Duty Free Shopping on Ferries

Duty free shopping is available aboard all ferries between the UK and France and is often a reason people opt for ferry travel over air travel. Our guide gives you all the essential information you need, including duty free allowances and what you can expect to pay.

Duty free allowances from the UK to France

Each adult aged 18+ can take advantage of the following duty free allowances when travelling to France from the UK:

• 4 litres of still wine
• 1 litre of spirits OR 2 litres of sparkling wine
• 16 litres of beer
• 200 cigarettes OR 250g tobacco OR 100 cigarillos OR 50 cigars
• €430 worth of other goods including fragrance, gifts, electrical items and souvenirs

Duty free allowances from France to the UK

The duty free allowances for alcohol are higher when travelling to the UK from France, with other allowances remaining the same. Each adult aged 18+ is able to bring the following back to the UK:

• 18 litres of still wine
• 4 litres of spirits OR 9 litres of sparkling wine
• 42 litres of beer
• 200 cigarettes OR 250g tobacco OR 100 cigarillos OR 50 cigars
• £390 worth of other goods including fragrance, gifts, electrical items and souvenirs

These customs allowances are the maximum that you can take both ways, regardless of whether you purchased the goods onboard or at a store in the country (i.e. you can’t bring home 40 litres of wine even if you’ve bought it at a French supermarket). If you exceed the limits you will be charged duty on the full amount of goods in your possession.

How much you can save with onboard duty free shopping

Just like with duty free shops at airports, the amount you can save really depends on the type of goods. You’ll often get the biggest savings on tobacco and spirits as wine is generally fairly cheap anyway at supermarkets in France. Better fragrance deals can usually be found online in the UK so it’s worth checking onboard.

Below are some example prices for what you can expect to pay at duty free shops aboard the ferries and at the ports.

Duty free tobacco prices

• £55 – £65 for 200 cigarettes (equivalent to £5.50 to £6.50 for a pack of 20)
• £55 – £60 for 250g of tabacco (equivalent to £11 per 50g)
• £30 for 100 Café Crème Signature cigarillos (equivalent to £3 for a pack of 10)
• £35 for 5 Henri Winterman Half Corona’s cigars (equivalent to £7 per cigar)

Duty free alcohol prices

• £10 for 1 litre bottles of spirts (including vodka, whisky, gin and rum)
• £25 for 1 litre of Johnnie Walker Black label (saving up to £20 vs high street)
• £14.50 for 1 litre of Jim Beam (saving up to £13 vs high street)
• £15 for 1 litre of Cointreau (saving up to £17 vs high street)
• £20 for 24 x 330ml bottles of Birra Moretti (saving up to £13 vs high street)

Duty free fragrance prices

• £50 for Versace Eros 50ml EDP (saving up to £17 vs high street)
• £20 for Diesel Fuel For Life 50ml EDT (saving up to £30 vs high street)
• £30 for Polo Ralph Lauren Big Pony Women (saving up to £15 vs high street)
• £30 for Hugo Boss Bottled Night 100ml EDT (saving up to £25 vs high street)

Common questions on duty free allowances