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How to travel from the UK to France without flying
8 minute read | Author: Richard Hammond
There are lots of ways to travel overland to France from the UK without flying thanks to a variety of train, coach, car ferry and foot passenger ferry services from southern England. Our team has tried and tested many of them and so we have tried to summarise all the available options in this post based on our experience. The good news is that if you're travelling on foot, then on arrival at many of the ports and railway stations in France, there are plenty of options for onward travel by rail and bus throughout France. Furthermore, it's fast becoming feasible to take an electric car to France - the infrastructure is improving all the time with charging networks being rolled out at terminals and there's currently a huge expansion of charging facilities throughout France.
Less Carbon, More Fun!
Photos: Eurostar, Brittany Ferries, Wix Media and Flixbus
Ferries from the south of England to France
The modernisation of ferry services has revolutionised the experience of travelling across the English Channel. Especially for longer overnight crossings to the continent where you can travel in style on spacious ships, enjoy fine dining in la carte restaurants, spa treatment rooms, and comfortable en suite cabins, so on arrival you feel refreshed for the onward journey. There are also plenty of facilities to keep children entertained during the crossing, including soft play areas, games rooms, live entertainment and cinema. Europe has never felt closer.
You can sail with Brittany Ferries during the day or overnight from Poole, Portsmouth and Plymouth with journeys taking between 3 and 11 hours depending on the route and departure time. The fastest crossings are to Cherbourg from Portsmouth and Poole. The ferry to Le Harve offers more budget ‘no-frills’ day and overnight ferries that have limited entertainment onboard and a more simple restaurant. The Caen route has the greatest choice of day or night sails. For access to northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands, there is a vast choice of services from Dover to Calais and Dunkirk with P&O Ferries and DFDS, but only the former accepts foot passengers on a few of its routes.
Below are the main ferry routes from the south of England across the English Channel to France. Click on the links below to go to the relevant section on this page:
Portsmouth to Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo
How to travel to the ferry ports in the south of England by public transport
Port of Dover | By train: To Dover Priory Station from where there is a regular shuttle bus service to Dover's ferry port terminal building, or you can take a taxi (5 minutes) or walk (15–20 minutes). By bus/coach: Take a Flixbus or National Express bus (e.g. from London Victoria Coach Station) to the coach stop just outside Dover's ferry port terminal. If you wanted to travel onwards from Calais to Amsterdam, Bruges, Brussels or Paris you can board the coach at this stop in Dover (there is a coach ticket office next to the coach stop). |
Newhaven Port | By train: To Newhaven railway station from where it's a 3-minute walk to the ferry terminal building. By bus/coach: There’s a local bus service from Brighton, Seaford, Peacehaven, Dover, Bexhill, Rye, Folkestone and Hastings to Newhaven bus stop, from where it’s a short walk to the ferry terminal building. |
Port of Poole | By train: To Poole Railway Station from where it's a 25-minute walk to Poole Ferry Terminal. By bus/coach: Bus or coach to Poole Bus and Coach Station (in the Dolphin Centre) from where it’s a 25-minute walk to Poole Ferry Terminal. Taxis are available at most times from both the railway and coach stations. A shuttle bus runs between the passenger terminal and the ship for foot passengers. |
Portsmouth Port | By train: To Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station (it takes 85 minutes from London Waterloo and there are also services from London Victoria and Cardiff), from where it’s a 20-minute walk (or 10-minute taxi ride) to the ferry departure terminal. NB between May and September, there is a shuttle bus from Portsmouth & Southsea railway station to the ferry terminal. By Bus: The easiest way to reach the harbour is to take a Flixbus or National Express coach (e.g. from London Victoria), which stops right outside the ferry departure building. There are also local bus services to Portsmouth ferry terminal operated by Stagecoach (bus 20) and First Bus (buses 8, X4 and X9). |
Plymouth Port | By Train: There is a good rail service from major railway stations to Plymouth train station (it takes 3-4 hours from London Paddington) from where it's about a 20-minute walk to the Plymouth ferry terminal. By Bus: Flixbus and National Express runs coach services from London's Victoria coach station to Plymouth coach station from where it's about a 20-minute walk to the Plymouth ferry terminal. |
Dover to Calais
Dover to Calais: 5 sailings per day (for foot passengers) with P&O Ferries
There are also sailings from Dover to Calais with DFDS Seaways (10 sailings per day), and Irish Ferries (4 sailings per day) but they do not allow foot passengers.
