Introduction to London Ferry Services
With an increasing number of European motorists
crossing the Channel each year to the UK, London and the home counties have also become part of the
itinerary on many touring holidays.
Of course, with the city being located just a few hours drive from the south
and south-east coasts, ferry ports such as Dover,
Harwich, Ramsgate and Newhaven are
all easily accessible. Along with regular ferry services, certain ports (such as Boulogne)
handle high-speed vessels such as 'Speed One' operated by Speedferries, while arguably the most convenient option of all is the
Channel Tunnel between Coquelles and Folkestone.
Below you'll find a list of the country's main passenger ferry terminals (and
routes), along with descriptions of the companies operating from each port. For information on
driving rules and regulations in the UK click here.
For foot or rail passengers crossing by ferry or Eurotunnel Shuttle, transport links by train into
London from Dover, Ramsgate and Newhaven are operated by Southeastern to
London Victoria. For those arriving at Harwich,
National Express runs regular services to
Liverpool Street.
For details of Thames crossings within London, see our Thames
Clippers section below.
Ferries from Ireland
Undoubtedly the fastest routes for ferry crossings from Ireland are
Dublin-Holyhead and Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead. On both routes, high speed vessels operate alongside normal ferry services. As
fares vary according to the time of year, the day of the week, the length of your car and the
number of occupants on board, it's best to check the websites of each operator for the latest
pricing details. However, the main routes and ferry services from Ireland are as follows:
Dublin-Holyhead - operated by Irish Ferries and Stena
Line.
Irish Ferries - ships currently in service on this route are: Ulysses and
Dublin Swift. Each day-crossing takes 3 hrs 15 minutes (1 hr 49 minutes by Swift), with overnight
sailings from Dublin arriving at 1.19am next day. From Dublin Port, Stena operate the
Adventurer.
Dun Laoghaire-Holyhead - operated by Stena Line, vessel currently in service on
this route is the HSS Explorer. Each crossing takes 1 hr 39 minutes by HSS Explorer.
Rosslare-Fishguard - operated by Stena Line, vessels currently in service on this route: Stena Europe and Stena
Express. Each crossing takes 3 hrs 30 minutes (1 hr 39 minutes by Lynx).
Rosslare-Pembroke - operated by Irish Ferries, the ship currently in service on this route is the Isle of
Inishmore. Each day-crossing takes 3 hrs 45 minutes, with overnight sailings from Rosslare arriving
at 1.15am next day.
Liverpool-Dublin - operated by Norfolkline, the ships currently in service on this line are the Liverpool Viking and
Dublin Viking. Crossing time is approximately 7 hours, with both day and night sailings
available in both directions.
+ from Northern Ireland
Belfast-Liverpool - operated by Norfolkline, the company use two new vessels - the Lagan Viking and the Mersey
Viking - with each crossing taking approximately 8 hours (both day and night sailings are
available in both directions).
Ferries from Mainland Europe
With over 13 British ports, it's fairly easy (although somewhat time
consuming) to reach mainland Britain from Germany, Denmark and Sweden, as well as crossing the
Channel via shorter routes from France, Belgium and Holland.
For trips from Calais, Boulogne, Dunkerque or Dieppe, a family of four driving
a mid-sized saloon (i.e. Ford Mondeo) can expect to pay anything from £90–150
(EUR
146-244) for a single fare (return tickets are usually a little under double).
That said, Speed
Ferries offers amendable bookings (FLEX tickets) from £25 one-way, for a standard car including up to 6 passengers, on the all year Dover-Boulogne fast ferry service.
On longer routes
such as Newcastle–Gothenburg, Hamburg-Harwich and Hamburg-Newcastle (all operated by
DFDS Seaways), return tickets cost upwards of
£300 (EUR 489), even during off-season periods, with the final cost depending upon the type
of accommodation you choose e.g. standard cabin, commodore cabin etc.
Dover-Boulogne - operated by SpeedFerries,
the ship currently in service on
this route is the SpeedOne. Each daily crossing takes just 50 minutes.
Bilbao-Portsmouth - operated by P & O, the ship currently in service on this route is Pride of Bilbao.
Caen-Portsmouth - operated by Brittany Ferries, ships currently in service on this route are: Mont St Michel,
Normandie and Normandie Express. Each day-crossing takes 6 hrs (Express vessel takes 3 hrs
45 mins), with overnight
sailings from Caen arriving at 6.15am next day (from Portsmouth at 6.30am next day).
Calais-Dover - operated by P & O. P & O ships currently in service on this route are: Aquitaine,
Burgundy, Calais, Canterbury, Dover, Kent and Provence. Each crossing takes 1 hr 15 minutes.
Cherbourg-Poole - operated by Brittany Ferries, vessels currently in service on this route are:
Barfleur, Normandie Vitesse. Each day-crossing takes 4 hrs 15 minutes (2hrs 15 mins by
Vitesse), with overnight sailings from Cherbourg arriving at 6am next day (from Poole arriving at
7am next day).
Cherbourg-Portsmouth - Brittany Ferries offer services from March to October using
the new, high-speed Normandie Express, while from January-March the Barfleur operates on
this route (taking 4 hrs 45mins to complete the journey).
Dunkerque-Dover - operated by Norfolkline vessels currently in service on this route are: Northern Merchant,
Midnight Merchant, Dawn Merchant. Each crossing takes 2 hrs.
Hook of Holland-Harwich - operated by Stena Line ships currently in service on this
route are: Brittanica, Stena HSS. Each day-crossing takes 3 hrs 40 minutes, with overnight sailings
from Hook of Holland arriving at 7.30am-8am next day (from Harwich at 6.30am-7:30am next day).
Le Havre-Portsmouth - operated by P & O, ships currently in service on this route are: Pride of Le Havre and
Pride of Portsmouth. Each day-crossing takes 5 hrs 30 minutes, with overnight sailings from Le
Havre arriving at 6am next day (from Portsmouth 6:45am next day).
Operated by LD Lines (a sister company of Transmanche
Ferries) the company's Norman Spirit ferry provides a daily service between Portsmouth
and Le Havre departing from Portsmouth at 11pm and arriving at Le Havre at 7:30am the next
morning, while the return service departs from Le Havre at 5pm and arrives at Portsmouth
at 9.30pm.
Newhaven-Dieppe - operated by Transmanche
Ferries, the vessels currently in service on this route are the Dieppe and Sardinia
Vera. Each
crossing takes 3 hrs.
Roscoff-Plymouth - operated by Brittany Ferries, ships currently in
service on this route are: Bretagne, Pont-Aven. Each day-crossing takes 6 hrs (Pont-Aven
4hrs 45mins),
with overnight sailings from Roscoff arriving at 6am next day (from Plymouth at 6.30am next
day).
Ferry Services within London
Established in 1999, Thames Clippers provides commuter passenger services
along a key central stretch of the River Thames between Central London at Savoy Pier, through Canary Wharf and on to Greenwich and
Woolwich beyond.
Crucially, the service is integrated into the Transport for London's
(TfL) pricing system, making Travelcard holders eligible for discounts, whilst also
allowing for easy transfer between bus and Tube services.
For timetable and pricing information, please visit the company's
website at: www.thamesclippers.com.
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