Ferry routes to Great Britain

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Ferry routes to Great Britain



As Britain is an island, ferries were the only way to get into the country prior to the advent of aviation and later the construction of the Channel Tunnel which gave a "dry foot" route from Britain to the continent for the first time since the Ice Ages. See also the Get in section of the Britain article. Below is a list of routes that cross the North Sea, English Channel or Irish Sea. It may not be complete.

The modern Seven Sisters Ferry, Newhaven
Major airports and ferry routes (some are missing)

Portsmouth and Southampton act as ports for transport to the Isle of Wight; Portsmouth and Poole also have routes to Guernsey and Jersey, provided by Condor Ferries.

The Irish Ferries Ulysses, the world's largest ferry
From Mainland Europe and Ireland to Britain
Overseas port British port Crossing duration Service pattern Carries Operator
Amsterdam-IJmuiden, The Netherlands Newcastle (Tyne Corporation Quay) 16 hours 1 nightly ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ DFDS Seaways
Rotterdam-Europoort, The Netherlands Hull King George Dock 10 hours 1 nightly ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ P&O Ferries
Zeebrugge, Belgium Hull King George Dock 8 hours Service withdrawn. โˆ… P&O Ferries
the Hook of Holland (Hoek van Holland), The Netherlands Parkeston Quay Harwich International Port 7 hours The "Hook Continental" route. 1 daily, 1 nightly ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ Stena Line
Dunkirk (Dunkerque), France Dover Eastern Docks 105 minutes Every 2 hours, atop each even hour ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ DFDS Seaways
Calais, France Dover Eastern Docks 90 minutes The "Golden Arrow" route. Frequently, though irregularly, throughout each day ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ P&O Ferries
Calais, France Dover Eastern Docks 90 minutes The "Golden Arrow" route. Frequently, though irregularly, throughout each day ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ DFDS Seaways
Dieppe, France Newhaven Town 4 hours The "Transmanche" route. In Summer, 2 daily & 1 nightly
In Winter, 2 daily northbound, 1 daily & 1 nightly southbound
๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ DFDS Seaways
Le Havre, France Portsmouth International Terminal 6 hours Service suspended (as of Oct 2021) ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ LD Lines
Ouistreham (Caen), France Portsmouth International Terminal 6 hours 3 daily, 1 nightly ๐Ÿš˜ Brittany Ferries
Cherbourg, France Portsmouth International Terminal 3 hours Service suspended (as of Oct 2021), normally 1 weekly, southbound Sunday nights / Monday mornings, northbound Monday nights / Tuesday mornings ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜ Brittany Ferries
Cherbourg, France Poole 5 hours 1 each morning southbound, 1 each evening northbound. Seasonal service, operates Aprilโ€“October only. ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜ Brittany Ferries
Saint Malo, France Portsmouth International Terminal 11 hours (9 hours during day) 4-6 per week, depending on season ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜ Brittany Ferries
Saint Malo, France Poole 4.5 hours No information ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ Condor Ferries
Roscoff, France Plymouth 6 hours 2-6 per week, depending on season ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜ Brittany Ferries
Bilbao, Spain Portsmouth International Terminal 36 hours The "Peninsular" route. 3 weekly ๐Ÿš˜ Brittany Ferries
Santander, Spain Plymouth 24 hours 2 weekly ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜ Brittany Ferries
Rosslareโ€“Europort, Ireland Pembroke Dock, Wales 4 hours 2 daily ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ Irish Ferries
Rosslareโ€“Europort, Ireland Fishguard, Wales 2 hours The "Innisfallen" route. 2 daily eastbound, 1 daily & 1 nightly westbound ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ Stena Line
Dun Laoghaire, Ireland Holyhead, Wales 2 hours Service withdrawn; the "Irish Mail" route no longer serves Dรบn Laoghaire, & now docks at Dublin Port (see Dublin to Holyhead below) โˆ… Stena Line
Dublin Port, Ireland Holyhead, Wales 2 hours The "Irish Mail" route. Every 6 hours. ๐Ÿšถ not conveyed on certain late-night & early-morning sailings. ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ Stena Line
Dublin Port, Ireland Holyhead, Wales 2 hours The "Irish Mail" route. Every 6 hours; additional sailings operate in the Summer. ๐Ÿšถ not conveyed on certain late-night & early-morning sailings. ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ Irish Ferries
Belfast (Terminal 2), Northern Ireland Liverpool/Birkenhead, England 8 hours 1 daily, 1 nightly. ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ Stena Line
Larne, Northern Ireland Fleetwood, England 6 hours No information. โˆ… Stena Line
Belfast, Northern Ireland Loch Ryan (near Stranraer), Scotland 2 hours 6 daily. ๐Ÿšถ not conveyed 23:00โ€“06:00. ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ Stena Line
Larne, Northern Ireland Cairnryan (near Stranraer), Scotland 2 hours The "Northern Irishman" route. 7 daily ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ P&O Ferries
From Ireland and Britain to Mann (Douglas), all operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co and conveying ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿš˜๐Ÿšฒ.
From Crossing duration Service pattern
Heysham (Lancaster), England 3 hours 45 minutes 2 daily
Liverpool, England 2 hours 45 minutes 1 each evening, Aprilโ€“October only.
Dublin, Ireland 2 hours 55 minutes Infrequent and seasonal
Belfast, Northern Ireland 2 hours 45 minutes Infrequent and seasonal

These routes may be subject to change. It is recommended to contact the ferry operators and book ahead.

By coach or bus[edit]

If you are booked onto a scheduled international bus route that crosses the Channel, it may either go by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel; you don't get the choice. However, in general FlixBus uses the tunnel, Sindbad and Transmarian use the ferry, and Eurolines use both, depending on route. Schedules can change day-to-day depending on conditions at sea and fluctuations in ticket prices between the ferry companies and Eurotunnel. You can also catch a domestic bus to any Channel port of your choosing and take the ferry as a foot passenger, but this is not possible with the Eurotunnel. If you are going on a package coach holiday, the company will always explain how you are supposed to get to and from your start point.

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