Ferries to England: 31 Ferry Crossings from 40 Ports

With a culturally diverse population of around 53 million, England is divided into nine regions and then organised by counties, districts, cities and towns.

The capital city, London, is the most densely populated area in the United Kingdom, with a population of around 9.5 million inhabitants. It has long since been the centre for trade, politics and law, and is also a huge tourist hotspot with plenty of attractions, outdoor spaces, iconic monuments and historic buildings.

There are 17 ports in England. Plymouth port and Portsmouth port are located on the south coast and Dover port and Folkestone are located further east on the south coast.

The world’s busiest passenger ferry port is in Dover, located on the very eastern tip of the south coast. Around 16 million passengers pass through Dover Port annually travelling from Calais and Dunkirk, both of which provide excellent links from mainland Europe. The cross channel ferries to Dover are generally the fastest, most frequent and cheapest route into the country with crossings operated by large modern ships. For those looking for a quicker, though more expensive option, there is also the channel tunnel to consider.

For passengers wishing to get a ferry from Europe to UK via Holland or Germany, the most direct route is to Harwich from the Hook of Holland. The service is operated by the Stena Line ‘Super ferries’ and operates twice daily, all year round. There are also daily overnight services to the north of England like the Amsterdam to Newcastle ferry and Rotterdam and Zeebrugge to Hull. These conveniently scheduled overnight crossings take place onboard well-equipped cruise ferries and allow you to arrive refreshed and ready for the journey ahead.

If you’re travelling to England from across the Irish Sea, there are crossings from Dublin and Belfast to Liverpool though as both crossings take around 8 hours, depending on your final destination it may be better to sail via Wales or Scotland as the crossings are faster and more frequent. Options include sailing from Dublin or Rosslare in Ireland to the Welsh ports of Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke or from the Northern Irish ports of Belfast and Larne to the Scottish ports of Cairnryan and Troon. In all cases, the crossings are operated by modern ferries with excellent facilities.