Useful links for travellers . . .

UK

Train travel
in Britain

Scotland by
sleeper...

Cornwall by
sleeper...

Channel Islands

Europe

Europe by train
introduction

How to buy
European
train tickets...

London to Paris
or Brussels
by Eurostar...

Albania

Bangladesh

Cambodia

China

Indonesia

North Korea

Pakistan

On this page...

General travel links

European train operator websites, A-Z by country

Worldwide train operator websites, A-Z by country

Ferry operator websites

Passenger travel by cargo ship

For advice on travelling to countries which might be affected by conflicts, security problems, or other dangers, check the Foreign Office travel advice pages: www.fco.gov.uk.  The advice for each country is updated daily as situations change.  It tends to err on the safe (that is to say, paranoid) side, although it is not as paranoid as its US State department equivalent, so bear this in mind.

For UK passport applications and renewals, the UK Passport Agency website is www.ukpa.gov.uk. 

For information on visa requirements for visiting most world countries, and for help in obtaining visas, try http://uk.cibt.com/.

www.towd.com will find the national tourist information office or website for any country in the world.  It's worth investing in a good guidebook, and I recommend the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides series.  You can buy Lonely Planets from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

www.hotelscombined.com searches all the main hotel reservation websites at once.

www.hostelbookers.com for ultra-cheap backpacker hostels worldwide.

• Always take out decent travel insurance, it's a necessity not an extra.  Shop around for the best deals, but try Columbus Direct. 

• UK citizens travelling in Europe should carry a European Health Insurance Card.  This replaces the old E111 forms as from January 2006.  The EHIC card is available free from www.ehic.org.uk and entitles you to free or reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with the UK's NHS.

• If you're travel to Africa, Asia or some other parts of the world, you may need vaccinations and/or to take malaria precautions.  To check on which vaccinations or precautions are required for which countries, see one of two websites, www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk or www.nathnac.org.  Both are publicly-funded, so aren't trying to sell you anything, just make sure people get the right jabs.

Lonely Planet Thorn Tree message board is a great place to ask other travellers' advice and opinions.  You need to register, but it's free, and most questions (even about obscure countries) are answered within a matter of hours by people who have been there recently.  Just remember to sort the good answers from the not-so-good..!

www.xe.com is arguably the best online currency converter.

The train travel to Europe page has a list of UK agencies that sell European train tickets.

The train travel to Europe page will also link you to agencies selling European train tickets in the USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, Singapore, South Africa, India, Hong Kong and so on.

The famous Thomas Cook European Timetable (train, bus and ferry times for every country in Europe and is essential for any serious overland traveller, and an inspiration for armchair travellers! You can get a copy for £13.99 from any branch of Thomas Cook, or buy online at www.thomascooktimetables.com.  Alternatively, you can buy the twice-yearly  Independent Traveller's editions at Amazon.co.uk also with shipping worldwide.

For up-to-date train times for almost any train journey in Europe, see http://bahn.hafas.de.  The English button is towards the right, a few inches down from the top.

UK train times, fares & online booking: www.nationalrail.co.uk.

For times and fares within individual countries, see the individual country websites listed below.

For an online map of the European railway network, see www.eurail.com/sites/all/files/eurail.com/downloads/eurail-map-2011.pdf  (note that not all UK routes are shown on this map), and also see www.bueker.net/trainspotting/maps.php.

To buy the excellent Thomas Cook rail map of Europe at Amazon.co.uk, click here.

For the best online map of the UK rail network, visit www.nationalrail.co.uk/tocs_maps/.

