At present (November 2023) only P&O carry foot passengers on this route and there are only three ferries a day which carry them. Cyclists should check with P&O to find out their terms and conditions for bikes and all pilgrims should check with P&O the times of ferries which are able to take foot passengers and cyclists. Foot passengers must book in advance as tickets cannot be bought in the terminal. Travelling as a foot passenger | Dover to Calais | P&O Ferries (poferries.com). The P&O ferry terminal is 1.5 miles from the centre of Dover in the Dover Ferry Terminal (Eastern Docks) https://www.portofdover.com/ferry/travel-by-foot/
Check in closes 90 minutes before departure so you must be there in plenty of time. After check-in, you will be taken by bus to go through airport-style security, bag check and passport control.
The crossing takes 90 minutes but it is another 30 minutes before foot passengers can disembark. On disembarkation you will again be taken by bus to the ferry terminal office where a free bus service will take you into the centre of Calais (one of its stops is at the railway station). However, Monday to Thursday this service ends at 7pm which is before the evening ferry for foot passengers arrives. There are very few taxis and it is an hour’s walk into town so if you are travelling Monday to Thursday you may prefer to spend the night in Dover and catch the morning ferry instead. All these arrangements may change so do check with P&O before you travel www.poferries.com . The walk from the ferry terminal can feel remote as there are few, if any, pedestrians around the port. Once in Calais it is as safe to walk through the town as it is anywhere.