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Dover Bronze Age Boat
Attractions in Dover

Dover Bronze Age Boat opens Dover’s list

Visitors to Dover can choose from 10 museums, 6 castles and 5 forts. Look within 5 km of its edge and the list grows by 23 beyond the 4 inside Dover’s built-up area. Of these, 10 are looked after: 6 by English Heritage and 4 by the National Trust. Beyond the town, the best known is Canterbury Cathedral, 22 km off.

Photo: Dover Bronze Age Boat, mari from tokyo, japan (CC BY 2.0)
In Dover
4
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
23
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
10
in or near town
Castles & historic places
12
in or near town
Cared for
10
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Start with these in Dover

3 forts, a museum and a castle follow Dover Bronze Age Boat.

MuseumDover Bronze Age Boatin townMuseumDover Museumin townFortAdmiralty Pier Turretin townFortFort Burgoynein townCastle · English HeritageDover Castle100 m outside town, to the eastFort · English HeritageDover Western Heights200 m outside town, to the south

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Where to go

To the east is where most of the 23 nearby are.

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The dashed line is Dover’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

How the list breaks down

Castles or historic places lead the count with 12; 10 are museums or galleries.

Museums & galleries 10 museums2 in town · 8 nearby
Castles & historic places 6 castles · 5 forts · 1 abbey or priory2 in town · 10 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 heritage railway0 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 4 attractions0 in town · 4 nearby

Green: inside Dover. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

10 places are cared for: 6 by English Heritage and 4 by the National Trust (Dover Castle, Dover Western Heights, Fan Bay Deep Shelter and Swingfield Preceptory, and 6 more).

Every place

The full list

In town there are 4, and the list adds 23 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 4 inside Dover come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

140 listed buildings and 14 scheduled monuments are on Dover’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Dover →

Big names nearby

Out of town

Day trips number 12; the best known is Canterbury Cathedral, 22 km off.

CathedralCanterbury Cathedral22 km northwestAbbey or priory · English HeritageSaint Augustine's Abbey22 km northwestCastle · English HeritageDeal Castle12 km northeastCastle · English HeritageWalmer Castle11 km northeastCastleCanterbury Castle22 km northwestCastleSaltwood Castle16 km westCastleSandown Castle14 km northeastCastleLympne Castle20 km westCastleSandgate Castle 153912 km southwestMuseumThe Wing7.2 km southwestHeritage railwayRomney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway23 km southwestCastleWestenhanger Castle19 km west

Places well known beyond Dover (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Before a day out in Dover

What are the main attractions in Dover?

The best known inside Dover’s built-up area are Dover Bronze Age Boat, Dover Museum, Admiralty Pier Turret and Fort Burgoyne. In all, 4 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 23 more within 5 km.

Does Dover have a museum?

10 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Dover: Dover Bronze Age Boat, Dover Museum, PWRR & Queens Regiment Museum and Secret Wartime Tunnels.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Dover?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Dover, 10 places are cared for: 6 by English Heritage and 4 by the National Trust (Dover Castle, Dover Western Heights, Fan Bay Deep Shelter and Swingfield Preceptory).

What are the best-known days out near Dover?

Within 40 km: Canterbury Cathedral (22 km), Saint Augustine's Abbey (22 km), Deal Castle (12 km), Walmer Castle (11 km).

Where are Dover’s historic buildings listed?

Dover has 140 listed buildings, 3 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Dover when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (23)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.