Sponsored links:

Country:		Operator:		Remarks:
International		Eurostar		London to Paris & Brussels by high speed train.  Times, fares & online booking.  Also offers online booking from London to major cities in France, any Belgian station, Amsterdam, Basel & Cologne.  Tickets sent to any UK address or can be collected in London, Paris or Brussels.
		Thalys		Paris to Brussels & Amsterdam / Cologne by high speed train.  See www.thalys.com for times, fares, online booking.
		CityNightLine		The German Railways' City Night Line sleeper train website.  Overnight sleeper trains between Amsterdam & Vienna/Prague/Copenhagen/Munich/Zurich, Berlin & Zurich, Hamburg & Zurich, Dortmund/Cologne & Vienna, etc.  Train times, fares & online booking, you print out your own ticket.  Also see the City Night Line page on this site.
		Elipsos		Overnight Trainhotels between Paris & Spain, Switzerland and Spain, Milan & Spain.  Train times, fares, an excellent virtual tour of the trainhotel, but no online booking.
		Dutch Flyer (London to Amsterdam SailRail service)		London to Amsterdam combined train+ferry service:  Times, fares and online booking.  See the Netherlands page for details.
		Venice Simplon Orient Express		'VSOE' runs weekly from London-Paris-Venice with restored British Pullmans and Wagons-Lits sleeping-cars.  Times, fares & online booking.
		www.berlin-night-express.com		Swedish sleeper train overnight from Berlin to Malmö with connections to Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Albania		HSH		Also see unofficial site www.angelfire.com/ak/hekurudha/.  For train times see Albania page.
Andorra				No train service.  Buses www.andorrabus.com & www.autocarsnadal.com.
Austria		ÖBB		Austrian Federal Railways.  Times, fares & online booking of train in & from Austria.
Belarus		BCh		Belarus State Railways
Belgium		SNCB		Train times & fares for Belgian trains and for international trains from Brussels to Switzerland, Germany, etc.
Bosnia		ZBH		Bosnian National Railways
Bulgaria		BDZ		Bulgarian State Railways.  Also try www.bdz.bg.
Croatia		HZ		Croatian National Railways
Czech Republic		CD		Czech Railways.  Online ticket sales at www.cd.cz/eshop. There's now also a private operator on the Prague-Ostrava route, www.regiojet.cz
Denmark		DSB		Danish State Railways.  Times, fares & online booking for trains within Denmark.
Estonia		GoRail		GoRail (formerly EVR Ekspress) run sleeper trains between Tallinn and Moscow.  Local trains: www.edel.ee & www.elektriraudtee.ee.
Finland		VR		Finnish State Railways.  Times, fares & online booking for trains within Finland.
France		SNCF		Train times, fares & online booking for journeys in France and from France to neighbouring countries.  For their English-language version, go to www.tgv-europe.com.  Click here for the page providing updates on any disruption affecting trains within and via France (in French only).
		RATP (Paris Métro)		Visit www.ratp.fr and select 'plans' for maps of the Paris Métro and bus routes.
		Chemins de Fer de la Corse		Rail services on Corsica.  Also see www.corsicabus.org.
		Chemins de Fer de Provence		Nice-Digne scenic local trains
Georgia		www.railway.ge		Georgian Railways.
Germany		DB		See www.bahn.de for the excellent rail timetable providing train times across Europe, also German rail fares & online booking.  The 'English' button is at upper right.
		www.bahn.de/citynightline (German sleeper trains)		The German Railways sleeper train website, 'English' button at the top.  Times & fares for internal and international overnight trains in Germany.  Online booking for most of them.  You print out your own ticket.
