Getting There

Main Airports

See Getting There in the country sub-sections.

Getting There by Water

Main ports: Dover (www.doverport.co.uk), Harwich (www.harwich.co.uk), Holyhead (www.holyheadport.com) and Portsmouth (www.portsmouth-port.co.uk).  

There are many ports offering ferry connections between the UK and mainland Europe, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight, the Scilly Isles and the Isle of Man.

UK ferry operators include: Brittany Ferries (tel: 0871 244 0744; www.brittany-ferries.co.uk); DFDS Seaways (tel: 0871 522 9955; www.dfdsseaways.co.uk); P&O Ferries (tel: 0871 664 6464; www.poferries.com); Stena Line (tel: 08447 707070; www.stenaline.com).

VisitBritain provide a map of ferry routes online (www.visitbritain.com).

Rail Passes

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Getting There by Road

Eurolines (tel: 08717 818181, in the UK only; www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services between the UK and numerous European cities. Travellers can book a 15- or 30-day pass.

Few formalities are encountered when driving between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Getting There by Rail

Trains meet connecting ferries at Dover, Newhaven, Portsmouth and Weymouth, sailing for Belgium, France, Germany and Spain; and at Harwich, sailing for Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

Eurotunnel (tel: 08443 35 35 35, in the UK only; www.eurotunnel.com) runs shuttle trains for vehicles between Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France. All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform. Services run every day of the year. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time of year and whether or not you have a reservation. The price applies to the car, regardless of the number of passengers or size of the car.

Eurostar (tel: 08432 186 186; www.eurostar.com) operates direct high-speed trains from London to Paris and to Brussels. It takes 2 hours 15 minutes from London to Paris (via Lille) and 1 hour 51 minutes to Brussels. The Eurostar terminal moved to St Pancras in late 2007.