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Premier Inn Canterbury City Centre is the one with air conditioning in every room. It's a Premier Plus hotel on the Dover side of the city, a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral, about 17.6 road miles from the terminals by our routing.
It comes twelfth, behind the Travelodge, because it has no car park of its own. The Horizon car park next door charges £11.40 (about US$15) per night, and Longport is a 2–3 minute walk.
The Thyme Bar & Grill is downstairs. Breakfast is paid, and Premier Inn doesn't print check-in times.
Book it for a cool room and an evening in Canterbury, and decide the car before you arrive.
Book it if
- You want a cool room in summer — every room has air con
- You'd like an evening in the old city, 10 minutes' walk from the Cathedral
- You're arriving by train and will taxi to Dover in the morning
Look elsewhere if
- You want parking at the door — the car park is next door and charged.
- You'd like breakfast included rather than paid.
- You want the ship close in the morning, not 17.6 road miles out.
Your night before, from here
From check-in to the gangway, using only what Premier Inn Canterbury publishes.
The Thyme Bar & Grill downstairs, and Canterbury Cathedral a 10-minute walk away, per Premier Inn.
No transfer to Dover is mentioned. Book a taxi ahead — there’s no Uber in Dover.
Breakfast is paid; up to two kids eat free.
Premier Inn gives no Dover distance — it's on the Dover side of the city, and our routing puts CT1 and CT2 about 17.6 miles by road. By our routing the drive from Premier Inn Canterbury is about 24 minutes on empty roads — so leave room for real ones.
There's no car park of its own. A small Horizon car park next door (CT1 1UF) is £11.40 per night, and Longport Car Park (CT1 1DU) is a 2–3 minute walk. Nothing says either takes a car for a cruise.
Night-Before Score: 18 of 100
Scored only from what the hotel publishes. See how the Night-Before Score works.
Getting here, and on to the ship
From Heathrow it’s about 88.2 road miles to Premier Inn Canterbury, from Gatwick about 68.6, and from the hotel about 17.6 to the terminals — our routing, with no traffic. Question marks are rides you arrange.
Premier Inn doesn't mention airport transport — from Heathrow our routing gives about 88.2 road miles, roughly 104 minutes with no traffic.
No transfer to Dover is mentioned.
Premier Inn gives no Dover distance — it's on the Dover side of the city, and our routing puts CT1 and CT2 about 17.6 miles by road.
From LHR without a hotel shuttle
By our routing, Heathrow to Premier Inn Canterbury is about 88.2 road miles, roughly 104 minutes with no traffic; Gatwick is about 68.6 miles and 80 minutes. The train via St Pancras is the usual way, and fixed-fare taxis publish £146.60 to £275 (about US$195–365) a car. More: the airport page.
Premier Inn doesn't mention airport transport — our routing puts Gatwick about 69 road miles away, roughly 80 minutes on clear roads.
No transfer to Dover is mentioned.
Premier Inn gives no Dover distance — it's on the Dover side of the city, and our routing puts CT1 and CT2 about 17.6 miles by road.
From LGW without a hotel shuttle
By our routing, Heathrow to Premier Inn Canterbury is about 88.2 road miles, roughly 104 minutes with no traffic; Gatwick is about 68.6 miles and 80 minutes. The train via St Pancras is the usual way, and fixed-fare taxis publish £146.60 to £275 a car. More: the airport page.
There's no car park of its own. A small Horizon car park next door (CT1 1UF) is £11.40 per night, and Longport Car Park (CT1 1DU) is a 2–3 minute walk. Nothing says either takes a car for a cruise.
Parking for your stay: No car park of its own: Horizon car park next door £11.40 per night; Longport Car Park 2–3 minutes’ walk.
No transfer to Dover is mentioned.
Premier Inn gives no Dover distance — it's on the Dover side of the city, and our routing puts CT1 and CT2 about 17.6 miles by road.
Landing on sail morning instead? Skip Premier Inn Canterbury and go straight to the terminals — the airport page covers Carnival’s transfer and the trains.
Which terminal
CT1 and CT2, Western DocksShips start their cruises at CT1 and CT2 on the Western Docks — about 17.6 road miles from Premier Inn Canterbury by our routing, measured to the terminals’ postcode point, so approximate. More in the Dover cruise guide.