Greece		OSE		For train times & fares in Greece.
Hungary		MAV		Hungarian State Railways. Budapest metro map: www.metropla.net/eu/bud/budapest.htm
Ireland		IR		Irish train times, fares & information, plus online booking.
Italy		FS Trenitalia		Train times, fares & online booking for train travel in Italy and out of Italy to neighbouring countries.  The 'English' button is top right.  On international trips, look for 'smart price' for the cheap fares when the fares results page comes up.  It can struggle with foreign credit cards, so if you have problems, try these links: Buy in the UK   in the USA   in Canada   in Australia & NZ   in India   in Singapore.
		Circumvesuviana		Times & fares for the local electric railway linking Naples, Pompeii & Sorrento.
Kosovo		www.kosovorailway.com		Kosovo railways:  Internal trains plus Skopje-Priština service.
Latvia		LDZ		Latvian Railways
Lithuania		LG		Lithuanian Railways
Luxembourg		CFL		Luxembourg National Railways
Macedonia		MZ		Macedonian State Railways
Moldova		ZDM/CFM		Moldovan State Railways
Netherlands		NS		Netherlands Railways: Dutch train times & fares.  The site for international trains from the Netherlands is www.nshispeed.nl.
Norway		NSB		Norwegian State Railways.  Times, fares & online booking.
Poland		PKP or www.intercity.com.pl		Polish State Railways. For mainline and international trains, see www.intercity.com.pl
Portugal		CP		Portuguese National Railways:  Times, fares & online booking within Portugal.
Romania		CFR		Romanian State Railways
Russia		RZD		For train times in Russia and ex-Soviet republics, see www.poezda.net.  To book trains within Russia, including the Trans-Siberian Railway, try www.realrussia.co.uk, UK agencies  Intourist on 020 8538 8600 or The Russia Experience, on 020 8566 8846 or local Russian agencies Svezhy Veter or WaytoRussia.  Luxury private train Moscow-St Petersburg: www.grandexpress.ru (in Russian only).
Serbia		ZS & ZCG		Serbian National Railways
Slovakia		ZSR		Slovakian National Railways
Slovenia		SZ		Slovenia National Railways
Spain		RENFE		Spanish National Railways.  Train times, fares and online booking for trains within Spain.  Times & fares for the 'trainhotels' from Spain to Paris, Lisbon, Bern, Zurich, Turin, Milan. Madrid metro website: www.metromadrid.es.  Renfe's UK agents are www.spanish-rail.co.uk.
		FEVE		Local trains Bilbao-Santander-Oviedo-Ferrol
		Euskotren		Local trains San Sebastian-Bilbao
Sweden		SJ		Swedish State Railways, running most long distance trains in Sweden.  You can check Swedish train times for all train operators (including some privatised ones) at www.resplus.se.  You can book Swedish trains online at www.sj.se or www.bokatag.se.
Switzerland		SBB		Swiss Federal Railways. Train times and fares & online tickets for train travel in Switzerland.
		Rhatische Bahn		One of the operators of the famous 'Glacier Express' Zermatt-Brig-St Moritz
		BLS		Bern - Lötschberg - Simplon Railway (Bern-Brig)
		Jungfrau Bahn
Turkey		TCDD		Turkish train times, fares & online booking of trains within Turkey.  See Turkey page for instructions.
Ukraine		UZ		For Ukrainian train times.  To buy train tickets online for train journeys within Ukraine, see www.ukrainetrains.co.uk.  For times & fares, use www.poezda.net.
UK		National Rail Enquiries		The official site for UK train information, with train times, fares, and links to every UK train operator..
		ScotRail		Online booking for the Caledonian Sleepers from London to Scotland.
UK (Northern Ireland)		Northern Ireland Railways		Online journey planner for both buses and trains within Northern Ireland.

