Everything You Need To Know About Travelling Between The UK And Spain By Ferry

When you think of travelling from the UK to Spain, you probably think of hopping on a plane for a couple of hours and landing in the sun!

The onset of low cost airlines mean that air travel is by far the easiest and most affordable option for travelling to Spain for most people. But this isn’t always the case! If you want to travel with your pets or take your car on your next holiday to Spain then travelling by ferry is a great option. It’s also an excellent low-cost choice for anyone moving to Spain and wanting to bring their home luxuries with them!

But what ferry options are available to you? Here’s a list of all the ferries you can take between the UK and Spain:

Travelling with Britanny Ferries

Many people assume that long-haul ferry travel is a thing of the past, or that it is an old-fashioned way to travel, but it’s actually still much more popular than you might think! In fact, Brittany Ferries offers 3 incredibly popular ferry routes between the UK and Spain. These routes are:

• Portsmouth - Santander 
• Plymouth - Santander
• Portsmouth - Bilbao

During peak summer season you will have up to 6 sailings per week between England and Spain to choose from, but this isn’t just a summer way to travel. Some of these routes operate year-round, meaning it’s always an option to travel between the UK and Spain by ferry.

Let’s take a deep dive into these 3 routes, so that you can choose the option that works best for you:

Plymouth to Santander

Santander is a city in Northern Spain, and this route leaves from the port of Plymouth. The journey time for this route is 21 hours and 30 minutes, but the ship that operates this route has everything you’ll need to keep you occupied for the day. This is a journey that covers 430 nautical miles and there are 2 crossings a week to choose from between the months of March and September. You can sail on either a Sunday or a Wednesday, although times and dates are subject to change.

Portsmouth to Santander

If Portsmouth is a more convenient departure point for you then this route also arrives into the city of Santander. But it’s worth noting that this route has a much slower journey time. This route can take between 28 and 33 hours to complete, and covers a distance of 623 nautical miles.

Portsmouth to Bilbao

What makes the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry route stand out from the crowd is that it operates year-round. It typically operates twice per week, on a Thursday and a Sunday. This is a longer 675 nautical mile journey that will take around 30 hours to complete.

Travelling From Ireland To Spain

If you’re based in Ireland, then there are 2 ferry routes to Spain available to you. These are also operated by Brittany Ferries. These are from Rosslare in southern Ireland to Bilbao and Santander. The route to Bilbao operates from March to November whilst the route to Santander operates year-round.

What Can I Expect To Pay For A Ferry From The UK To Spain?

If you’re looking at your travel options from a purely financial perspective then it’s probably cheaper to fly! But that doesn’t mean you can’t find some bargains on the ferry from the UK to Spain. Prices are seasonal for these routes so, as you would expect, they’e cheaper during autumn and winter. If you want to travel in the summer then you can expect to see winter prices double!

On average the cost of a return ticket between Plymouth and Santander is £751.83 (€894.67). Between Portsmouth and Bilbao it’s £668.88 (€798.27) and between Santander and Portsmouth it’s £707.04 (€834.36).

Travelling To Spain By Ferry With Your Car

One of the main reasons people choose to take the ferry to Spain instead of flying is because they want to take their car. Cars can be boarded on all routes operated by Brittany Ferries between the UK/Ireland and Spain. But because this is so popular, you should book your journey in advance, as car spaces sell out quickly.

Travelling To Spain By Ferry With Your Pets

There are pet friendly cabins and kennels on the all the routes between the UK and Spain and between Rosslare and Bilbao. This is an easy and hassle free experience, and is also much less stressful than flying for your pets. It’s important to ensure before you book this journey that your pet has all its necessary vaccinations and documentation in order to travel to Spain.

Is moving to Spain to live and work in the sunshine still you’re dream? Then we can help you to turn that dream into a reality! If you’re looking for estate agents in Southern Spain then why not get in touch? Our locally based property experts are a font of local knowledge and are perfectly placed to help you find the home of your dreams.