Sailing from

LondonCruise Port

Cruising out of London? Your ship sails from Tilbury, not the city. Find the terminal, book parking at the port, and plan the trip in from the airports or by train.

Tower Bridge and the Shard on the Thames at sunset, lit against an orange and pink sky, with a pontoon in the foreground water

Bon voyage from London

Terminals
1
London International Cruise Terminal
Cruise lines
1
Ambassador
Nearest airport
LCY
London City Airport, 21 mi, about 34 min
Port parking
From £11.00 a day
1 official lot

Last checked

Terminals by cruise line

London has one cruise terminal, and it isn't in the city. It's the London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury, on the Thames about 22 nautical miles downriver from Tower Bridge. Ambassador is the line we can confirm sailing from it. Other ships call here too, so check your boarding documents.

  • London International Cruise Terminal

    Cruise lines

    Ambassador

    Ambassador's terminal, in a listed building. Short-stay parking for drop-off sits right beside it.

    London International Cruise Terminal, Tilbury, Essex RM18 7NG (Port of Tilbury, Leslie Ford House, RM18 7EH)

    Map of London International Cruise Terminal

Hotels the night before

Staying the night before takes the stress out of embarkation morning. We couldn't confirm any hotel near Tilbury that runs a cruise shuttle or sells a park-and-cruise package. So search by distance instead, and ask the hotel about parking and a taxi to the terminal before you book.

Compare all hotels near the London cruise terminals →

London cruise parking

The port runs the long-stay car park beside the terminal. It says you must book ahead, and the rate is £11.00 a night. If the car park fills up, the port sends you to an overflow lot with a free shuttle bus. Ambassador guests reserve a space in My Ambassador Sailing.

The port's page still dates this rate to bookings after 1 January 2013, so confirm it when you book.

Port of Tilbury (Forth Ports) lots

Port of Tilbury (Forth Ports) lots: how you reach the terminal, whether it's covered, the price and a link to book
Port of Tilbury long-stay car parkPort-run long-stay lot. Porters take your bags from the car.For London International Cruise Terminal
+ More

Concessionary rates apply to cruises of 30 nights or more, but the port publishes no figure. The page doesn't say whether spaces are covered, so plan for open-air.

Per night, including VAT, as the port publishes it. Must be pre-booked. A concessionary rate applies to cruises of 30 nights or more, and no figure is published for it.

WalkOpen-airBeside the terminal; a free shuttle bus runs from an overflow car park when demand is high

£11.00a day

Reserve at the port → for Port of Tilbury long-stay car park

Getting there

London City is the closest airport, about 21 miles away. Gatwick and Stansted are 44 to 48 miles. Heathrow is the longest drive at about 71 miles. By train, c2c runs from Fenchurch Street to Tilbury Town in about 35 minutes. From there it's about a mile to the terminal. Ambassador also runs a coach from Victoria.

London City Airport LCY

London City, the closest airport to the terminal.

Distance
21 mi
Drive
about 34 min

Ways to the port

  • Taxi — No fare published. The closest airport to the terminal by road.
  • Train: c2c from London Fenchurch Street — No fare published. The port says c2c trains from London Fenchurch Street to Tilbury Town take about 35 minutes; from there it is about one mile to the terminal (bus every 30 minutes). Operator site → for c2c from London Fenchurch Street

London Stansted STN

Stansted, north of the Thames.

Distance
44 mi
Drive
about 1 hr 4 min

Ways to the port

  • Taxi — No fare published.

London Gatwick LGW

Gatwick, a drive round the M25 and across the Dartford crossing.

Distance
48 mi
Drive
about 59 min

Ways to the port

  • Taxi — No fare published. Road route round the M25 and across the Dartford crossing.

London Heathrow LHR

Heathrow, London's biggest airport and the longest drive.

Distance
71 mi
Drive
about 1 hr 22 min

Ways to the port

  • Cruise-line transfer: Ambassador Victoria Coach Service — No fare published. Runs from London Victoria Coach Station, not from the airport. Get from Heathrow to Victoria yourself, then take Ambassador's coach to the terminal. Operator site → for Ambassador Victoria Coach Service
  • Taxi — No fare published. The road trip is the longest of the four London airports.
A white SUV parked on a coastal lookout with the blue sea and scattered clouds behind it

Pre-book a private airport transfer

A driver booked ahead meets you at arrivals with room for bags. Check that your airport, the port and your date are covered first.

Book a driver →

Ports you'll visit from London

These are stops on Ambassador's cruises from Tilbury, from Scottish islands and Ireland to Norway's fjords. Other lines' routes from London weren't confirmed.

