UK France Ferry Crossings

If you read the earlier post about ‘In Search of Sunshine” you might have been wondering how to get the cheapest UK France Ferry Crossings. Well in my experience the cheapest way by far is to use Norfolkline who are now part of DFDS.  The screen shot here, show the prices going one way for a motorhome of up to 2.4m in height travelling from Dover to Dunkirk on the 18th April this month.  As you can see the prices go as low as a £23 and only as high as a completely reasonable £33.

Norfolkline say “When taking UK France Ferry Crossings,  Norfolkline provides an excellent service between Dover and Dunkirk.  The ferry crossing takes approximately 2 hours to and from France and onboard you will experience award winning levels of service whilst benefiting from some of the best fares of any ferry service currently operating to France.  Taking a ferry to France with Norfolkline is a really enjoyable and relaxing experience due to the modern fleet of ferries.”

Dover is renowned for its many ferries to France and mostly associated with Calais, but really Dunkirk provides even better road links to many destinations than Calais.  The only ferry operator currently offering ferries to France directly between Dover and Dunkirk. So why not get a quote now for your next channel crossing?

I’ve always been delighted by Norfolkline’s service and I’m really happy to recommend them regardless of how you are travelling; by car, by motorbike, by motorhome..whatever – I still challenge you to find a cheaper company.  There’s also another aspect of Norfolkline that they don’t advertise and that is their flexibility.  If you look at some other companies you will see you can buy a cheaper ‘non flexible’ ticket or pay a premium for a ticket that you can change at the last moment.  With Norfolkline I have always paid the lowest price, but I have not always turned up at the ferry port on time.  I have never had to wait for hours and hours or been charged extra – they have simply put me on the next available ferry, no questions asked.  Brilliant.

Click this link to book your UK France Ferry Crossings.

 

Cheap Ferry From Dover to Dunkirk

 

I’ve just been looking for a Cheap Ferry From Dover to Dunkirk for travelling out to France next Wednesday and returning the following Wednesday.  I’m travelling with a low profile motorhome which is less than 2.4m which actually puts it in the same category as a car, but if you go for the taller option, the price isn’t much higher.  I entered the full family, which is myself along with my wife and our two daughters (1 and 7).

Next Wednesday the 18th May was as cheap as £13 if I was prepared to go very very early, but I chose a 6:00 sailing at £19.  The return journey on the 25th May was cheaper as I like to drive up to Dunkirk and then wild camp at the ferry terminal ready to catch an early ferry at 4:01 which was just £13.

Other charges? Just a £1 charge for using a Visa Debit card and a (slightly hefty) fuel surcharge of £12.  Even so the totally for getting my entire family to France and back in a motorhome is just £45. I thoroughly recommend using DFDS’s cheap ferry from Dover to Dunkirk, especially if you are in a motorhome.

Use this link to get the best price for a Cheap Ferry From Dover to Dunkirk.

 

 

Cheap Ferry to France From Dover

The summer holidays are rapidly approaching and it’s time that a lot of people will be making their plans.  If you are looking for a cheap ferry to France from Dover, I’d suggest going with DFDS (formerly Norfolkline).  They are the cheapest and most flexible and their staff are superbly helpful.  Sometimes you can get a SeaFrance crossing just as cheap, but if you turn up late (or early) for your ferry then it won’t be free to change you booking. With DFDS I have never been charged extra for not taking the ferry I was supposed to and I have done this many many times!

If you have a low profile or van type motorhome you will travel for the same price as a car. This price also includes up to 5 passengers. If your motorhome is a taller coachbuilt or A Class motorhome you will still find DFDS to be a cheap ferry to France from Dover.

The DFDS route is Dover to Dunkirk. If you haven’t been to Dunkirk before you will be very surprised at how different it is to Calais. It’s quiet, relaxed and just as easy to get onto the motorway as Calais is. But hold up! There’s quite a lot to see around Dunkirk too.

Dunkirk is colonized by surfers, wind surfers, kite flyers and families. The glorious beach at Dunkirk streaches for as far as they eye can see. Home to some 200,000 people, Dunkirk has dramatic art and architecture and probably the best ‘Moules Frites’ in all of France, yet surprisingly is missing from the radar of the average UK traveller.  This is surprising considering Dunkirk’s role in the 1914 evacuation for a third of a million allied troops in operation dynamo and Dunkirk’s present day attractions like shopping, art and history. So if you are just looking for a cheap ferry to France from Dover fine, but it’s worth having a look around Dunkirk itself too.

 

Cheap Ferries To France From Dover

Cheap Ferries To France From Dover

I’ve consistently found that NorfolkLine, who are now owned by DFDS, are the best for cheap ferries to France from Dover.  I thought I’d share my screenshots with you so you can see what excellent value for money they are, so here goes:

I’ve just booked up a ferry for a motorhome (under 2.4m) with 2 adults and 2 children, going to France on the 8th May and returning the following week on the 15th May.

So as you can see travelling out on Sunday 8th May is £29 if you want to travel at midday, but if are prepared to travel earlier or later, you can pick this fare up for just £23.  Please note that this is the one way fare from Dover to France, we’ll cover the return leg of the journey in a minute.

What I like to do is either get to Dover quite late, get across the channel and then do a sneaky wild camp over in France, so I’m all ready for a drive through France in the morning.  This works fine if you are a couple, but maybe if you are a family then you would prefer to get to a camp site to get you and your family settled in for the night.

The return journey was a little bit more expensive, this is usually the case at the end of a weekend for returning from France back to Dover, but even so, the most expensive fare was only £36.  The cheapest fare was at 10.01pm which was just £26. Bargain.