NB. There is also a ferry from Dover to Dunkirk (12 sailings per day with DFDS Seaways) but it is also not available for foot passengers.
Dover to Calais with P&O Ferries
Journey time: 1.5 hours
Timings: up to 23 daily sailings in both directions, depending on the time of year
Facilities on board: food court, restaurant, cafe, bar, shop, kid’s club
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle free of charge but must book the bicycle in advance with one bicycle per booking so groups with multiple bicycles need to make separate bookings. Other info: there are four ticket types from Saver to Premier, which give you varying flexibility, wifi access and lounge access. Only passengers travelling with a car can bring their pet.
Dover to Calais with DFDS
Journey time: 1.5 hours
Timings: up to 30 daily sailings in both directions, depending on the time of year
Facilities on board: restaurant, cafe, bar, shop, kid’s play area, free wi-fi
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage and no extra cost to bring bicycles with a vehicle Other info: DFDS does not accept foot passengers on its Dover-Calais route - only those travelling with a vehicle. A ‘Flexi ticket’ allows you to travel up to 72 hours either side of your original booking, subject to availability. Passengers can bring their pet at a cost of £15 each way. For onwards travel, Calais is on the Intercity rail network with the option to connect to towns including Boulogne, Lille, Amiens and Arras on the TER network.
Dover to Dunkirk with DFDS
Journey time: 2 hours
Timings: up to 24 daily sailings in both directions, depending on the time of year
Facilities on board: restaurant, cafe, bar, shop, kid’s play area, free wi-fi
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage and no extra cost to bring bicycles with a vehicle Other info: DFDS does not accept foot passengers on its Dover-Dunkirk route - only those travelling with a vehicle. A ‘Flexi ticket’ allows you to travel up to 72 hours either side of your original booking, subject to availability. Passengers can bring their pet at a cost of £15 each way. Dunkirk is well served by public transport - buses around the town are free and the train station is on the Intercity network with trains to Paris taking 2.5 hours
Newhaven to Dieppe with DFDS
Journey time: 4 hours
Timings: 3 daily sailings in both directions May-September (2 daily sailings at other times)
Facilities on board: restaurant, bar, shop, children’s play area
Sleeper cabins: 2-4 berth cabins
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle free of charge. Other info: you can travel by coach from Dieppe to Paris in 2.5 hours or connect to the intercity French rail network via Rouen
Poole to Cherbourg with Brittany Ferries
Journey time: 4.5 hours (9 hours for overnight return crossing)
Timings: up to two return crossings per day in peak summer season. Leaves Poole at around 08:30 and arrives at 14:00, depending on the day and season
Facilities on board: restaurant, bar, cafe, shop, children’s play area Sleeper cabins: 2-4 berth cabins
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle for a small charge each way. Other info: from Cherbourg it is three hours to Paris by train but most people take a car as you can drive onto Normandy in just over an hour.
Portsmouth to Le Harve with Brittany Ferries
Journey time: day and overnight ferries that take between 5.5 and 10 hours
Timings: at least one daily departure, with up to two a day in the peak summer season. Departs Portsmouth 23:00 or 23:30, arrives Le Harve 8:00 or 08:30, with an extra seasonal departures - see website for details
Facilities on board: small bar, self service restaurant, cinema, small shop and kids play area
Sleeper Cabins: take from 2-4 people (6 berth on some ferries), including cabins suitable for a dog to travel alongside its owner
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle for a small charge each way. Other info: Le Harve is the closest port to Paris by car.
Portsmouth to Caen with Brittany Ferries
Journey time: 6-7 hours
Timings: daily departures in the peak summer season. Greatest choice of sailing times at 08:15, 14.45, 22:00 and 22:45 depending on the day and season
Facilities on board: bar, restaurants, cinema, entertainment for adults and children, shops and kids play area
Sleeper Cabins: take from 2-4 people and some ferries have cabins suitable for a dog to travel alongside its owner
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle for a small charge each way. Other info: from Caen you can connect to the high speed rail network in France via Le Mans or get to Paris by rail in two hours.
Portsmouth to Cherbourg with Brittany Ferries
Journey time: 3 hours
Timings: daily departures in the peak summer season. Leaves Portsmouth at 09:00, arriving in Cherbourg at 13:00, with extra departures depending on the season
Facilities on board: lounge with reclining seats, shop, cafe and bar
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle for a small charge each way. Other info: from Cherbourg it is three hours to Paris by train but most people take a car as you can drive onto Normandy in just over an hour.
