Dover Castle Family Guide
Bring the whole family for a day full of adventure, excitement and discovery across the centuries at Dover Castle.
Don't miss our siege-themed play area, part of Dover Castle Under Siege.
With over 80 acres of open countryside, the castle grounds is a young adventurer's dream - there's plenty of open courtyards, hills and mounds to explore and conquer.
Family Essentials
Food and drink: The Great Tower Cafe and the NAAFI Restaurant offer lots of variety, with sit-down and takeaway options. There's also a small tearoom by the tunnels. An ice-cream van is also open in sunny weather during school holidays.
Toilets: Male, female and disabled toilets are available in five different locations across the site.
Dogs: Dogs on leads are welcome in the castle grounds. Assistance dogs welcome throughout the site.
Parking: Free parking within the grounds for up to 200 cars, plus off-site parking at peak times.
Need more information? Our handy Plan Your Visit guide should be able to help with planning your castle adventure.
Plan your visitThe Great Tower Lookout
When you visit the Great Tower, make your way up to the rooftop for amazing 360-degree views across the English Channel. Can you spot these features?
- The Roman Lighthouse or Pharos is one of the oldest buildings in the castle grounds, dating from around 50 AD.
- Peverell's Tower, named after William de Peverell, a Norman knight from the Norman Conquest of 1066 – now one of the castle's two holiday cottages.
- How many cannons can you count from the roof? There are cannons from all eras in place around the castle's walls and defences.
Become a member
The South East boasts a huge variety of English Heritage sites from quaint castles to unique Roman sites. Make the most of what this region and the rest of the country has to offer with an English Heritage Membership.
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