Source: portofdover.comDistance
~17.6 mi, our routingPremier Inn gives no Dover distance — it's on the Dover side of the city, and our routing puts CT1 and CT2 about 17.6 miles by road.
Source: premierinn.comShuttle departures
No shuttle statedPremier Inn Canterbury runs no shuttle to the ship — book the taxi ahead, about 24 minutes to the terminals with no traffic, by our routing, not a rush-hour promise.
Source: premierinn.comParking while you sail
Cruise parking
Cruise parking unconfirmedThere's no car park of its own. A small Horizon car park next door (CT1 1UF) is £11.40 per night, and Longport Car Park (CT1 1DU) is a 2–3 minute walk. Nothing says either takes a car for a cruise.
Source: premierinn.comOff-site park-and-ride
£9 (about US$12) a day, per RelyonRelyon’s park-and-ride on Poulton Close is about 17.4 road miles from Premier Inn Canterbury by our routing: £9 a day with a £30 (about US$40) minimum, per Relyon, and a door-to-door shuttle to the terminal — a published rate, not a hotel deal, against £11.40 per night in the Horizon car park next door here.
Where the car goes while you sail · Dover cruise parking, compared.
Source: relyongroup.co.ukThe evening and the morning
The evening
Food or bar on siteThe Thyme Bar & Grill downstairs, and Canterbury Cathedral a 10-minute walk away, per Premier Inn.
Breakfast
Not freeBreakfast is paid; up to two kids eat free.
Address
New Dover Road, Canterbury centreNew Dover Road, Canterbury (Premier Inn prints no street address; car park next door CT1 1UF)
Hotel website
The fine print, in one place
Times, fees, rooms and the small stuff, as Premier Inn Canterbury publishes it. The gaps here are check-in and check-out times and pets — a call to Premier Inn Canterbury settles both.
Check-in and check-out
Minimum age
Not stated by the hotel.
Extra fees
None stated
Wi-Fi
Free
Parking for your stay
No car park of its own: Horizon car park next door £11.40 per night; Longport Car Park 2–3 minutes’ walk
Breakfast
Paid; up to two kids eat free
Pool
No pool mentioned on the pages we read
Pets
The page we read doesn't mention pets.
Food and drink on site
- Thyme Bar & GrillOn site
Rooms
Premier Plus and family rooms are listed; air conditioning in all rooms.
Accessibility
Accessible rooms and two disabled parking bays.
On site
- EV chargingNot stated
- Guest laundryNot stated
- GymNot stated
- Pets allowedNot stated
Nearby, by the hotel’s count
- Canterbury Cathedral10-minute walk
Distances as Premier Inn Canterbury or its brand lists them, on a square-root scale so short walks stay visible.
Also worth knowing
- Air conditioning in all rooms
Before you book
Worth knowing
- No on-site car park: Horizon next door at £11.40 per night, or Longport nearby.
- Air con in all rooms.
- Two disabled bays, subject to availability.
What we couldn’t confirm
- Check-in and check-out times
- Pets
- Whether either car park takes a car for a week
Every hotel fact here comes from Premier Inn Canterbury’s own pages, read October 3, 2026, unless we name another source — so before you book, confirm whether the car park next door will take a car for a week.
Worth a look alongside it
Around Premier Inn Canterbury: the Dover cruise guide, Dover cruise parking and the splurge list.
Wake up on the Dover side of Canterbury.
Tell us your sail date and we’ll check Premier Inn Canterbury for the night before. No payment on the form.
Premier Inn Canterbury FAQ
Does Premier Inn Canterbury City Centre have parking?
Not its own. A small Horizon car park next door (CT1 1UF) is £11.40 per night, and Longport Car Park (CT1 1DU) is a 2–3 minute walk, per Premier Inn.
Do the rooms at Premier Inn Canterbury City Centre have air conditioning?
Yes, air con in all rooms, per Premier Inn — it's a Premier Plus hotel.
How far is Premier Inn Canterbury City Centre from the Cathedral?
A 10-minute walk, per Premier Inn.
What's the restaurant at Premier Inn Canterbury City Centre?
The Thyme Bar & Grill, on site.
How far is Premier Inn Canterbury City Centre from Dover's cruise terminals?
About 17.6 miles by road, roughly 24 minutes with no traffic, by our routing — the closest of the Canterbury four to Dover.
Booking the cruise too?
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