £10.95

Complimentary full colour handbook worth £10.95. Plus our award winning Members’ Magazine delivered three times a year.

FREE OR REDUCED ENTRY TO OUR EXCITING EVENTS