Quick answers

How we checked these answers

Every answer is built from facts we checked against the sources below and cross-checked with recent port guides. Where sources disagreed, the answer says so instead of guessing a number.

Terminals & cruise lines

Where is the London cruise terminal, and where do cruise ships dock in London?

London's cruise ships sail from the London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury, Essex, RM18 7NG, on the Thames about 22 nautical miles downriver from Tower Bridge, not from the city itself. Ambassador Cruise Line sails from it. Capital Cruising, the port's cruise brand, says it's the only cruise terminal in the southeast on the Thames itself. See the terminal.

What cruise lines sail from London?

Ambassador Cruise Line is the line we can confirm sailing from London's Tilbury terminal, with round trips on Ambience and Ambition. The port's 2026 schedule also lists Viking, Norwegian Sky, Seven Seas, Insignia, Scenic Eclipse 2 and Deutschland, but it shows vessels and dates only, so we can't say if those cruises start here. Check your boarding documents. See the terminal.

Can I be dropped off at the Tilbury cruise terminal, and what happens to my bags?

Yes: the port says short-stay parking for drop-off and pick-up is immediately adjacent to the Tilbury cruise terminal. If you park in the long-stay car park instead, porters unload your luggage on arrival and take it to your cabin. See parking.

Hotels

Which hotels near the London cruise port have a shuttle or cruise parking?

We couldn't confirm any hotel near Tilbury with a cruise shuttle or a park-and-cruise package, so none is listed. The terminal is in Tilbury, Essex, about 22 nautical miles downriver from central London, so hotels in the city are a train or coach ride away. Search hotels by distance from the terminal and ask about parking and a taxi before you book. See hotels.

Parking

How much is parking at the London Tilbury cruise port?

Long-stay parking at the Tilbury cruise terminal costs £11.00 per night including VAT, according to the port's own page. It must be booked in advance, and cruises of 30 nights or more get a concessionary rate the port doesn't price. The port's page dates the £11.00 rate to bookings after 1 January 2013, so confirm it when you book. See parking.

Where do you park for a cruise from London Tilbury?

Park in the port's long-stay car park beside the London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury, which must be pre-booked. When demand is high, the port directs passengers to an overflow car park with a free shuttle bus. Ambassador guests reserve a space and download a parking voucher in My Ambassador Sailing. We didn't confirm any private lot. See parking.

Do I need to book parking ahead for the Tilbury cruise terminal?

Yes: the port says long-stay passenger parking at Tilbury must be booked in advance. Ambassador guests book through My Ambassador Sailing once the cruise is confirmed, then download a parking voucher to bring. The port's page doesn't say how a non-Ambassador guest books. See parking.

Getting there

Which airport is closest to the London cruise port, and how far is it?

London City is the closest airport to the Tilbury cruise terminal, about 21 miles and 34 minutes by road without traffic. Stansted is about 44 miles (1 hour 4 minutes), Gatwick about 48 miles (59 minutes) and Heathrow about 71 miles (1 hour 22 minutes). Allow longer at busy times. See getting there.

How do I get to the Tilbury cruise terminal from London by train?

Take the c2c line from London Fenchurch Street to Tilbury Town, which Capital Cruising says takes about 35 minutes with frequent trains. The station is about one mile from the cruise terminal, and a bus runs every 30 minutes from the terminal. The Gravesend ferry also lands about a 10-minute walk away, but it doesn't run on Sundays. See getting there.

Is there a coach from central London to the Tilbury cruise terminal?

Yes, for Ambassador guests: its Victoria Coach Service runs direct return coaches between London Victoria Coach Station and the Tilbury terminal, timed to your sailing, with luggage loaded for you. Book it in My Ambassador Sailing. Ambassador also runs regional coaches from ten UK cities, from £70 return from Portsmouth to £190 from Dundee. See getting there.

Embarkation day

What time should I arrive at the London Tilbury cruise terminal?

Arrive at the embarkation slot on your boarding pass: Ambassador tells guests to check theirs in My Ambassador Sailing and no window is published in advance. Bring your boarding pass and any parking or coach vouchers, and print luggage tags there. If you drive, porters take your bags from the car. See parking.

Where the ships go

Where does Ambassador cruise to from London Tilbury?

Ambassador's cruises from London Tilbury include Norwegian fjords sailings (its page names Bergen and Flåm), and a 10-night British Isles round trip calling at Invergordon, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Cobh, the Isles of Scilly and Guernsey. It also runs short breaks, such as a two-night sailing ending in Portsmouth. Other lines' routes weren't confirmed. See the ports.