logoCross-channel ferry

Cross-Channel services to France

Compare ferry and tunnel services to France - 2024

► You are here:   France  ›  Driving  ›  Cross-Channel ferries
About-France.com - the connoisseur's guide to France


From the shortest crossing, Dover - Calais, to the longest, Plymouth - Roscoff, there is a good choice of ferry and tunnel operators running from a number of UK ports. 

► Booking directly with the ferry company protects you from any possibility of a third-party failure, and may make it easier and cheaper  to change or cancel a booking if you have to change your ticket. Though take note: most of the cheapest tickets available are now sold on a "no change / no refund / no cancellation" basis, and in this case it make little difference if you have booked directly through the ferry company, or through a fare-comparison site.  And since the cost of a flexible ticket is almost the same as the cost of a new cheap-rate ticket anyway, paying extra for flexibility doesn't make sense unless you really think you might miss that ferry !

► Which route ? It depends on your priorities, and where you're going.
  • Price  :For the cheapest crossings, take a ferry from Dover, and avoid peak periods and peak hours. Early morning or late night crossings are cheapest. Any prices indicated on this page are for car and driver and may include extra passengers too.
  • Speed of crossing: Take the Eurotunnel shuttle, it's fastest but expensive
  • Convenience: (and maybe price and speed too) Drivers bound for the western half of France or Spain should check out crossings from Portsmouth or further west. They are more expensive, but can result in much shorter driving distances. For example a journey from the western outskirts of London to Tours or anywhere in southwest France involves about 320 kilometres or over 200 miles less driving if taking a Portsmouth-Caen crossing, rather than Dover-Calais.  Or a trip from Birmingham to central Normandy is a 500 km drive via Portsmouth but 820 km via Dover. By taking a night crossing, you can also save time or a hotel bill.

All the ferry routes from UK to France
Route Ferry operator 
    ► See Eurostar page for trains from London or Ashford to France and Belgium
Dover - Calais  -  three carriers including Eurotunnel (from Folkestone)
The shortest and quickest services to France. 

Appropriate for reaching any region of France. Check out
Routes from Calais
Eurotunnel le Shuttle - up to 4 crossings each hour
DFDS Ferries Up to 10 crossings a day. 20% discount on 2024 bookings made before  1st March
P&O Ferries  Up to 23 crossings a day

Day trips from £73. Special offers may be available
Irish Ferries  5 crossings per day
Dover - Dunkirk DFDS Ferries   Up to 9 crossings a day 20% discount on 2024 bookings made before  1st March 
Hull Zeebrugge (Belgium)    Not currently operating
Newhaven - Dieppe DFDS Ferries  Up to 3 crossings a day. 2024 returns from £90
Portsmouth - Le Havre  Brittany Ferries  Most days of the year, generally one overnight sailing departing 23.30
Day trips to France with 24hrs in France from £24 for foot passenger
Portsmouth - Caen.  May save time for trips to western France ... but usually much more expensive than short crossings. Brittany Ferries  Daily up to 3 sailings a day - Daytime and night sailings
Portsmouth -  Cherbourg Brittany Ferries    Seasonal: late April - early September
Portsmouth St Malo Brittany Ferries  1 sailing most nights; outward crossing departs 8.15 pm. Crossing time about 11 hours
Poole - Cherbourg  Brittany Ferries  Daily 3 Jan to 8 March, then 30 Apr. to 01 Nov.  One sailing a day usually at 8.30 am - outward.
Plymouth - Roscoff (Brittany)   Useful only for reaching Brittany and the Atlantic regions of France Brittany Ferries   Seasonal : sporadic in winter, daily from 12th March to 25th Sept. One crossing a day - very varied departure times depending on day. Foot pasengers from £43 single
Plymouth Santander or Bilbao (Spain) Brittany Ferries Two weekly services between March and November. Essentially for motorists driving to Spain or Portugal, but also a relaxing way out or back for anyone wanting a one-way drive through France.
** It is also possible to sail to France using Condor Ferries, from Poole via Jersey.




Copyright © About-France.com 2007 - 2024



About-France.com   Home page -  Site search  -  Regions  -  Maps of France  -  Contact


►This page includes links that will take you directly to the ferry company's own website where you can book online at lowest rates.

Check out the options and best prices for the days when you want to travel

►Driving down through France?
Check out the About-France.com route guides for France, from this page: Routes from Calais
Best routes, route maps , route guides and easily accessible places to stay.


►►Discover About-France.com
About-France.com home
Full site index
About-France.com site search
►► Principal chapters on About-France.com :
Guide to the regions of France
Beyond Paris, a guide to the French regions and their tourist attractions.
Guide to Paris
Make the most of your trip to Paris; Information on attractions, Paris hotels, transport,  and lots more. 
Accommodation in France
The different options, including hotels, holiday gites, b&b, hostels and more
Tourism in France
The main tourist attractions and places to visit in France - historic monuments, art galleries, seasides, and more
Planning a trip to France 
Information on things to do before starting your trip to France.
Driving in France 
Tips and useful information on driving in and through France - motorways, tolls, where to stay.... 
Maps of France
Cities, towns, departments, regions, climate, wine areas and other themes.

About-France.com works as an affiliate for certain ferry operators, and may receive a small commission on sales generated via this page.  This has no effect on the price charged, nor on the information on this page which covers all operators regardless of any affiliate status.


About-France.com respects your privacy and does not collect data from users. Cookies are used solely to log anonymous audience statistics and to enable certain essential page functions. To remove this message, click   or otherwise learn more about setting cookie preferences