Tilbury Cruise Port, London: Terminal, Parking & Transport

Tilbury Cruise Terminal, officially the London International Cruise Terminal, sits inside Tilbury Docks on the Thames in Essex, about twenty-five miles east of central London. Your ship ties up right at the terminal, and Tilbury Town station is a short walk from the gangway, with direct trains into the city where most people spend their time before or after sailing.

Tilbury Cruise Terminal: London’s main cruise port

Tilbury Cruise Terminal is London’s principal cruise port, used by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and Ambassador Cruise Line for ships too big to fit anywhere else in the city. Tower Bridge Upper and Greenwich Ship Tier sit closer to the centre, but they only take smaller vessels, so anything of a decent size ends up roughly twenty miles down the Thames in Essex instead. It’s also the largest multi-purpose port near the capital, handling around 16 million tonnes of cargo a year on top of its cruise business, according to Forth Ports Ltd.

It’s also why Ambassador Cruise Line calls Tilbury home, with the ship Ambience based here year-round and sister ship Ambition regularly sailing from the same terminal.

Which cruise lines sail from Tilbury Docks

The cruise lines that sail from Tilbury Docks are Ambassador Cruise Line, with Ambience and Ambition based there for trips to Norway, Portugal and the Canaries, plus Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, who use Tilbury alongside their other UK ports.

• Ambassador Cruise Line treats Tilbury as home base for Ambience, while Ambition also sails from here out to Norway, Portugal and the Canary Islands. More on Ambassador Cruise Line’s ships and itineraries is covered separately.
• Fred Olsen Cruise Lines sails from Tilbury too, alongside its other UK departure ports.

Getting to Tilbury Cruise Terminal by train, coach and road

Trains run to London Fenchurch Street. Coach services run from London Victoria, and regional coach transfers connect in from across the UK, which makes this an easy no-fly cruise option if you’re based in London, Essex, Kent or anywhere else in the South East.

By road, the terminal sits just off the A1089 and is well signposted, so you won’t need to hunt for it. If you’re travelling from further afield and fancy a day in the capital before heading out to Essex, it’s worth browsing London sightseeing tours and day trips first. For a wider look at where else you can sail from, our guide to cruising from UK ports covers the other options.

Parking at Tilbury Cruise Terminal

Official cruise parking is run by Cruise & Passenger Services (CPS), an ABTA travel partner, at the London International Cruise Terminal. There are five car parks dotted around the port; car parks 2 and 3 sit closest to the terminal, while car park 1 is the furthest out, so staff run shuttle buses and collect bags for anyone parked further away.

The on-site car park is gated, covered by CCTV and patrolled, and open round the clock for cars, vans and motorbikes. There’s also an overflow car park outside the port complex that’s gated and monitored too, though it does mean a short walk in. Not every ship can use these car parks, since the cruise line needs its own arrangement with CPS, so it’s worth checking parking is actually available for your sailing before you set off. Ambassador passengers can book secure parking ahead of time through My Ambassador Sailing.

You’ll see different pricing structures quoted around the place, some a flat nightly rate, others tiered into short-stay, long-stay and extended-cruise bands, so check the current figure with CPS or your cruise line directly rather than going on whatever you’ve read elsewhere.

Is there free parking at Tilbury Cruise Terminal?

Free parking directly at Tilbury Cruise Terminal isn’t on offer; both the on-site and overflow car parks are paid, gated set-ups run by CPS. Independent operators such as YourParkingSpace list spaces on the surrounding streets in Tilbury, Grays and Gravesend that often work out cheaper than the official car parks, though check the walking distance to the terminal before you book.

Inside Tilbury Cruise Terminal: check-in and queues

When you arrive, staff take your luggage before you queue to get into the terminal building itself, a listed building with seating inside. Facilities include check-in counters, baggage handling, customs and immigration, passenger lounges, a drop-off area, toilets and a coffee stop.

Queues to get into the terminal are common, so turn up a little before your given time rather than bang on it. Once you’re inside, though, the terminal is built for a quick, straightforward embarkation rather than a long wait. If this is your first time sailing, our guide for first-time cruisers covers what else to expect on the day.

Hotels near Tilbury Cruise Terminal

The Tilbury-Gravesend ferry is suspended: how to still reach Gravesend

The Tilbury-Gravesend passenger ferry stopped running once its funding was pulled, cutting off the direct walk-on crossing to Kent. The Port of London Authority is looking into whether it can come back, but any reinstated service would need to run without public subsidy, which means passenger numbers and fares would both have to climb first.

No one’s stepped in to fund a relaunch, so it doesn’t look close. In the meantime, getting between Tilbury and Gravesend means a detour by bus over the bridge, or going via London instead; regular bus services now cover the Gravesend to Thurrock route in place of the old ferry.

What to eat near Tilbury Cruise Terminal

The best things to eat near Tilbury Cruise Terminal are traditional Essex dishes, including fresh fish, served near Tilbury Fort just along from the ship. If the ferry’s running, hop over to Gravesend for the indoor market or a pint in the ancient riverside pub.

A short distance from the terminal, near Tilbury Fort, you’ll find traditional Essex fare including fresh fish dishes that nod to the area’s maritime past. Across the river in Gravesend, when the ferry’s running, there’s an indoor market and old cobbled streets worth a wander, plus a historic riverside pub said to be older than anything in central London.

What to wear in Tilbury: outfit ideas for a port day

What to wear in Tilbury on a port day is comfortable, flat walking shoes with practical layers, since the Thames Path, the fort and Gravesend’s cobbled streets are all exposed and uneven underfoot. No need to cover shoulders or knees here.

The Thames Path and Tilbury Fort are flat but exposed and industrial in character, so comfortable walking shoes will serve you far better than anything smart or smooth-soled, for women and men alike. Gravesend’s town centre, when you can reach it, has old cobbled streets that call for the same practical footwear.

There’s no dress code at Tilbury Fort itself; it’s an outdoor historic site rather than a place of worship, so there’s no need to cover shoulders or knees here the way you might elsewhere.

Best photo spots near Tilbury

The best photo spots near Tilbury are the star-shaped Tudor and Stuart fort right by the port, Coalhouse Fort Park a short way off with its riverside views, and the Thames Path along the estuary with birdlife to spot.

• Tilbury Fort is the area’s star turn, a star-shaped Tudor and Stuart defensive fort that guarded London for centuries.
• Coalhouse Fort Park, a short distance away, mixes military history with riverside walks and birdwatching.
• The Thames Path near Tilbury has an industrial charm along its estuary stretch, with plenty of birdlife including geese, gulls, waders and parakeets.
• St George’s Church in Gravesend, across the Thames, is the final resting place of Pocahontas.

Common Questions

Is there a direct train from Heathrow Airport to Tilbury Cruise Terminal?

Direct train connections between Heathrow and Tilbury don’t exist, so the quickest way to get between them is by road. Transfer and taxi journeys typically take roughly 1 to 1.5 hours, though it’s worth checking fares and times directly with the provider since they vary widely.

Is there a live schedule of ships at Tilbury docks today?

Tilbury doesn’t publish a live feed of daily arrivals and departures, so the most reliable way to check which ship is in is to contact your cruise line directly before your visit.