There is a fuel surcharge of £12 to be added on to this, so the total cost is £49+£12=£61. I think that is superb.  I had a quick look at the other companies doing the Dover Calais route, but NorfolkLine still came out top for cheap ferries to France from Dover.

So do consider NorfolkLine when you are booking cheap ferries to France from Dover.

 

Ferry from Dover to Dunkerque

Dover is located in Kent, England and is famous for the ‘white cliffs of Dover’ which are easily visible when nearing England on the return journey. The Port of Dover is known as ‘the gateway to Europe’ and is the starting point for Journeys By Ferry from Dover to Dunkerque. The ferry can accommodate pedestrian passengers, cars and commercial vehicles. It takes less than an hour to reach the port of Dunkerque and is easily accessed from the M2/A2 motorway via Canterbury or from the M20/A20 motorway via Ashford. The port is the busiest in the world.

Currency can be exchanged at the on-board Bureau de Change before reaching your destination and therefore Euros may be purchased whilst on the ferry from Dover to Dunkerque. Sterling may be purchased during the return journey to England. There is also an information desk which is open whenever the ferry is travelling across the Channel.

Dunkerque has great shopping and great beaches which can be enjoyed if visiting en-route to your holiday destination. It is in a good location to gain access to many roads leading throughout France and to other European destinations. It is also only about 6 miles to the border of Belgium.

DFDS Seaways, formerly Norfolkline are currently the only company to offer a ferry from Dover to Dunkerque.

Ferries from Dover to Dunkirk

Dover, also known as the ‘gateway to Europe’, is the closest point, from England, to France at a distance of 21 miles. This stretches across one of the biggest shipping lanes in the world. With boats travelling through Scandinavia and Northern Europe to the rest of the world, through this 21 mile wide boating highway. Here’s a short piece on ferries from Dover to Dunkirk.

From Dover there are two routes to France; one to Calais and one to Dunkirk (or Dunkerque, as the French write it). The latter boasting France’s third largest port, and a burgeoning hub of tourism. It’s town centre has become renowned for its museums and restaurants, and attracts many every day, from England to the ‘Church of the Dunes’.

The ferry service is operated exclusively by DFDS Seaways who operate Scandanavian and Irish services as well as ferries from Dover to Dunkirk. The service covers a distance of just under 47 miles and leaves from Dover every two hours, with the journey itself lasting around two hours. It can run slightly longer depending on weather conditions and the roughness of the sea.

If you have anything you would like to say about ferries from Dover to Dunkirk or any other French ports, please comment below.

Ferry from Dover to Dunkirk

A Ferry from Dover to Dunkirk runs between two ports that are equally famous and have many historical ties that have been formed over centuries. In modern history the name Dunkirk conjures pictures of beaches crowded with hundreds of thousands of British Allied troops waiting to be rescued from the German forces in nineteen forty.

The heroic crossing by literally thousands of small boats and seas going craft is the stuff of books and films, something you can think about when you are on the DFDS ferry from Dover to Dunkirk. The camaraderie and numerous untold stories of bravery over that short period led to the phrase “Dunkirk spirit” coming into existence. It referred to the spirit of the British public pulling together to overcome times of adversity. It is still used today when speaking of someone who has succeeded against great odds.

Dover’s white cliffs were immortalized in a World War Two song by Dame Vera Lynn who was famous for entertaining Allied troops throughout the war. Her rendition of “White Cliffs of Dover” was a sure winner every time. This city became a symbol for Britain’s wartime bravery and was often referred to as Hellfire Corner because of the heavy bombing it received.

Do consider the ferry from Dover to Dunkirk, that is operated by DFDS, they are an excellent company and will take a low profile motorhome for the same price as a car.

Cheap Ferry to France From Dover

Ferries from Dover to Dunkerque

I have been backwards and forwards over the English Channel more times than I can remember. In the olden days before I knew better I would use SeaFrance, but one day I turned up late and they tried to charge a huge surcharge which I wasn’t happy with. Another time I turned up at Calais desperate to get back to England and they quoted me something like 330€ as I hadn’t booked in advance.  Later I discovered Speedferries who I loved, but sadly went bust due to being forced out by the ‘giants of the channel’. So who does that leave? Well P&O usually get rated well, but always seem expensive. So then there is my favourite, Norfolkline who operate ferries from Dover to Dunkerque. I have always found them to be superb, if you turn up late they just book you on the next ferry, if you turn up early they will let you go on the ferry before.

Here’s what they say, “When taking a ferry to France Norfolkline provides an excellent service between Dover and Dunkirk. The ferry crossing takes approximately 2 hours to and from France and onboard you will experience award winning levels of service whilst benefiting from some of the best fares of any ferry service currently operating to France.  Taking a ferry to France with Norfolkline is a really enjoyable and relaxing experience due to our modern fleet of ferries. So why not take in some onboard shopping or a quiet meal in one of our delightful restaurants? Dover is renowned for its many ferries to France, whilst Dunkirk provides even better road links to many destinations than Calais. We are the only ferry operator currently offering ferries to France directly between Dover and Dunkirk. So why not get a quote now for your next channel crossing?”

In April 2010 the volcanic ash disruption meant that my parents were stuck in the French Alps and couldn’t get back to England. I was happy to come to their rescue, but everyone I spoke to said “you’ll never get a ferry it’s chaos at Dover”. Well the truth was that it was chaos at Calais rather than Dover. P&O and SeaFrance were hiking up their prices as their service became indispensable. For me though I just thought, “that’s OK, Norfolkline do ferries from Dover to Dunkerque, I’ll use them”. It was predictably no problem at all to go and get them and bring them back to England.

So there you go, you have a choice of ferries across the channel, but I’d say forget Calais, look at ferries from Dover to Dunkerque by Norfolkline.