Train and ferry from London to Paris:  Dover Eastern Docks
 

White Cliffs of Dover...  Returning from France the ferry approaches Dover Eastern Docks, with Dover Castle above the White Cliffs...

The ferry alternatives to Eurostar...

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Why go by train & ferry and a reality check!

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London to Paris via Dover-Calais - shortest crossing, fastest journey

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London to Paris via Newhaven-Dieppe - slower, slightly cheaper, easier transfer in Newhaven

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London to Paris via Portsmouth-Caen - the comfortable 'sleeper' option with private cabin

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London to Paris via Portsmouth-St Malo - a more leisurely 'sleeper' option

Why go by train & ferry?

High-speed Eurostar trains link London & Paris in just 2h20 from £52 one-way or £78 return.  But you can still travel from London to Paris by train-ferry-train, and there are several reasons why you might want to:

First a reality check...

But on the plus side...

Which route to choose?

Route map

London to Paris train & ferry route map

 

Click for larger map

Highlighted = London to Paris routes.

Red = high-=speed line.

Green = scenic sections of line

European Rail Timetable and mapReproduced from the excellent European Rail Map with kind permission of the European Rail Timetable people.

I recommend buying a copy of the European Rail Map for your travels, www.europeanrailtimetable.eu with shipping worldwide.

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London to Paris via Dover-Calais

The route via Dover-Calais is the traditional one with the shortest sea crossing.  Here is an example timetable, using the classic train route from London Charing Cross to Dover, P&O ferries from Dover to Calais (the only company that carries foot passengers at all), and the classic route from Calais to Paris via Boulogne & Amiens.  Please use these times as a guide, checking actual train, ferry & train times for your specific date of travel as explained below.

Only designated sailings now take foot passengers, I have used those below, and you need to allow plenty of time for lengthy station-port transfers plus P&O's ridiculous 90-minute ferry check-in for foot passengers.  So the journey now takes around 11 hours, when it only took 7 or 8 hours in the 1930s!

Important update:  On 17 March 2022, Dubai-owned P&O Ferries made all 800 British seafaring staff redundant without warning via a 3-minute Zoom video, and replaced them with cheap agency staff.  All sailings were suspended without notice, leaving passengers stranded.  See www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60779001.  The firm's behaviour has been described as 'appalling' - you may wish to reconsider using P&O Ferries.

 London ► Dover / Calais ► Paris  by train+ferry 

 Train:

Mondays-Fridays

Saturdays

Sundays

 London Charing Cross

depart

09:00

08:59

09:59

 Dover Priory

arrive

10:49

10:49

11:49

 Ferry:  (in Dover, take a taxi from station to Dover Eastern Docks)

 Dover Eastern Docks

depart

13:40

13:40

13:40

 Calais Ferry Terminal

arrive

16:10

16:10

16:10

 Train:  (in Calais, take free bus or taxi from ferry terminal to station) 

 Calais Ville station

depart

18:20

19:11

19:36

 Boulogne Ville

arrive

18:48

19:45

20:03

 Etaples / Le Touquet

arrive

19:08

20:06

20:20

 Amiens

arrive

20:11

21:10

21:22

 Paris Gare de Nord

arrive

  21:56 c

-

22:32

c = change at Amiens

How to read these timetables.   No UK trains run on these routes on 25 or 26 December.   Watch the video guide.

 Paris ► Calais / Dover ► London  by train+ferry 

 Train:

Monday-Friday

Saturdays

Sundays

 Paris Gare de Nord

depart

10:31

10:31

09:31

 Amiens

depart

11:39

11:41

09:41

 Etaples / Le Touquet

depart

12:41

12:42

11:42

 Boulogne Ville

depart

12:58

12:58

11:58

 Calais Ville station

arrive

13:24

13:33

12:28

 Ferry:  (in Calais, take bus, taxi or 35 min walk from station to ferry terminal)

 Calais Ferry Terminal

depart

15:50

15:50

 15:50*

 Dover Eastern Docks

arrive

16:20

16:20

 16:20*

 Train:  (in Dover, take a taxi from Eastern Docks to Dover Priory station)

 Dover Priory

depart

17:54

18:00

18:00

 London Charing Cross 

arrive

19:49

19:49

19:49

* The 15:50 Calais to Dover sailing is not currently a designated foot passenger sailing on Sundays, only the far-too-early 11:10 is so far designated on Sundays. Unless this changes, the service from Paris to London shown above will not be possible on Sundays.

