Ferries to France - Ferry Routes & Crossings from the UK
Ferries to France will always remain a popular travel option for holidaymakers from the U.K. Taking your car, caravan or motorcycle with you avoids the hassles and delay using hire cars on unfamiliar roads. There are many options to choose from - if you just want to get over the water as quick as you can, a high speed catamaran on a short crossing might be for you. If you enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of a mini-cruise an overnight trip on a more luxurious ferry with fine dining facilities could be more up your street. Your first consideration should be your destination - have a good look at road routes in France before you make up your mind. A little extra driving to a different port in the U.K. could save you hours of driving on the other side. Here's a breakdown of ferries to France from U.K. ports:
Dover to Calais, Dunkerque and Boulogne - P&O Ferries and SeaFrance operate up to 50 departures to Calais every day with a crossing time of 90 minutes (sometimes quicker. Hoverspeed operates the faster Seacat, which gets you there in less than hour. Norfolkline operates a two-hour crossing up to 10 times daily to Dunkerque for car and motorcycle travellers only. If you're going through France to the Benelux countries this might be for you. SpeedFerries runs a low cost high-speed catamaran service to the attractive port town of Boulogne, with good motorway links to Paris and western France.
Newhaven to Dieppe - Hoverspeed runs three Seacats and two ferry departures a day over to historic Dieppe. This is a route with more time to relax on board but still with great access for onward travel into France.
Portsmouth to Normandy and Brittany - P&O operates up to four conventional ferries and three fast craft services to Cherbourg every day, and three daily to Le Havre. Brittany Ferries runs three ferries a day to the port of Caen, including one overnight crossing, and two ferries a day to St.Malo in Brittany.
Poole to Cherbourg and St.Malo - Brittany Ferries runs one or two conventional ferry departures each day to Cherbourg as well as three fast craft departures a day from May to September. Condor Ferries runs a fast craft ferry service to St.Malo once a day, and a similar service to St.Malo from Weymouth.
Plymouth to Roscoff - Brittany Ferries runs three departures each day on this six-hour conventional ferry crossing.
Ireland to Cherbourg and Roscoff - P&O Irish Sea runs three overnight ferries a week from Rosslare in the south of Ireland to Cherbourg. Irish Ferries runs a similar service to Cherbourg as well as well as a weekly service to Roscoff. Brittany Ferries runs a daily overnight service from Cork to Roscoff.
Wherever you're travelling to in France you will need to carry a passport with you on your journey and the relevant driving documents. Pets can now be taken with you as long as you have a Pets passport (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm) avoiding the need for long quarantine. Whether it's just a booze cruise for a day or the holiday of a lifetime, ferries to France provide a variety of easy and leisurely ways to travel.
Ferry Destinations & Tips
