Travelling as a Foot Passenger

Travelling as a foot passenger on a ferry to France can be a great way to hop across the Channel for less. The fares are generally quite a lot less than when travelling with a vehicle and most ports are well connected to public transport. To give you an idea of what to expect we’ve put together this short guide on travelling by ferry on foot.

Skip to: Routes & Fares | Getting Out of Port | Pre-travel Essential Checks

Checking-in & What to Expect at the Port

When you arrive at the port the very first thing you should do is visit the check-in desk for the operator you booked with. Check-in usually closes between 90 and 120 minutes before departure for ferry foot passengers. This is 30 minutes earlier than for people travelling with vehicles to give operators sufficient time to shuttle foot passengers to the ferry. On most crossings you’ll then disembark the vessel around 30 minutes later than people travelling in vehicles (it’s likely you’ll be first on and last off the ferry).

Ports cater extremely well for passengers travelling on foot, especially the more popular ones such as Dover. As a minimum, facilities usually include a small shop or vending machine to get something to eat and drink, toilets, baby changing rooms and a passenger lounge. You can read our port guides for more on what to expect at your departure point.

Foot Passenger Ferry Routes & Fares

Foot passengers are currently permitted on around 80% of the routes between the UK and France, giving you a large number of routes to choose from. You may have to contend with a reduced timetable on the more popular routes (such as Dover to Calais) if you choose to travel on foot, but there are still plenty of options for your break.

You can travel to France by ferry as a foot passenger on all routes below. We’ve also included the ticket cost for each route if you travel without a vehicle:

• Dover to Calais (fares from £9.50 each way)
• Newhaven to Dieppe (fares from £23 each way)
• Plymouth to Roscoff (fares from £42 each way)
• Poole to Cherbourg (fares from £40.50 each way)
• Poole to Saint Malo (fares from £45.50 each way)
• Portsmouth to Caen (fares from £49 each way)
• Portsmouth to Cherbourg (fares from £49 each way)
• Portsmouth to Saint Malo (fares from £49 each way)

Onward Travel in France

An important consideration before booking your ticket is what you’re going to do after getting off the ferry and where you plan to travel to. Not having a set of wheels doesn’t need to be an issue though, as you can either book a hire car in the port town or make use of the public transport network in France.

Disembarking in Calais

Calais ferry terminal is close to the A16 and A26 motorways if you plan to hire a car. For those looking to use public transport the train station (Calais Ville) is only 3 miles away from the terminal and has direct rail services to Paris. There’s a shuttle bus service between the terminal and station, which makes it very easy to start your onward travel.

Disembarking in Cherbourg

The ferry port in Cherbourg is just a mile from the town centre and about 1.5 miles from the train station, where you can jump on a direct service to the likes of Caen and Rouen. The N13 motorway will take you south down the Cotentin Peninsula.

Disembarking in Dieppe

Dieppe train station is a 10 minute taxi ride (or 45 minute walk) from the ferry port and has rail services to Le Havre, Rouen and Caen. You can also get to Paris by train from Dieppe in under 3 hours, which makes it a popular port for people having a mini break in France. If you’re leaving via car in the direction of central France, it’s likely the N27 will be the easiest route out of the area.

Disembarking in Saint Malo

Saint Malo ferry port is within easy reach of an extensive road network, which makes it easy to go south, east or west after disembarking the ferry. Rail services from the train station (around a 30 minute walk/£7 taxi ride away) are excellent, with a high speed line running directly to Paris and Rennes.

Disembarking in Caen

Caen ferry port is further out of town than most other ports across France, which makes it slightly trickier for foot passengers to continue with onward travel. It’ll take about 20 minutes to reach the train station by taxi, but from the station you can pick up direct services to major destinations including Cherbourg and Paris. If you choose to leave Caen by car you can use either the N13 or N158 motorways to get further into France.

Disembarking in Roscoff

Located just off the D58 (which offers access to the N12 express road), Roscoff ferry terminal is well situated to get you into the heart of Brittany if travelling from the port by car. The town doesn’t have its own train station, with the closest one being in Morlaix. It’s about 15 miles away and you can easily jump in a taxi from the terminal, or use the bus service from Roscoff. Trains from the station run to multiple destinations such as Paris to the east and Brest to the west.

Pre-Travel Checks for Foot Passengers

The essentials you need to take as a foot passenger are similar to what you need if travelling with a vehicle, but there are a few useful checks to do in advance before making your journey on foot:

Luggage – some operators (such as Condor Ferries) have a personal luggage limit, for example up to 25kg, which you’ll need to stay within. Most day trip offers only permit hand luggage, so it’s important to check the fine print when booking to make sure you’re aware of what you can and can’t take with you.

Pets – where operators allow pets to travel onboard these must be added at the time of booking. If you plan to take your dog with you to France it’s essential the operator has advance warning and you pay any additional fees for kennels or pet-friendly cabins. As a foot passenger you’re more likely to incur charges for taking a pet as you’ve got to use facilities on the ship due to having no vehicle for the animal to remain within.

Alternative crossing times – although most operators offer some flexibility for you to travel on an earlier or later service, this isn’t always as easy for foot passengers as foot travel often isn’t permitted on the full schedule. For example, P&O Ferries operate up to 15 daily crossings from Dover to Calais but only 3 of these permit foot passengers. It’s important you check what crossings you can travel on before going to the port so that you can put a plan in place for what you’ll do in the event of a delay.

Common questions on foot passenger crossings