Country:		Operator:		Remarks:
Argentina				Train services in Argentina are experiencing something of a revival.  Try www.sateliteferroviario.com.ar/horarios/ (in Spanish only) for info about all Argentinean train operators.
Australia		Rail Australia www.railaustralia.com.au.		Provided by all operators jointly, this website is a good place to start for routes, times, and fares to get around Australia by train.  Also see the seat61 Australia page.
		Great Southern Railway (GSR) www.greatsouthernrail.com.au.		GSR operates the 'Indian Pacific' (Sydney-Adelaide- Perth), 'The Ghan' (Adelaide-Alice Springs-Darwin) and the 'Overland' (Melbourne-Adelaide).  UK agents for GSR: International Rail, 0870 751 5000. Also see the seat61 Australia page.
		CountryLink www.countrylink.info.		CountryLink operates trains Sydney-Melbourne, Sydney-Brisbane, Sydney-Canberra.  Online booking possible at www.countrylink.info (not sleepers).  UK agents for CountryLink:  International Rail, 0870 751 5000.  Also see the seat61 Australia page.
		Queensland Railways www.traveltrain.com.au.		Brisbane-Rockhampton-Townsville-Cairns & other routes in Queensland.  UK agents for QR:  International Rail, 0870 751 5000.  Also see the seat61 Australia page.
		V/Line www.vline.com.au		Internal trains in Victoria.
		Transwa www.transwa.wa.gov.au		Perth to Kalgoorlie & Bunbury.  Formerly Westrail.  Also see the seat61 Australia page.
Bangladesh		Bangladesh railways Corporation www.railway.gov.bd		Also see the seat61 Bangladesh page.
Bolivia				Bolivian eastern line:  www.ferroviariaoriental.com Bolivian western line:  www.fca.com.bo
Burma (Myanmar)		Myanmar Railways Corporation		No official website, but see the seat61 Burma page and www.burma-travels.com/trains.htm .  Train times shown in Thomas Cook Overseas Timetable.  To arrange tickets from outside Burma, contact www.yangonow.com.
Cambodia		Chemin de Fer de Cambodge		No official website - see the Cambodia page.
Canada		VIA Rail www.viarail.ca.		Canada's national rail network.  Times, fares & online booking for VIA Rail Canada's trains.  UK agents for VIA Rail: First Rail, call 0845 644 3553.  See the seat61 Canada page.
		BC Rail		No longer provides Vancouver-Prince George passenger trains.
		Ontario Northland www.ontc.on.ca		Toronto - Northern Ontario trains.
		Rocky Mountaineer www.rockymountaineer.com.		'Rocky Mountaineer' tourist train running Calgary-Banff-Vancouver.  See Rocky Mountaineer page.
Chile		Chilean State railways www.efe.cl		Chilean State Railways official website (Spanish only) - www.efe.cl.
China		Chinese Railways www.china-mor.gov.cn		Website in Chinese only:  www.china-mor.gov.cn.  For train times in English, see the seat61 China page or www.chinatravelguide.com. To book Chinese trains from outside China see www.chinatripadvisor.com.  You can check times, fares & buy tickets for Beijing-Hong Kong, Beijing-Shanghai and Shanghai-Hong Kong trains at www.train-ticket.net.  www.kcrc.com is the official site for the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation, with info on local and long-distance through trains from Hong Kong.
Cuba		Ferrocarriles de Cuba		No official website - see the Cuba page.
Cuba		Ferrocarriles de Cuba		No official website - see the Cuba page.
Egypt		Egyptian National Railways www.egyptrail.gov.eg		See the seat61 Egypt page.  Sleeping-car trains from Cairo to Luxor & Aswan are run by a private company, Abela Egypt, www.sleepingtrains.com for times, fares & booking.
Hong Kong		Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp. www.kcrc.com.		Runs Hong Kong to Guangzhou trains and (together with Chinese Railways) the Hong Kong to Beijing & Shanghai trains.
India		Indian Railways www.indianrail.gov.in		The UK agent for Indian Railways, including Indian rail passes, is the excellent SD Enterprises in Wembley.  Call 020 8903 3411 or visit www.indiarail.co.uk.  Also see the seat61 India page.  Online Indian train booking: www.irctc.co.in (see advice).
Indonesia		Indonesian railways www.kereta-api.co.id.		See the seat61 Indonesia page.
Iran		Iranian Islamic Republic Railways www.raja.ir.		Official site of the 'Raja Trains' passenger department.  Times & fares for Iran and for international trains Tehran-Damascus & Tehran-Istanbul.  Click the 'house' logo then 'English' top right.
Iraq		Iraq Republic Railways www.iraqrailways.com.		Train service Baghdad-Mosul, Baghdad-Basra.
Israel		Israel Railways www.israrail.org.il.		Times and fares for train travel in Israel.
Japan		Japan National Railways, JR		For a rail timetable in English visit www.hyperdia.com (the English button is upper left).   UK agents for Japan rail passes include www.internationalrail.com.  Also visit www.japanrail.com.
Jordan		Hedjaz Jordan Railway www.english.jh-railway.com.		See the Seat61 Jordan page.