Portsmouth to St Malo with Brittany Ferries
Journey time: 7-11 hours
Timings: sailings every day during the peak summer season. Leaves Portsmouth at 20:15, arriving in Cherbourg at 08:15, with slight changes to timings depending on the season and some day crossings from St Malo
Facilities on board: cinemas, cabaret and live entertainment, restaurants, bar, cafe, shopping Sleeper cabins: 2-4 berth cabins
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle for a small charge each way. Other info: one of the boats on the route (Pont Aven) has a pool and leisure area. From St Malo you can drive to Brittany in 1.5 hours and the Dordogne in 6 hours. Otherwise by train you can get to Rennes in under an hour and Paris in three hours.
Plymouth to Roscoff with Brittany Ferries
Journey time: 6-8 hours
Timings: up to two return crossings per day in peak summer season with day and overnight options. Leaves Plymouth at around 08:00 and/or 22:00, depending on the day and season
Facilities on board: restaurants, bars, cafe, shops, live entertainment, cinemas, children’s play area, pool and spa (on some crossings) Sleeper cabins: 2-4 berth cabins
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Fo ot passengers can travel with a bicycle for a small charge each way. Other info: Roscoff is well placed for holidays in Brittany, Normandy and the Loire
Onwards travel from the French ferry ports by public transport
Port of Calais | It's about 3km (40 minute walk) from the ferry to Calais Ville railway station but there is a free shuttle bus (called 'Balad’in'), which takes you from right outside the ferry terminal to the city centre of Calais – it runs every 22 minutes in the morning and every 11 minutes in the afternoon, from 7am to 7pm. From Calais Ville there is a regular train service to Paris Gare du Nord (it takes just over 2 hours). |
Dieppe | From the ferry terminal, it's about a 25-minutes walk to Dieppe railway station or there's a shuttle bus that can take you there in about 5 minutes. From Dieppe, there's a train that goes to Paris via Rouen (journey time is just less than 3 hours). |
Caen | Although the route is called Caen, the ferry port is at Ouistreham about 10 miles (16km) north of Caen. Thankfully, there’s an excellent shuttles bus service (Bus Verts du Calvados line 1), which is scheduled to meet ferry arrivals at the port and run to Caen’s main railway station and the city centre – the journey takes around 40 minutes. Gare de Caen (railway station) has services to many destinations throughout France, including Paris (journey time around 2 hours). |
Cherbourg | It’s a few minutes’ walk to Cherbourg’s main railway station (follow the quayside south along the side of the harbour), a short taxi ride, or bus number 8 runs between the ferry port and the station. Gare de Cherbourg (railway station) is well connected to the French national rail network, with regular services to various local and long-distance destinations, including Paris (around 3 hours away). |
St Malo | It is approximately 10 minutes’ walk to St Malo town centre or coach station and 25 minutes to the train station. Alternatively, it’s a short 3-minute walk to a bus stop (by the swimming pool ‘La piscine du Naye’) for a shuttle bus into town, which stops at ‘Gare Routière’ (bus station) just opposite the railway station in the modern part of St Malo, from where there are trains to the rest of France. Alternatively, there’s a taxi rank outside the ferry terminal. |
Roscoff | The charming fishing port of Roscoff is a great entry point in France, especially if you’re travelling to Brittany, the Loire and Aquitaine. On arrival, it’s about a mile (1.6km), a 15-minute walk or short taxi ride to Roscoff railway station where there are trains to Morlaix for connections to Paris and high-speed TGVs to destinations across France. |
By car from the UK to France
Cars can be taken on all the major ferry routes described in the foot passenger section above, as well as the Dover to Calais route run by DFDS and Irish Ferries (neither take foot passengers on this route) and on the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, which takes just 35 minutes from Folkestone to Calais (there are up to four departures an hour at peak times).
You can also take an electric car on the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle - there are rapid chargers for universal electric and hybrid cars, as well as dedicated Tesla chargers, at both terminals so you can recharge before you head through the tunnel on either side.
Tickets for LeShuttle (Eurotunnel) provided by Direct Ferries, which allows you to search and compare prices for the different times through the tunnel.
