Today, I’m taking you back in time to a beautiful summer day when I went on a daytrip to Dover. It was one of my favourite trips so far, which combined educational elements of the visit to the majestic Dover Castle with breathtaking views on a quick hike on the white cliffs of Dover. The perfect, balanced agenda for a summer daytrip, if you ask me. Join me as I relive that trip.

How to get to Dover from London

Early morning, I took the direct high speed southeastern train from London Stratford International to Dover and the journey took around an hour. If you’re planning to travel with southeastern trains, keep in mind that those can be expensive. It’s always best to book your tickets in advance.

A visit to Dover Castle

After getting off the train in Dover, I headed to Dover Castle. It was a bit of an uphill walk, as the Castle is located on top of the cliffs. Getting to the Castle gates was a bit confusing – following Google Maps, I walked along a road leading to the castle. It wasn’t the most pedestrian-focused route, but there was pretty much no traffic on the road as it was still early morning, so I managed to avoid getting run over.

I pre-booked my castle ticket online. You can do that on the Castle’s website: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/plan-your-visit/.

After entering Dover Castle’s premises I was welcomed with an amazing view.

What surprised me straight away was how big Dover Castle was. I estimated to only spend a couple of hours there, but it soon became obvious to me that I would need much more time. I havd visited several castles in the UK and the vast majority of them are just ruins today, with a few stone walls left. Dover Castle is nothing like that! It’s well preserved with lots to see.

The Castle grounds are large, with many small exhibitions to visit scattered around different buildings. I enjoyed walking around, admiring the old walls and the views, searching for all the indoor spaces available to the public.

There are two guided exhibitions with immersive elements at Dover Castle, presenting secret wartime tunnels and an underground hospital.

The tours run on a schedule, approximately every 30 minutes, with limited number of slots per group. The tours are included in the Castle admission price, but you may need to queue to join. I wish I had known about those tours before visiting the Castle. Sadly, it took me by surprise and the area where the tours take place happened to be the very last area of the Castle I got to. It was peak time by then – around noon – and I had to queue for quite a while. However, it was 100% worth it. I especially loved the tour of the underground hospital of the WWII times.

There are a couple of cafes on the Castle grounds as well as toilets and a souvenir shop, so you can easily spend a few hours enjoying the piece of history.

Afternoon hike on the white cliffs of Dover

After visiting Dover Castle, I still had a few hours left in the day and decided to have a quick hike on the white cliffs of Dover. With the assistance of Google Maps, I found the entrance to the cliff trails -it was a bit of a walk from the Castle, along a busy road in the city centre. The views were just stunning! I’m always amazed with the beauty of English cliff walks. There’s something magical in the combination of mountain-like hiking and deep blue waters in sight.

Close to the entry point onto the cliff trails, there’s a National Trust Visitor Centre with a cafe and gift shop. I had planned to have lunch there, after seeing photos of their delicious food online. Unfortunately, after I got there, I saw a handwritten sign informing that the kitchen had closed (much) earlier that day than it normally should. Such disappointment! There were some sweet pastries left as well as chocolate bars and crisps, which wasn’t exactly the type of lunch I needed after long hours of sightseeing. I have to say, I’ve been to that cafe on a couple of occasions now and the customer experience I received was pretty poor both times. And I don’t leave negative reviews often, I’m not a demanding customer by any means. Perhaps I was simply unlucky with my experiences, as the Visitor Centre has good reviews on Google Maps, but I will never again plan to get food there. They do have a cute souvenir and gift shop though, so that’s a plus.

After the cafe disappointment, I chose to hike towards a lighthouse which is now a tea room. I can’t say much about its services, I arrived there some 5 minutes after closing time, but it looks cute and seems alright, judging by the Google reviews. It was some 60 minutes walk from the visitor centre, with great views along the way.

After reaching the lighthouse on the cliffs, I turned back and walked back to Dover city centre. Starving because of the cafe fiasco, I went straight to Nando’s and had the best meal ever. My rumbling stomach may have skewed my perception, but I’ve never had a better Nando’s meal before or after!

Way back home

Fuelled with the delicious food, I went on a quick stroll near the beach and harbour area before heading back to the train station. Finally, I hopped on a southeastern train and about an hour later I was back home in London Stratford.

If you’re looking for an idea for a daytrip from London, I highly recommend visiting Dover. Whilst the town itself isn’t the most beautiful in the country, Dover Castle and a hike on the white cliffs can make a great, diverse day out. A perfect choice for a sunny day!

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