Kazakstan		Kazak Railways www.railways.kz.		Official interactive timetable, in Cyrillic script, for Kazakhstan Railways.  Also try www.poezda.net.
Kenya		Kenya Railways		No known website, see seat61 Kenya page.  www.eastafricashuttles.com/train.htm  has info on Kenya Railways train times & fares Mombasa - Nairobi
Korea (South)		Korean National Railroad www.korail.go.kr.		Times & fares for South Korea.
Madagascar		FCE, www.fce-madagascar.com		There is just one (tourist-orientated) rail route on Madagascar.
Malaysia & Singapore		Keratapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) www.ktmb.com.my		Train times, fares & online booking for intercity trains within Malaysia & Singapore.  Also see the seat61 Malaysia page.
Mali				See the seat61 Senegal page.
Mexico				The Mexican government discontinued virtually all long-distance passenger trains some years ago.  For a summary of what's left, see www.mexlist.com/pass.htm.  For the famous 'Copper Canyon' train see www.chepe.com.mx.
Morocco		ONCF www.oncf.ma		Train times and fares for Morocco.  Also see the seat61 Morocco page.
Mozambique		CFM www.cfmnet.co.mz		Train times and fares for Mozambique.  Also see the seat61 Mozambique page.
Namibia		Transnamib www.transnamib.com.na		Select 'Products & services' then 'Star Line' for passenger services.  Also see www.desertexpress.com.na (currently not working, but see www.namibweb.com/desertexpress.html
New Zealand		Tranz Scenic www.tranzscenic.co.nz		Passenger trains in New Zealand, with online booking.  For the inter-island ferry see www.interislandline.co.nz.  See also the seat61 New Zealand page.
Pakistan		Pakistan Railways www.pakrail.com.		Official site, with trains times and availability check - See how many AC sleepers are still available on tonight's 'Khyber Mail' from Karachi..!  Also see the seat61 Pakistan page.
Peru		Peru Rail Corp. www.perurail.com.		Peruvian passenger trains, including trains to Machu Picchu.
Philippines		Philippine National Railroad www.pnr.gov.ph.		Philippine passenger trains.
Saudi Arabia		Saudi Government Railways www.saudirailways.org		Saudi train times & fares Dammam - Riyadh.
South Africa		Shosholoza Meyl www.shosholozameyl.co.za.		Train times for long distance passenger trains in South Africa. Also see the seat61 South Africa page.
		Premier Classe www.premierclasse.co.za		Affordable deluxe long distance passenger trains in South Africa. Also see the seat61 South Africa page.
		The Blue Train www.bluetrain.co.za.		South Africa's luxurious Blue Train, Cape Town-Pretoria.  Also see the seat61 South Africa page
Sri Lanka		Sri Lanka Railways Corp. www.railway.gov.lk.		Sri Lanka Railways Corporation, www.railway.gov.lk for times & fares.  Also see http://colombofort.com or www.reddottours.com, and the seat61 Sri Lanka page.
Sudan		Sudan Railways Corporation www.sudanrailways.gov.sd		Also see the seat61 Sudan page.
Syria		Syrian Railways www.cfssyria.sy		Also see the seat61 Syria page.
Taiwan		Taiwan Railway Administration www.railway.gov.tw.		Train times and fares for rail travel in Taiwan.
Tanzania		Tanzania Railway Corporation www.trctz.com.		Train services from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma/Mwanza.
		Tanzania & Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), www.tazarasite.com.		Train service between Zambia & Tanzania, Dar es Salaam-Mbeya-Kapiri Mposhi.  Also see the seat 61 Tanzania & Zambia page.
Thailand		State Railways of Thailand www.railway.co.th		Train times & fares for Thailand.  Also see the seat61 Thailand page.
Tunisia		SNCFT, www.sncft.com.tn.		Tunisian Railways official site, www.sncft.com.tn.
Turkey		TCDD, www.tcdd.gov.tr.		For Turkish train times & fares.  Also see the seat61 Turkey page.
USA		Amtrak www.amtrak.com.		Train times & fares for rail travel in the USA.  You can book online at www.amtrak.com.  To buy Amtrak tickets in the UK, go to www.internationalrail.com.
		Alaska Railroad, www.akrr.com.
Uzbekistan		Uzbekistan State Railways www.uzrailway.uz.		The official site is only in Uzbek & Russian.  For train times, try www.poezda.net.  For Moscow-Uzbekistan trains, also see the seat61 Silk Route page.
Vietnam		DSVN www.vr.com.vn.		Official website with train times for the Hanoi-Saigon line.  Also see the seat61 Vietnam page.
Zambia		Tanzania & Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), www.tazarasite.com.		Train service between Zambia & Tanzania.  Also see the seat 61 Tanzania & Zambia page.
		Zambia Railways		Train service Livingstone, Lusaka, Kapiri Mposhi.  No official website, but see the seat 61 Tanzania & Zambia page.
Zimbabwe		National Railways of Zimbabwe		www.planet.nu/sunshinecity/nrz/railinfo.html has one page of information on train times for the National Railways of Zimbabwe (including Bulawayo-Harare, Bulawayo-Victoria Falls).  Also see the seat61 Zimbabwe page.