Hiring electric cars in France
There has been a huge increase in the production of electric cars in recent years and many of the large car rental companies, such as Enterprise, Avis, Europcar, and SIXT now hire electric cars in France, see:
Enterprise: https://www.enterprise.co.uk/en/car-hire/vehicles/fr/cars/electric.html
Avis: https://www.avis.co.uk/drive-avis/fleet/prestige/uk/Electric
Europcar: https://www.europcar.co.uk/en-gb/p/car-rental/fleet/type/electric
SIXT: https://www.sixt.com/magazine/fleet/electric-cars-pros-and-cons
Do make sure you hire a car that has the appropriate mileage per battery that’s relevant for your use. Public charging networks provide a mixture of slow, fast and rapid charging points operated by either a national or regional network, so do check the location of the charging points as well as the charging time and payment methods. The car hire company may be able to advise on this when you hire the car – some may have arrangements with energy partners and can provide you with a charge card that you can use at a number of locations in France.
Charging electric vehicles in France
Electric vehicle (EV) charging networks are expanding very quickly across France. As in the UK there are different companies providing chargers, but the market is much more fragmented on the continent – if you think it’s complicated in the UK, in France and across Europe there is a bewildering number of providers. In most cases, you need to log in using a network RFID card, a key fob or an app, some of which need to be pre-loaded with funds. Chargers that accept a contactless debit or credit card are still not widespread. Thankfully, there are aggregators who can provide an RFID card that works on several different networks, reducing the number of cards or apps you need to obtain.
As in the UK, there are chargers at many motorway service areas and are also generally found where cars are likely to be parked for a while, such as supermarkets, shopping centre car parks, hotels and tourist attractions. The Automobile Association has a handy guide to recharging in Europe, including the latest information on the charging networks in France and breakdown cover for electric vehicles in Europe. The situation is changing rapidly, so it’s always worth checking the AA’s website again just before you embark on a journey in Europe. Also, keep an eye on the website zap-map.com for the latest news about electric vehicles and the expansion of charging networks throughout the continent.
By Coach from the UK to France
The major coach operators from the UK to France are Flixbus, which runs coach trips from Manchester, Birmingham and London to multiple cities in France, and National Express, which runs a service from London to Paris (nationalexpress.com); if you’re travelling from outside London, you can travel to London to connect with the international service.
National Express also runs coaches from most major cities in the UK. Luggage allowance is one medium sized suitcase and one piece of hand luggage per person. As with coaches operating in the UK, there’s free Wi-Fi, charging sockets, and onboard toilets. You can also book Flixbus and National Express tickets through Omio (omio.co.uk), which also sells tickets for Eurolines, which works with 29 coach companies throughout Europe (eurolines.de).
By train from the UK to France
It is easy to travel by train to France within just a few hours from the UK. The fastest route is to take the Eurostar from London St Pancras International Railway Station to either Lille Europe (1 hour 22 mins) or to Gare du Nord, Paris (2 hours 16 mins). Both these stations are hubs to onward travel throughout France.
In Lille, all the trains leave from the same station you arrived at from London, while in Paris, although some onward trains leave from Gare du Nord (mostly Thalys trains for Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands), most trains for destinations in France leave from five other stations dotted throughout the capital: Gare de l'Est (which is just a few minutes walk from Gare du Nord), Gare de Lyon, Gare d’Austerlitz, Gare Montparnasse, Gare de Bercy, and Gare Saint Lazare. For instance, if you want to travel down to Nice, you have to change stations in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, which can take about half an hour on the Paris RER line.
If you're not used to Paris, transferring train stations may seem daunting but in practice the connections are pretty seamless – see our guide to: How to transfer between train stations across Paris.
For more information about train travel to specific cities in France, including tips on hotels near the railway stations, see our Flight-free journey planner.
Tickets provided by Trainline, which allows you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. It does charge a small booking fee, but offers several useful facilities, such as a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets when they become available.
How to book train tickets as part of a package with accommodation
If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels en route, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its page for booking enquiries.
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Please note: The information on this page aims to give you a reasonable idea of train and ferry routes, times and tickets, in order that hopefully there’s enough detail to know what's available, how to plan an overland journey and where to book tickets. The information was up to date at time of publication, but services do change from time to time and we cannot take responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies we provide. Always confirm details when you book with the relevant travel operator. If you are aware of any inaccuracies, we'd really appreciate being informed via our contact page so we can make the relevant changes to the information provided for the benefit of other travellers.
Bon Voyage!