How to check times for your date of travel

  • Step 1, start by checking French train times from Calais to Paris as this is the least frequent part of the journey, using www.thetrainline.com.

  • Step 2, then work backwards, looking for a ferry at www.poferries.com which carries foot passengers and which arrives at Calais ferry terminal at least 90 minutes before the train leaves Calais Ville, preferably 2 hours.

  • Step 3, now look for a London to Dover train at www.thetrainline.com which arrives at Dover Priory at least 2 hours before the ferry sails. 

  • Unlike the integrated pre-Eurostar train+ferry services, this is not an organised service where ferries are held if trains run late, but completely separate trains and ferry.  If you have important connections in Paris, bear this in mind and take an earlier train from London.

Step 1, London to Dover by train

South Eastern train to Dover at Charing Cross   Seats on the London to Dover train

The classic option:  An express to Dover waits to leave Charing Cross.

Seats on the high-speed train from London to Dover   High-speed train from London St Pancras to Dover

The high-speed option:  A train from London St Pancras to Dover.

Step 2, transfer from station to port in Dover

Dover Priory station   Foot passenger entrance at Dover Eastern Docks ferry terminal

Dover Priory station.  There are usually plenty of taxis waiting outside...

 

Foot passenger departures, cleverly marked 'arrivals'...

P&O Ferries foot passenger check-in   P&O courtesy bus from terminal to ferry

P&O foot passenger check-in...

 

Courtesy bus from terminal to ferry...

Step 3, Dover to Calais by ferry

Crossing the Channel by ferry

Sailing across the Channel with the White Cliffs of Dover disappearing astern...

A nice day for a Channel crossing!   The White Cliffs of Dover

A nice day for a Channel crossing...

 

Dover's famous White Cliffs...

A meal on board P&O's Pride of Kent as it leaves Dover   The ferry arrived at Calais

Lunch in the brasserie on board P&O's ferry Pride of Kent...

 

Arrival at Calais.  A courtesy bus shuttles you to the terminal at the entrance to the port.

Step 4, transfer from port to station in Calais

Calais Ferry Terminal

Calais ferry terminal, opened in 2021 and even further out of town than the original one.  A free bus runs to the town centre & Calais Ville station Monday-Saturday, on Sunday you'll need a taxi.  Courtesy of Andrew Turnbull.

Step 5, Calais to Paris by train

TER regional train from Calais to Paris   Interior of TER regional train from Calais to Paris

These new air-conditioned regional trains now run direct from Calais to Paris Gare du Nord.  2nd class only.  They are bi-mode, capable of running on diesel (Calais-Amiens) and electric power (Amiens-Paris). Courtesy of Nicholas A Milligan..

TER regional train from Calais arrived at Paris Nord

Arrived at Paris Gare du Nord.  See Paris Nord station informationCourtesy of Nicholas A Milligan.

Watch the video

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London to Paris via Newhaven-Dieppe

London to Paris for £89 one-way, even for immediate departure...

The slower Newhaven-Dieppe route has always played second fiddle to the faster Dover-Calais route shown above, but these days it's worth considering because it's significantly cheaper, and the train-ferry transfer in Newhaven is much easier than in Dover.  This is also the ideal route if you live in Brighton, as there are direct trains from Brighton to Newhaven Town every half hour, taking 30 minutes.

 London & Brighton ► Newhaven-Dieppe ► Paris

 Train...

Mondays-Fridays

Saturdays

Sundays

 London Victoria

depart

  06:45e

  19:58b

 06:29b

  19:29b

  05:45b

  19:46e

 Brighton

depart

07:41

21:11

07:41

20:41

07:47

20:41

 Newhaven Town

arrive

08:08

21:39

08:08

21:11

08:17

21:16

 Ferry...  In Newhaven it's a 3-minute walk from Newhaven Town station to the ferry

 Newhaven ferry terminal

depart

10:00

23:00

10:00

23:00

10:00

23:00

 Dieppe ferry terminal

arrive

15:00

04:00

15:00

04:00

15:00

04:00

 Train...  In Dieppe it's a 30-minute walk or 10-minute bus or taxi ride to the station

 Dieppe Ville station

depart

16:04

 05:23*

16:04

08:04

16:04

05:23

 Rouen (change trains)

arrive

16:48

 06:05*

16:48

08:48

16:48

06:05

 Rouen

depart

16:56

 06:15*

16:56

08:56

16:56

06:15

 Paris St Lazare

arrive

18:23

 07:38*

18:23

10:53

18:23

07:38

* = On Saturday mornings, depart Dieppe 06:17, change Rouen, arrive Paris 09:43.

e = change trains at Lewes.   b = change at Brighton.  c = change at East Croydon & Brighton.   An underlined time means change trains. 