Ferry services to & from the UK...

Most of these UK-based ferry services can be booked online at the Seat61 Ferry Shop:

From	To	Operator	Route
UK	Channel Islands	www.condorferries.co.uk	Poole, Weymouth, Portsmouth - Jersey & Guernsey	Call 0845 609 1024
UK	Isle of Man	Isle of Man SP Co.	Liverpool or Heysham - Isle of Man.  See the Isle of Man page for SailRail tickets	Call 08722 992 992
UK	Scottish Islands	Caledonian MacBrayne	Various routes to Skye & Hebrides
UK	Orkney & the Shetland Islands	www.northlinkferries.co.uk	Scrabster - Stromness Aberdeen - Lerwick	Call 0845 6000 449
UK	Northern Ireland	Norfolk Line Ferries	Liverpool (Birkenhead) - Belfast.  Previously Norse Merchant Ferries	Call 0844 499 0007
UK	Northern Ireland	Stena Line	Stranraer-Belfast	Call 08447 70 70 70
UK	Ireland	Irish Ferries	Holyhead - Dublin Pembroke - Rosslare	Call 08717 300 400 (in Ireland call 0818 300 400)
UK	Ireland	Stena Line	Holyhead - Dun Laoghaire Fishguard - Rosslare	Call 08447 70 70 70
UK	Ireland	Fastnet Line	Swansea - Cork.  New company www.fastnetline.co.uk started in March 2010.
UK	Ireland	Norfolk Line Ferries	Liverpool (Birkenhead) - Dublin.  Previously Norse Merchant Ferries.	Call 0844 499 0007
UK	France	Speedferries	Dover - Boulogne fast ferry.  Company folded & service discontinued Nov 2008
UK	France	Norfolk Line Ferries	Dover - Dunkirk (no foot passengers carried).	Call 0844 847 5042
UK	France	P&O ferries	Dover - Calais & other Channel routes	Call 08716 645 645
UK	France	SeaFrance	Dover - Calais.  (no foot passengers carried)	Call 0871 423 7119
UK	France	Hoverspeed (closed)	Dover - Calais by fast SeaCat (service closed down Nov 2005)
UK	France	Brittany Ferries	Ferries to Normandy & Brittany: Portsmouth/Plymouth to St Malo, Caen, Cherbourg, Roscoff...	Call 0871 244 0744
UK	France	Transmanche Ferries	Newhaven - Dieppe
UK	France	www.ldlines.co.uk	Portsmouth - Le Havre, Dover-Boulogne	Call 0800 917 1201
UK	Netherlands	Stena Line	Harwich - Hoek van Holland	Call 08447 70 70 70
UK	Netherlands	DFDS Seaways	Newcastle - IJmuiden (Amsterdam)	Call 0871 522 9955
UK	Netherlands	P&O ferries	Hull - Rotterdam	Call 08716 645 645
UK	Spain	Brittany Ferries	Plymouth - Santander & (new) Portsmouth - Santander	Call 0871 244 0744
UK	Spain	P&O ferries	Portsmouth - Bilbao (service closed Sept 2010)	Call 08716 645 645
UK	Denmark	DFDS Seaways	Harwich - Esbjerg	Call 0871 522 9955
UK	Norway	DFDS Seaways	Newcastle - Bergen (previously Fjord Line)  (service withdrawn in Sept 2008).	Call 0871 522 9955
UK	Sweden	DFDS Seaways	Newcastle - Gothenburg (service withdrawn in October 2006)	Call 0871 522 9955
UK	Iceland	www.smyril-line.com	Lerwick (Shetland Islands) - Seydisfjördur (Iceland).  From 2009, no longer serves the UK.
UK	United States	Cunard Line	Southampton - New York  see seat61 United States page.	Call 01703 716500

Ferry services within Europe...

