The White Cliffs of Dover, East Sussex, England

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Dover

One of the Cinque Ports, down-in-the-dumps Dover has certainly seen better days. Its derelict postwar architecture and shabby town centre is a sad introduction to England for travellers arriving on cross-Channel ferries and cruise ships, most of whom pass through quickly. Lucky, then, that the town has a couple of stellar attractions to redeem it. The port’s vital strategic position so close to mainland Europe gave rise to a sprawling hilltop castle, which has some 2000 years of history to its credit. The spectacular white cliffs, as much a symbol of English wartime resilience as Winston Churchill or the Battle of Britain, rear in chalky magnificence to the east and west.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Dover Castle with tourists entering.

    Dover Castle

    Dover

    Occupying top spot, literally and figuratively, in Dover’s townscape, this most impressive of castles was built to bolster the country’s weakest point at…

  • Banksy Brexit Mural - removed

    Banksy Brexit Mural - removed

    Dover

    Despite voting leave, the poor port town of Dover is possibly the Southeast community set to suffer most post-Brexit. It was perhaps for that reason that…

  • Secret Wartime Tunnels

    Secret Wartime Tunnels

    Dover

    The biggest draw at Dover Castle is the secret wartime tunnels. The claustrophobic chalk-hewn passageways were excavated during the Napoleonic Wars and…

  • Roman Painted House

    Roman Painted House

    Dover

    A crumbling 1960s bunker is the unlikely setting for some of the most extensive, if stunted, Roman wall paintings north of the Alps. Several scenes depict…

  • Dover Museum

    Dover Museum

    Dover

    By far the most enthralling exhibit in the town's three-storey museum is an astonishing 3600-year-old Bronze Age boat, discovered here in 1992. Vaunted as…

  • Roman Lighthouse

    Roman Lighthouse

    Dover

    This Roman-era lighthouse is Britain's oldest standing building and dates from around AD 50.

  • Saxon Church

    Saxon Church

    Dover

    The restored Saxon Church of St Mary in Castro can be found up in the castle.

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Latest stories from Dover

Wildlife & Nature

Dover's White Cliffs bloom with poppies and buzz with skylarks after rewilding

Jul 10, 2020 • 2 min read

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