Parking at Dover and Calais
No parking inside Dover port, a free short-stay car park in Calais - where the car goes for a drop-off, a day trip on foot, a week away or a night in the motorhome before an early sailing.
- Dover - short stops at the terminal, long stay off-site
- Calais - free short-stay car park at the terminal
- Motorhome rules for the seafront and the Calais aire
Where to park for the Dover - Calais ferry
Table of Contents
Parking is the one thing this route does not solve inside the port. The Port of Dover has no parking facilities at all, Calais has a free short-stay car park and nothing beyond it, and both ports ask cars that are sailing not to arrive hours early because the check-in lanes are the only waiting space. That leaves four situations with four different answers: a drop-off, a day trip on foot, a week away, and a night in the motorhome before an early sailing. Status of the rules and tariffs below: 2 September 2026, from the ports, the operators and Dover District Council.
Dover: short stops in front of the terminal
For dropping off or collecting foot passengers there is space in front of the passenger terminal building at the Eastern Docks for stays of up to two hours - the guidance Irish Ferries publishes for the port - and taxis can reach the terminal building before port security. Sailing with the car, you simply do not park: you check in and wait in your numbered lane, ideally arriving between two hours and your operator's deadline before departure. The terminal address for the sat nav is Eastern Docks, Dover CT16 1JA; the approach is on the Dover ferry port page.
Dover: a day or a week as a foot passenger
The port's own answer for anything longer is independent off-site parking with a shuttle to the terminal - it names Relyon Parking on its facilities page and notes that wheelchair-accessible minibuses are available on request. Book the parking when you book the P&O foot-passenger sailing; the foot passengers page explains why the 90-minute check-in leaves no slack for a parking hunt.
For a day trip, Dover District Council's car parks in town work: the long-stay car parks - Camden Crescent, Maison Dieu Road, Norman Street, Ladywell - allow up to 24 hours, the short-stay ones up to four, and the seafront pay-and-display on Marine Parade and Waterloo Crescent up to ten hours at £2 an hour with a £12 daily cap. All are pay-and-display or RingGo. The 24-hour ceiling is the catch: a council car park is not a solution for a week in France. Blue Badge holders park free in council car parks for up to three hours or the maximum stay, and without time limit on pay-and-display streets.
Dover: motorhomes and caravans
Two council rules shape the night before an early sailing. Overnight sleeping in any vehicle is not permitted in Dover District Council car parks, and motorhomes are no longer allowed to park on Marine Parade and Waterloo Crescent between 08:00 and 18:00. What is allowed there is an overnight stay between 18:00 and 09:00 for a £13 fee, paid at the seafront machines. Larger motorhomes that need two bays use Maison Dieu Road car park with two pay-and-display tickets. There is no waiting area for motorhomes inside the port; the council's own suggestion for a longer stop on the way is the Folkestone services at M20 junction 11. Vehicle bands, gas bottles and deck rules for the crossing itself are on the vehicles page.
Calais: the free short-stay car park
At the Calais terminal a free car park for drop-offs and short stays sits in front of the terminal building - the place to collect a foot passenger arriving from Dover, or to wait if you have arrived far too early for check-in. The port publishes no medium- or long-term offer, and its FAQ says so plainly. Foot passengers arriving from Dover are dropped at the terminal by the port shuttle; taxis wait outside, and the port runs no taxi service of its own. The address and the drive in from the A16 and A26 are on the Calais ferry port page.
Calais: leaving the car for a walk-on trip
Because the terminal has no long-stay parking, a walk-on trip from Calais starts in town: the car stays at a car park near the station or the centre, and the free Baladin shuttle takes you to the terminal - Monday to Saturday, 08:00 to 19:00, every 22 minutes in the morning and every 15 minutes in the afternoon, not on Sundays or public holidays. Allow for the P&O foot-passenger check-in of 90 minutes (120 in peak periods) on top of the shuttle ride.
Calais: the motorhome area
Calais has what Dover lacks: a proper motorhome stopover about ten minutes from the terminal. The Camping-Car Park aire at 275 Rue Asfeld, 62100 Calais takes 102 vehicles all year round; the operator quotes 17,50 € per 24 hours plus the local tourist tax, paid with its access card. For the night before a dawn sailing it is the sensible base - the port's short-stay car park is for drop-offs, not for sleeping, and the check-in lanes open only for cars that are sailing.
The short version
- Dropping someone off: in front of the terminal on both sides - up to two hours in Dover, free in Calais.
- Sailing with the car: no parking needed; arrive between two hours and your deadline before departure.
- Day on foot: Dover council car parks (24 hours maximum) or the Dover seafront; in Calais a town car park plus the Baladin shuttle.
- A week on foot: off-site parking with shuttle in Dover; in Calais a town car park.
- Motorhome overnight: the Dover seafront between 18:00 and 09:00 against a fee, or the Calais aire on Rue Asfeld.
FAQ
Frequent questions about parking at the ports
Is there parking at Dover ferry port? +
No - the Port of Dover states that it has no parking facilities. In front of the passenger terminal you can stop for up to two hours to drop off or collect foot passengers; anything longer means an off-site car park with a shuttle or a council car park in town.
Where do I leave the car for a week as a foot passenger from Dover? +
With one of the independent off-site parking companies the port points to - they collect you and return you to the terminal - because the council's long-stay car parks in Dover allow a maximum of 24 hours. Book the parking with the ferry, not on the day.
Can I park at Calais ferry port? +
For a short stay, yes: the car park in front of the terminal building is free for drop-offs and short stops. The port offers no medium- or long-term parking, so a multi-day walk-on trip from Calais starts with a car park in town or at the station, which the free Baladin shuttle links to the terminal.
Can I sleep in my motorhome before an early sailing? +
Not in Dover's council car parks - overnight sleeping in any vehicle is not permitted there, and the seafront only allows motorhomes overnight between 18:00 and 09:00 against a fee. In Calais the motorhome area at 275 Rue Asfeld takes over a hundred vehicles all year, about ten minutes from the terminal.
Is Blue Badge parking free in Dover? +
In Dover District Council car parks Blue Badge holders park free for up to three hours or the maximum stay, whichever is shorter; on pay-and-display streets without time limit and free of charge. Inside the port there is no parking at all, but assistance at the terminal is arranged through your ferry operator.
Car parked, ticket next?
Compare the sailings of all three operators for your date and book your crossing.