Many of these European ferry services can be booked online at the Seat61 Ferry Shop.

From	To	Operator	Route
Denmark	Norway	DFDS Seaways	Copenhagen - Oslo	In UK call 0871 522 9955
Finland	Estonia	Tallink	Helsinki - Tallinn	UK agents DFDS Seaways, call 0871 522 9955
Finland	Sweden	Silja Line	Stockholm - Helsinki Stockholm - Turku	UK agents DFDS Seaways, call 0871 522 9955
Finland	Sweden	Viking Line	Stockholm - Helsinki Stockholm - Turku	UK agents Emagine UK Ltd 01942 262662
France	Corsica / Sardinia	www.corsicaferries.com	Marseille / Toulon / Nice to Corsica / Sardinia
France	Corsica / Sardinia	www.sncm.fr	Marseille / Toulon / Nice to Corsica / Sardinia	UK agents Southern Ferries, 0844 815 7785
France	Morocco	www.comanav.co.ma	Sète - Tangier
France	Tunisia, Algeria	www.sncm.fr (for Tunisia, also see CTN)	Marseille - Tunis Marseille - Algiers Marseille - Oran	UK agents Southern Ferries, 0844 815 7785
Germany	Finland, Estonia	www.superfast.com	Rostock to Helsinki & Tallinn (operated by Tallink)	UK agents Viamare Travel 020 8343 5810
Greece	Greek Islands	www.ferries.gr, www.openseas.gr	Guides to all Greek Island ferry operators
Greece	Crete	www.anek.gr	Piraeus - Heraklion
Greece	Crete	www.minoan.gr	Piraeus - Heraklion
Greece	Rhodes	www.bluestarferries.com	Piraeus - Rhodos
Greece	Rhodes	www.lane.gr	Piraeus - Rhodos
Greece	Rhodes	www.ferries.gr/gaferries/	Piraeus - Rhodos
Greece	Rhodes	www.helios.gr/dane/	Piraeus - Rhodos
Greece	Cyprus	Salamis Lines, Poseidon Lines	Service suspended since 2001	UK agents Viamare Travel 020 8343 5810
Greece	Israel	Salamis Lines, Poseidon Lines	Service suspended since 2001	UK agents Viamare Travel 020 8343 5810
Greece	Egypt	Salamis Lines,	Service suspended since 2001	UK agents Viamare Travel 020 8343 5810
Iceland	Norway, UK	Smyril Line	Iceland - Shetland Islands - Norway
Ireland	France	Irish Ferries	Rosslare - Roscoff (Brittany)	Call 08717 300 400 (ROI 0818 300 400)
Italy	Albania	Tirrenia Line	Bari - Durres (formerly Adriatica) Ancona - Durres (formerly Adriatica)	UK agents SMS Travel & Tourism, 020 7244 8422
Italy	Albania	Agoudimos Lines	Bari - Durres
Italy	Croatia	Tirrenia Line	Ancona - Split	UK agents SMS Travel & Tourism, 020 7244 8422
Italy	Croatia	Jadrolinija	Ancona - Split Bari - Dubrovnik
Italy	Greece	Superfast Ferries	Bari - Patras (run jointly with Blue Star Ferries)	UK agents Viamare Travel 020 8343 5810
Italy	Greece	Minoan Lines	Venice, Ancona, Brindisi - Corfu - Patras	UK agents Viamare Travel 020 8343 5810
Italy	Greece	Blue Star ferries	Venice, Ancona, Brindisi - Corfu - Patras	UK agents Viamare Travel 020 8343 5810
Italy	Greece	Hellenic Mediterranean Lines	Brindisi - Corfu - Kefalonia - Patras
Italy	Malta	Virtu Ferries	Sicily (Catania, Pozzallo) - Valletta	UK agents Viamare Travel 020 8343 5810
Italy	Malta	Grimaldi Lines	Genoa, Civitavecchia, Catania - Valletta
Italy	Sardinia	www.corsicaferries.com	Livorno / Civitavecchia - Sardinia
Italy	Sardinia	Tirrenia Lines	Livorno / Genoa - Sardinia	UK agents SMS Travel & Tourism, 020 7244 8422
Italy	Tunisia	www.sncm.fr also see CTN	Genoa - Tunis	UK agents Southern Ferries, 0844 815 7785
Italy	Tunisia	Grandi Navi Veloci	Genoa - Tunis
Italy	Tunisia	Linee Lauro	Naples - Sicily - Tunis	UK agents Viamare Travel 020 8343 5810
Italy	Turkey	Marmara Lines	Brindisi - Cesme
Norway	Norwegian Coast	Hurtigruten Line	Norwegian coastal steamers
Russia	Sweden, Finland	www.stpeterline.com	Stockholm & Helsinki to St Petersburg
Spain	Majorca, Ibiza, Minorca	Trasmediterranea	Barcelona - Palma Barcelona - Minorca Barcelona - Ibiza	UK agents Southern Ferries, 0844 815 7785
Spain	Canary Islands	Trasmediterranea	Cadiz - Las Palmas & Tenerife	UK agents Southern Ferries, 0844 815 7785
Spain	Morocco	Trasmediterranea	Algeciras - Tangier
Sweden	Estonia	Tallink	Stockholm - Tallinn	UK agents DFDS Seaways, call 0871 522 9955
Sweden	Latvia	www.tallink.lv	Stockholm - Riga
Sweden	Latvia	Pramis Line	Stockholm - Riga

