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Ferry routes to Great Britain Voyage Tips and guide

You can check the original Wikivoyage article Here

    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 🚶🚘🚲 DFDS Seaways
    Rotterdam-Europoort, The Netherlands Hull King George Dock 10 hours 1 nightly 🚶🚘🚲 P&O Ferries
    Zeebrugge, Belgium Hull King George Dock 8 hours Service withdrawn. ∅ 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 🚶🚘🚲 Stena Line
    Dunkirk (Dunkerque), France Dover Eastern Docks 105 minutes Every 2 hours, atop each even hour 🚘🚲 DFDS Seaways
    Calais, France Dover Eastern Docks 90 minutes The "Golden Arrow" route. Frequently, though irregularly, throughout each day 🚶🚘🚲 P&O Ferries
    Calais, France Dover Eastern Docks 90 minutes The "Golden Arrow" route. Frequently, though irregularly, throughout each day 🚘🚲 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    		 🚶🚘🚲 DFDS Seaways
    Le Havre, France Portsmouth International Terminal 6 hours Service suspended (as of Oct 2021) 🚶🚘🚲 LD Lines
    Ouistreham (Caen), France Portsmouth International Terminal 6 hours 3 daily, 1 nightly 🚘 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 🚶🚘 Brittany Ferries
    Cherbourg, France Poole 5 hours 1 each morning southbound, 1 each evening northbound. Seasonal service, operates April–October only. 🚶🚘 Brittany Ferries
    Saint Malo, France Portsmouth International Terminal 11 hours (9 hours during day) 4-6 per week, depending on season 🚶🚘 Brittany Ferries
    Saint Malo, France Poole 4.5 hours No information 🚶🚘🚲 Condor Ferries
    Roscoff, France Plymouth 6 hours 2-6 per week, depending on season 🚶🚘 Brittany Ferries
    Bilbao, Spain Portsmouth International Terminal 36 hours The "Peninsular" route. 3 weekly 🚘 Brittany Ferries
    Santander, Spain Plymouth 24 hours 2 weekly 🚶🚘 Brittany Ferries
    Rosslare–Europort, Ireland Pembroke Dock, Wales 4 hours 2 daily 🚶🚘🚲 Irish Ferries
    Rosslare–Europort, Ireland Fishguard, Wales 2 hours The "Innisfallen" route. 2 daily eastbound, 1 daily & 1 nightly westbound 🚶🚘🚲 Stena Line
    Dun Laoghaire, Ireland Holyhead, Wales 2 hours Service withdrawn; the "Irish Mail" route no longer serves Dún Laoghaire, & now docks at Dublin Port (see Dublin to Holyhead below) ∅ Stena Line
    Dublin Port, Ireland Holyhead, Wales 2 hours The "Irish Mail" route. Every 6 hours. 🚶 not conveyed on certain late-night & early-morning sailings. 🚶🚘🚲 Stena Line
    Dublin Port, Ireland Holyhead, Wales 2 hours The "Irish Mail" route. Every 6 hours; additional sailings operate in the Summer. 🚶 not conveyed on certain late-night & early-morning sailings. 🚶🚘🚲 Irish Ferries
    Belfast (Terminal 2), Northern Ireland Liverpool/Birkenhead, England 8 hours 1 daily, 1 nightly. 🚶🚘🚲 Stena Line
    Larne, Northern Ireland Fleetwood, England 6 hours No information. ∅ Stena Line
    Belfast, Northern Ireland Loch Ryan (near Stranraer), Scotland 2 hours 6 daily. 🚶 not conveyed 23:00–06:00. 🚶🚘🚲 Stena Line
    Larne, Northern Ireland Cairnryan (near Stranraer), Scotland 2 hours The "Northern Irishman" route. 7 daily 🚶🚘🚲 P&O Ferries
    From Ireland and Britain to Mann (Douglas), all operated by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Co and conveying 🚶🚘🚲.
    From Crossing duration Service pattern
    Heysham (Lancaster), England 3 hours 45 minutes 2 daily
    Liverpool, England 2 hours 45 minutes 1 each evening, April–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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