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.
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.
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| 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| Zeebrugge, Belgium | Hull King George Dock | 8 hours | Service withdrawn.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 | 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.