Ports: guide to ferries & cruises

Looking to travel by sea? Find out more about popular European ports and the ferry routes and coastal and ocean cruises available for 2024/2025. Plan your trip to mainland Europe by car or book a cruise departing from the UK.

Ports in England

There are ferry crossings from England to France, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands with DFDS, P&O Ferries, Stena Line, Brittany Ferries and Irish Ferries. Most cruises depart from Dover and Southampton with routes around the UK, Europe and beyond.

  • Dover
  • Folkestone
  • Harwich
  • Hull
  • Liverpool
  • Newcastle
  • Newhaven
  • Plymouth
  • Poole
  • Portsmouth
  • Southampton
  • Tilbury

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Ports in Wales

Stena Line and Irish Ferries offer ferry crossings from Wales to Dublin and Rosslare in the Republic of Ireland. Some cruises visit in Wales ports including Marella Cruises, Saga and Princess Cruises.

  • Fishguard
  • Holyhead
  • Pembroke

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Ports in Scotland

Ferry routes run from Cairnryan to Northern Ireland - Larne with P&O Ferries and Belfast with Stena Line. From Rosyth, near Edinburgh, Fred Olsen Cruises operate cruises around the British islands, Scandinavia, Baltic and across Europe.

  • Cairnryan
  • Rosyth (Edinburgh)

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Ports in Northern Ireland

Stena Line operate ferries between Belfast and mainland UK (Liverpool, England and Cairnryan, Scotland) while P&O Ferries run between Larne and Cairnryan. Marella Cruises visit Belfast on a few cruise itineraries.

  • Belfast
  • Larne

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Ports in the Republic of Ireland

Ferries from the Republic of Ireland, operated by Irish Ferries, P&O Ferries, Stena Line and Brittany Ferries, travel to England, Wales and France. Multiple cruises stop in Ireland including MSC Cruises and Fred Olsen Cruises.

  • Cork
  • Dublin
  • Rosslare

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Ports in France

The ports of France link the UK and Ireland with an array of ferry routes operated by Brittany Ferries, DFDS, P&O Ferries and Irish Ferries plus the Eurotunnel between Calais and Folkestone.

  • Caen
  • Calais
  • Cherbourg
  • Dieppe
  • Dunkirk
  • Le Havre
  • Roscoff
  • St Malo

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Ports in the Netherlands

Ferries and mini cruises operate between the UK and the Netherlands with DFDS and P&O Ferries. Cruises often stop in the Netherlands on the way to Northern Europe (including the Nordics).

  • Amsterdam
  • Hook of Holland
  • Rotterdam

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Ports in Spain

Brittany Ferries operates ferry routes between the north coast of Spain and the English ports of Portsmouth and Plymouth. Ocean cruises visit in Spain, including Marella Cruises and Princess Cruises.

  • Bilbao
  • Santander

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