The car park by the Loon-Plage terminal building with waiting cars and coaches

Parking at Dunkirk ferry port and Dover port

On Dover to Dunkirk you always travel with your vehicle, so you never leave a car at the port for the crossing. Parking matters in three cases: dropping someone off, a night near the port before an early sailing, and the waiting lanes themselves. Here is what each port offers.

Updated 28 September 2026

Parking at the Dunkirk terminal, Loon-Plage

Short stay	Free car park in front of the terminal building, for a visit to the shop, the toilets or the DFDS desk before check-in.
Long stay	None, and none needed: there are no foot passengers on this route. Once checked in you cannot leave the site.
Waiting lanes	Numbered lanes next to the terminal; you park in your lane and can walk to the building. Motorhomes and high vehicles have their own lanes.
Motorhome overnight	Not at the terminal. The nearest aires are at Gravelines (8 km, by the fortified town) and at Malo-les-Bains on the Dunkirk seafront (20 km).
Dropping someone off	Possible at the car park, but they cannot board without a vehicle. For foot passengers use Calais; see foot passengers.

Car park in front of the terminal building at Loon-Plage — The free short-stay car park in front of the Dunkirk terminal.

Coaches at the DFDS check-in booths in Loon-Plage — After the booths you wait in numbered lanes; coaches and lorries on the left.

Parking at Dover Eastern Docks

At the port	No public long-stay parking inside Eastern Docks. A short-stay area near the entrance is for drop-offs and the foot passenger terminal, which serves the Calais route.
Long stay in town	Council car parks in Dover town (Pencester Road, Maison Dieu Road) and private “meet and greet” operators near the port, mostly used by Calais foot passengers and cruise passengers.
Night before an early sailing	Hotels in Dover and Folkestone have their own car parks. Motorhomes: the campsites at Hawthorn Farm (Martin Mill, 6 km) and Folkestone Camping and Caravanning Club (13 km) take late arrivals in season.
Waiting lanes	Under the cliffs, after check-in and passport control. Toilets and food alongside; you can leave the car in the lane and walk.

Waiting lanes at Dover Eastern Docks under the White Cliffs — The waiting lanes at Eastern Docks: the only “parking” you use on this route.

Our take. There is no long-stay parking inside Eastern Docks and nowhere to wait in the lanes before check-in opens for your sailing. For a 06:00 or 08:00 departure, a hotel in Dover with its own car park is the practical night before: the car stays with you, and Eastern Docks is a short drive. Check rooms in Dover with parking for the night before your sailing.

Practical notes

Do not leave valuables in view in the lanesBoth ports are patrolled, but a lane is a car park like any other. Take bags with you when you walk to the terminal.
Fuel is not at either terminalFill up on the A20 outside Dover or at Grande-Synthe (A16 junction 55) before Dunkirk. See Dunkirk port.
Motorhome? Book the height, not a spaceIf the height is in your booking, your place on the high-vehicle deck is reserved. The lanes for high vehicles are wider; see motorhome and caravan.

Questions about parking

Can I leave my car at Dover and cross as a foot passenger?

Not on the Dunkirk route: it carries vehicles only. From Dover to Calais with P&O you can, and the town car parks and meet-and-greet operators serve that.

Is parking at the Dunkirk terminal free?

Yes, the short-stay car park in front of the terminal building is free. It is meant for a short visit before check-in, not for leaving a car.

Can I sleep in my motorhome in the lanes before a night sailing?

Only for the time between check-in and boarding, which is at most a couple of hours. For a night, use an aire or campsite nearby and check in an hour before departure.