As Britain is an island, ferries are one way to get into the country, see also the Get in section of the Britain article. Below is a list of routes that are available. It may not be complete.

From the south coast

Crossing the English Channel

The modern Seven Sisters Ferry, Newhaven

Major airports and ferry routes (some are missing)

• Dover to Dunkirk (Dunkerque), France; 105 minutes DFDS Seaways
• Dover to Calais, France; 90 minutes P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways
• Newhaven to Dieppe, France; 4 hours DFDS Seaways
• Portsmouth to Le Havre, France; 6 hours LD Lines
• Portsmouth to Caen, France; 6 hours Brittany Ferries
• Portsmouth to Cherbourg, France; 3 hours Brittany Ferries
• Portsmouth to Bilbao, Spain; 36 hours P&O Ferries
• Portsmouth to Saint Malo, France; 11 hours (9 hours during day) Brittany Ferries
• Poole to Cherbourg, France; 5 hours Brittany Ferries
• Plymouth to Roscoff, France; 6 hours Brittany Ferries
• Plymouth to Santander, Spain 24 hours Brittany Ferries
• Poole to Saint Malo, France 4.5 hours Condor Ferries
• Weymouth to Saint Malo, France; 5 hours Condor Ferries

Portsmouth and Southampton act as ports for transport to the Isle of Wight; Portsmouth, Poole and Weymouth also have routes to Guernsey and Jersey provided by Condor Ferries

By coach or bus

If you are booked onto a scheduled international bus route that crosses the Channel, it may either go by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel; you don't get the choice. However, in general FlixBus and Ouibus use the tunnel, Sindbad and Transmarian use the ferry, and Eurolines use both, depending on route. Schedules can change day-to-day depending on conditions at sea and fluctuations in ticket prices between the ferry companies and Eurotunnel. You can also catch a domestic bus to any Channel port of your choosing and take the ferry as a foot passenger, but this is not possible with the Eurotunnel. If you are going on a package coach holiday, the company will always explain how you are supposed to get to and from your start point.

To Ireland and Northern Ireland

The Irish Ferries Ulysses, the world's largest ferry

Crossing the Irish Sea

• Fishguard, Wales to Rosslare, Ireland; 2 hours Stena Line
• Holyhead, Wales to Dublin, Ireland; 2 hours Stena Line and Irish Ferries
• Holyhead, Wales to Dun Laoghaire, Ireland; 2 hours Stena Line
• Liverpool, England to Dublin, Ireland; 6 hours P&O Ferries
• Liverpool/Birkenhead, England to Belfast, Northern Ireland; 8 hours Stena Line
• Fleetwood, England to Larne, Northern Ireland; 6 hours Stena Line
• Cairnryan (near Stranraer), Scotland to Belfast, Northern Ireland; 2 hours Stena Line
• Cairnryan (near Stranraer), Scotland to Larne, Northern Ireland; 2 hours P&O Ferries
• Pembroke, Wales to Rosslare, Ireland; 4 hours Irish Ferries

Isle of Man

• Douglas, Isle of Man to Belfast, Northern Ireland; 2 hours 45 Isle of Man Steam Packet Co
• Douglas, Isle of Man to Dublin, Ireland; 2 hours 55 Isle of Man Steam Packet Co
• Douglas, Isle of Man to Liverpool, England; 2 hours 45 Isle of Man Steam Packet Co
• Douglas, Isle of Man to Birkenhead, England; 2 hours 55 Isle of Man Steam Packet Co

East coast routes

Crossing the North Sea

• Newcastle to Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 16 hours DFDS Seaways
• Hull to Rotterdam, The Netherlands; 10 hours P&O Ferries
• Hull to Zeebrugge, Belgium; 8 hours P&O Ferries
• Harwich to the Hook of Holland (Hoek van Holland), The Netherlands; 7 hours Stena Line

These routes may be subject to change. It is recommended to contact the ferry operators and book ahead.