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Upper Dovercourt, and in particular the outskirts of town, is an expanding and sought-after residential area. It has a small but busy shopping area, a village green, and the oldest church in the area, the sturdy All Saints’ founded in the 11th century. Monuments in the churchyard record the British and Hanoverian troops who died in the town after the disastrous Walcheren expedition of 1809, the sinking of the ferry SS Berlin in 1907, and the execution by German firing squad in 1916 of Captain Fryatt, Master of the SS Brussels, who was proclaimed as a national hero following a confrontation with a German U-boat during the First World War.

The seafront at Dovercourt is especially popular with visitors. There is an easy stroll along its full length, with pleasant tide-washed beaches. Inland from the promenade is a large recreational area with cricket, football, rugby and hockey pitches. A modern pavilion adjoins the floodlit sports area with artificial turf, and there is also an indoor swimming pool, together with an excellent, well-equipped fitness centre. There is a boating lake, model yacht pond, roller-skating rink, tennis courts, putting green, crazy golf course, croquet lawn, petanque terrain and amusement arcade, all keep visitors entertained.

The two Dovercourt lighthouses are the most prominent features of the seafront. Erected by Trinity House in 1863, they were used until 1917, guiding ships around Landguard Point with their powerful gas lamps. The deep-water channel is now marked by buoys.

To the east of the lighthouses the seafront walk leads to Cliff Park with its bandstand, still used from time to time. The keen walker might like to venture beyond Cliff Park on the seafront walk which skirts Beacon Hill (containing gunnery positions dating from 1870 to 1945), passes the base of the Stone Pier and continues to Harwich.

Lower Dovercourt is the main shopping and business area of the town. Its bustling High Street houses a range of traditional and specialist shops, all taking pride in good service. The larger supermarkets are at the western end of the town. There is a range of good hotels and boarding houses, restaurants and public houses in the area. Parking is easy, and there are frequent bus services through the High Street, which is also home to the Post Office. The Kingsway Hall, venue for concerts, exhibitions and drama, the public library and Dovercourt railway station are situated in Kingsway.