Dartford is a town in Kent, England.

Understand

The gatehouse of Henry VIII's Royal Manor

Get in

By car

• From London, take the A2 arterial road from either London or the M25 Orbital motorway.
• From Canterbury, take the M2 and the A2

The Dartford tunnel and bridge are toll roads but do not have booths. Payment must be made on the website (car plate is scanned) within a couple of days otherwise you get a large fine.

By train

International

Dartford railway station

Eurostar high-speed trains running from Paris (Gare du Nord), Lille (Europe), Calais (Fréthun) and Brussels (Zuid-Midi) stop at 1 Ebbsfleet International station. The station is has on-site car parking for over 9000 vehicles.

Passengers travelling by Eurostar to the UK from Paris (Gare du Nord), Lille (Europe), Calais (Fréthun) and Brussels (Zuid-Midi) stations undergo UK passport/identity card checks in France/Belgium before boarding, rather than on arrival in the UK. The UK passport checks take place after the French/Belgian passport/identity card exit checks in the stations. However, UK customs checks take place on arrival in the UK.

Passengers travelling to France/Belgium from Ashford International go through French passport/identity card checks in the station before boarding the train, whilst selective customs checks take place on arrival in France/Belgium following disembarkation.

Domestic

Fastrack buses at Greenhithe railway station

Domestic trains are operated by SouthEastern From London St Pancras to Ebbsfleet (typical journey time 15 – 17 minutes).

Get around

Local buses are operated by Fastrack (Arriva) and Arriva Kent Thameside

See

• 1 Tilbury Fort, Tilbury, RM18 7NR (13 mies east of Dartford), ☏ +44 1375 858489. Adults £4.60, children £2.80, concessions £4.10.  

Do

The quarry at Bluewater, showing the underlying chalk

Buy

• 1 Orchards Shopping Centre, High Street, Dartford, Kent, DA1 1DN, ☏ +44 1322 289383. M-Sa 9AM-6PM. Free. (updated Mar 2017)
• 2 Priory Shopping Centre, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2HS, ☏ +44 1322 220915. M-Sa 9AM-5:30PM, Su 10AM-4PM. Free. (updated Mar 2017)
• 3 Bluewater Shopping centre, Greenhithe, Kent, DA9 9ST, ☏ +44 1322 475475. M-F 10AM-9PM, Sa 9AM-9PM, Su 11AM-5PM. Free. (updated Mar 2017)

Sleep

• Holiday Inn Express London Dartford, University Way, ☏ +44 871 902 1606. 
• 1 DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dartford Bridge, Masthead Close, Crossways Business Park (just off the M25 motorway), ☏ +44 1322 284444, reservations@doubletreedartfordbridge.com. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. Stylish hotel. 

Go next

Routes through Dartford

North London ← Rainham ←	anticlockwise  clockwise	→ Sevenoaks → South London
Central London ← Bexley ←	NW  SE	→ Gravesend → Dover