is it me or have the cost of ferries to France gone up out of all proportion! i understand inflation but the cost of travelling to the eu with a caravan is now in my opinion extortionate.when we have traveled before overnight or early morning the ferries are practically empty.obviously i know that i can get a small discount with my c and cc membership but i would appreciate any guidance or advice .thank you in anticipation
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I buy a season ticket from P&O, Dover/Calais, and it works out to around £170 return for my MH which is a great price compared to the Tunnel now. To put it into perspective, when I started going to France 50 years ago I can remember paying over £200 for a 2 week return for my car and 4 passengers.
Newhaven-Dieppe route is often the cheapest and there is a 20% reduction if you are over 60.
Using Tesco vouchers on the tunnel can be advantageous..
Fly and rent is often the best bet.
Brittany Ferries prices have definitely gone up out of all proportion. I recently found the invoice for our France trip in 2020. Out from Portsmouth to Caen mid June and back from Roscoff to Plymouth mid July. Cabin both ways. Car and Caravan. Total cost £338.80.
I have just gone on to the Brittany Ferries website and done as close to an identical booking as I can for next summer (keeping the same day of the week and a similar date and time for the crossing) and the price is £715
That has more than doubled in 5 years which feels crazy to me as my salary has gone up by under 1% each year since then!
------------- Pixie
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Somebody has to pay for all the new customs infrastructure built on both sides of the channel & it might as well be the consumer. Not just in ferry costs but in every EU import we buy in the shops. It’s what the majority wanted so that’s what we have.
As pointed out if you are ok with travelling out & back Newhaven Dieppe overnight in a rest chair on Saturday nights. You book early & are over 60 for the 20% discount you can probably get car caravan return for less than £160.
On our first trip from Portsmouth to Santander in 2019 our car and caravan was £916 return.
just booked our trip for this December and return crossing £1156. Not a huge rise in six years.
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dear mr/mrs/ms atkinbrown thank you for replying i completely forgot about this route as i normally use the northern france routes!
i have the impression that the costs have risen out of all proportion and there are no deals to be had on night crossings/early mornings when the boat is nearly empty ..
maybe i should try the spanish route again thank you
This is one of the reasons that we now store our caravan in France. It's still pricey, but it's only a car there and back. We are pensioners, so use the Newhaven -Dieppe DFDS route.
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
We are camping in the Netherlands this year and despite living in Hull, with a ferry terminal on our doorstep, we are traveling 4 hours to Harwich as its over half the price.
I appreciate it's closer so the ferry burns through less fuel but, we sailed from Hull 7 years ago and the price difference was nowhere near as much.
I think the pricing structure has changed for the worse, I have a 7 metre motorhome and a 5 metre trailer the trailer is about £50 more expensive than the motorhome and Nevhaven Dieppe is no longer the cheapest even with the discount Irish ferries is. and yes I have looked and got quotes.
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I looked at all of the routes to from France before booking this year, I may be wrong but they all seem to come in at a similar price (give or take £100).
We used to do Dover to Calais return but the last few years we have done Poole to Cherbourg and return.
This year we decided to try overnight from Portsmouth to St Malo and then return Cherbourg to Poole, not sure it's worth the £950 though, I did look at Portsmouth to Santander next year (August due to kids holiday) and was surprised to see that's well over £2000 now, not really sure how long I can justify paying the money for ferry crossings to be honest though.
thank you everyone for your help and time ,there is definitely a trend going on here!
with the ees and etias schemes maybe one is being priced out of going abroad
i dont know but its an upward trend?
After postponing my trip to EU this year to 2026, I considered the sea route rather than the usual tunnel crossings.
In the end, I booked the tunnel again for the short crossing time, ease of travel with the dog, and the amount of extra driving involved in UK for ports other than Dover and France other than Calais.
Each to their own and all that.
Edited to add I paid 478 GBP return for June 2026, out on Tuesday, return on Saturday, Semi-flex with a dog, no added insurance.
I looked at DFDS Dover to Calais for similar dates and times, and it worked out to be just a little bit cheaper. By the time I added the total 2h extra crossing time, I would say tunnel is cheaper for me personally.
DK
Post last edited on 05/08/2025 12:39:35
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
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When we lived in Hampshire, travel to France / Belgium was relatively cheap. Now we are retired and back in Scotland, the cost of travel to EU is prohibitive. First there is the cost of travel to Newcastle or Hull and then an overnight crossing.
It annoys me that a night in a tin box cabin costs more than a night in a 4 star hotel - and breakfast is an expensive extra.
No wonder, we now fly, stay in modest hotels and use public transport.
I do miss our trips abroad in the van, but our campervan is now only used for UK touring.
------------- Two drifters off to see the world.
I'm tired of reality, so I'm off to look for a good fantasy.
I managed to join the Brittany Ferries Club Voyage scheme just before the discounts changed, so I get 30% off all our BF crossings, which helps keep the price manageable.
Pity they've stopped the Friends and Family scheme now.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: ferry costs
via mobile 01/8/2025 at 2:18pm