Other world shipping services...

Between..	...and	Operator	Route
United States	UK	Cunard Line	Southampton -New York	Call 01703 716500
United States	Bahamas	www.discoverycruiseline.com	Ft Lauderdale - Freeport (Grand Bahama)
Russia	Japan	Far East Shipping Co (FESCO)	Vladivostok - Fushiki  (Ceased trading 2009)
Russia	Japan, South Korea	www.dbsferry.com	Vladivostok - South Korea - Japan
China	Macau	www.turbocat.com	Hong Kong - Macau
China	Japan	Several operators, see the China page	Shanghai - Kobe Shanghai - Osaka Tianjin - Kobe
China	South Korea	Several operators, see the South Korea page	Qingdao - Incheon Tianjin - Incheon
Japan	South Korea	Several operators, see the South Korea page	Fukuoka - Busan Shimonoseki - Busan
South Africa	UK	St Helena Steamship Co.	Cardiff - St Helena - Ascension - Cape Town
Australia	Tasmania	www.spiritoftasmania.com.au	Melbourne - Devonport
New Zealand	Inter-Island ferry	www.interislandline.co.nz	Wellington - Picton

Passenger travel by freighter:

Air travel has more or less destroyed long distance passenger shipping, except for irregular cruises and some regular cargo ship lines that carry a limited number of passengers - usually 12 or less per voyage, as more than this requires the vessel to carry a ship's doctor.  Freighter travel can be very civilised and comfortable, but it's usually expensive.  At perhaps £70 a day it may be good value as it includes travel, board and lodging, but if a voyage takes 10-20 days it will soon cost a lot more than the air fare!

• For general info on long-distance passenger travel by cargo ship, visit www.geocities.com/freighterman.geo and www.freightertrips.com

• US agencies booking passenger travel on cargo ships: www.freightercruises.com & www.freighterworld.com.

• UK agencies booking passenger travel on cargo ships:  www.strandtravelltd.co.uk, www.cruisepeople.co.uk.

Still can't find what you're looking for?

Try http://routesinternational.com/ for a global directory of rail, ship and bus operators' websites.

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