In Newhaven, get off at Newhaven Town station and walk 300m to the ferry terminal, see walking map.  You check in any large bags and get them back at Dieppe.

In Dieppe, there are taxis or (1 May- 30 September) there's a shuttle bus costing €2.50, or it's a 30-minute 2.4 km walk, see walking route map.

Important:  As with the Calais timetable, I wont keep this page 100% updated with every minor timetable change, and ferry times can vary due to tidal constraints.  So use it as a guide and check UK train times at www.nationalrail.co.uk, the ferry times at www.dfds.co.uk and French train times at www.thetrainline.com.

 Paris ► Dieppe-Newhaven ► Brighton & London 

 Train...

Monday-Friday

Saturdays

Sundays

 Paris St Lazare

depart

-

11:40

-

10:51

-

10:40

 Rouen

arrive

-

12:50

-

12:02

-

12:02

 Rouen

depart

-

13:43

-

12:15

-

12:15

 Dieppe Ville station

arrive

-

14:45

-

13:01

-

13:01

 Ferry...  In Dieppe it's a 30-minute walk or 10-min taxi ride to the ferry terminal

 Dieppe ferry terminal

depart

05:30

18:00

05:30

18:00

05:30

18:00

 Newhaven ferry terminal

arrive

08:30

21:00

08:30

21:00

08:30

21:00

 Train...  In Newhaven, it's a 3-minute walk from the ferry to Newhaven Town station

 Newhaven Town

depart

09:32

22:00

09:33

22:01

09:36

22:04

 Brighton

arrive

10:00

22:30

10:00

22:29

10:04

22:33

 London Victoria 

arrive

  11:06e

  22:11e

  11:06e

  23:38e

  11:12b

  00:17b

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets

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London to Paris via Portsmouth - Caen

A luxurious London-Paris 'sleeper' option...

This is the overnight 'sleeper' option, where you leave central London early evening, have a decent night's sleep in a comfortable cabin with en suite shower & toilet on the overnight ferry, and arrive in Paris by train next morning.  A time-effective and comfortable alternative to Eurostar if you need one.

The Man in Seat 61 says "Brittany Ferries ships are comfortable, luxurious even, with cosy cabins, bars & restaurants.  Sailing out of Portsmouth past the naval dockyard and the historic HMS Victory and HMS warrior is always a treat."  

London & Portsmouth ► Caen & Paris

Paris & Caen ► Portsmouth & London

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets

The journey in pictures

Train from London to Portsmouth   Waterloo Station, London

Step 1, take a train from London to Portsmouth.  Trains run regularly from London Waterloo to Portsmouth & Southsea.

Standard class seats on train from London to Portsmouth   Train from London to Portsmouth

The trains are air-conditioned & carpeted...

Portsmouth & Southsea station   Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port

It's a 10-minute taxi ride from Portsmouth & Southsea station (above left) to Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port (above right).

Ferry arrival in Portsmouth at dawn

Step 2, take a ferry from Portsmouth to Caen.  Check in at the Brittany Ferries desk and board the overnight ferry to Caen, sleeping in a private en suite cabin. Above, the luxurious Normandie at Portsmouth.

Ferry arrival in Portsmouth at dawn

Sailing out of Portsmouth is lovely, past the naval docks with historic ships HMS Victory and HMS Warrior visible, then past the town and Spinnaker Tower.  This photo was taken from an inwards ferry arriving in Portsmouth at dawn...

Train from Normandy at Paris St Lazare

Step 3, take a train from Caen to Paris.  This is a double-deck TER Train Nomad at Paris St Lazare.  See St Lazare station informationCourtesy of Nicholas A Milligan.

1st class on Le Havre to Paris Train Nomad   2nd class on Le Havre-Paris Train Nomad

1st class on a Train Nomad TER train, upper deck.

 

2nd class on a Train Nomad TER train, upper deck.

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London to Paris via Portsmouth - St Malo

A more leisurely London-Paris 'sleeper' option...

Although Portsmouth-Caen is the faster & cheaper overnight 'sleeper' option, you might prefer the Portsmouth-St Malo route for a more leisurely journey with more sleep and a lovely dinner aboard ship, in effect a mini-cruise.  It also allows a stopover in pretty St Malo.

The Man in Seat 61 says "Going Portsmouth-St Malo takes longer than going Portsmouth-Caen, but it's a treat - the ships used on this route are the wonderful Bretagne, a true cruise ferry, and the Amorique, with a few sailings operated by the luxurious Pont Aven.  With an earlier evening departure from Portsmouth  you get to experience sailing past the naval dockyard, HMS Victory & HMS Warrior and the Spinnaker Tower, as dinner is served on board in the elegant restaurant.  Retire to your en suite cabin, as good as any hotel room, and wake up in France..."

London & Portsmouth ► St Malo & Paris

Paris & St Malo ► Portsmouth & London

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets

Boarding the ferry Amorique from Portsmouth to St Malo   Boarding the ferry Amorique from Portsmouth to St Malo

Private en suite cabin on the ferry to St Malo.

 

The ferry Amorique to St Malo.  Courtesy of Ivor Morgan

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European Rail Timetable

Thomas Cook European Timetable -  click to buy onlineTraveller's Railway Map of Europe - buy onlineThe European Rail Timetable (formerly the Thomas Cook European Timetable) has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  It is essential for regular European train travellers and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Published since 1873, it had just celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook decided to pull the plug on their entire publishing department, but the dedicated ex-Thomas Cook team set up a private venture and resumed publication of the famous European Rail Timetable in March 2014.  You can buy it online at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses) or www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide).  More information on what the European Rail Timetable contains.

Rail Map Europe is the map I recommend, covering all of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south.  Scenic routes & high-speed lines are highlighted.  See an extract from the map.  Buy online at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide) or at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses).

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Hotels in London, Paris & France

Find hotels at Booking.comMy favourite hotel search site: www.booking.com

www.booking.com is my favourite hotel booking site and I generally prefer booking my hotels all in one place here.  You can usually book with free cancellation - this allows you to confirm your accommodation at no risk before train booking opens.  It also means you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary, and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when putting a trip together.  I never book hotels non-refundably.  I have also come to trust their review scores - you won't be disappointed with anything over 8.0.

Tip:  It can pay to compare prices across multiple hotel sites:  HotelsCombined.com is a price comparison site which compares hotel prices on Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, Accor, Agoda and many others.  Though if there's not much in it, I prefer keeping all my bookings together in one place at www.booking.com.

Hotels near the Gare du Nord & other Paris stations

If you need to stay over in Paris between trains, here are some hotels that are both close to the station and get good reviews:

Hotels for that romantic break

There's the famous Paris Ritz in the Place Vendôme of course (almost £500 a night) or the similarly-priced Le Meurice, but if you want a really special hotel for a luxury break or romantic weekend and can afford to splurge around €280 a night, try the small, sumptuous and intimate L'Hotel.  It's on the bohemian left bank a short distance from the Seine, the Ile de la Cité & Notre Dame.  Oscar Wilde spent his last days here in room 16, and the hotel has been used by many famous people from Sinatra to Mick Jagger.  Rooms are beautifully decorated and have character that other hotels lack.

Backpacker hostels

www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.

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Travel insurance & VPN

 

Staysure travel insurance

 

Confused.com logo

Always take out travel insurance...

You should take out travel insurance with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover from a reliable insurer.  It should cover trip cancellation and loss of cash & belongings up to a reasonable limit.  These days, check you're covered for covid-19-related issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel. An annual policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I use an annual policy myself.  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, I get a little commission if you buy through these links, feedback always welcome.

UK flag  www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection.

UK flag  You can use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

US flag  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

 

Curve card

Curve card saves foreign transaction fees...

Banks often give a poor exchange rate, then charge a currency conversion fee as well.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this.  The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.  And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works:  1. Download the app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I use a Curve Blue card myself - I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I'm recommending it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card - they'll give you £5 cashback through that link, too.

 

Express VPN

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  VPNs & why you need one explained...

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi.  In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions.  And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN.  VPNs & why you need one explainedExpressVPN is a best buy and I use it myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription, and I get a small commission to help support this site.

 

Anker Powerrbank

Carry an Anker powerbank...

With tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes now often held digitally on your mobile phone, it's vital to keep it charged.  I recommend carrying an Anker powerbank which can recharge your phone several times over if you can't get to a power outlet when you're on the move.  I never travel without one.

 


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