Expert's Advice on Ferrying to France

Aug. 9, 2010 - PRLog -- If you are heading out to one of the many villas in France for a relaxing break on the continent traveling by ferry is an easy, cost- effective, ecological option.

Yet there are many services on offer, each with their own appeal, designed to suit your needs. French travel journalist Joyce Smith had her well garnered advice to offer on getting to France by ferry.

Getting the Cheapest Fair:-

For getting best deals on Ferry transport a good website is ferrycheap.com, which lists all the offers from the ferry companies. Like budget airlines it pays to book early for the cheapest deal, though you can also get last minute bargains in the off season.

Another good tip is the Norfolk line who offers great rates on Ferry travel. Services from Dover to Dunkirk usually come in at £15 per car. This is much better than the fanciful prices of the Eurotunnel, charging £100-149 for a similar service.

Finding the Best Route:-

Brittany Ferries offer the most routes in to France, with services from Plymouth, Poole and Portsmouth, arriving in a range of destinations such as Roscoff, Caen, Cherbourg and St. Malo.

Condor ferries also offer services to Cherbourg and St. Malo.

If you're near the South east Coast you have a great number of choices from P&O, LD Lines, Sea France & Norfolk Line. Most ferries traveling to Dieppe, Bologne, Dunkirk or Calais.

From Portsmouth you can also get a P&O ferry to Bilbao, or the Brittany Ferries service to Santander.

Catering:-

Sea France takes great pride in it’s on board restaurants and has had celebrity chefs such as Jean Christoph-Novelli as menu consultant in the past. Brittany Ferries offers a range of food to suit all budgets. Taking your own food can be a great way to save money.

Cabins:-

Brittany ferries do the longest routes and their cabins reflect this. They are wide and immaculately clean all coming with their own bathroom, with shower facilities. It's worth booking ahead; reclining chairs don't do so well for long journeys.

Facilities:-

Condor ferries offer a soft seated video room which should help keep the children entertained but Brittany ferries seem to offer the most in the way of entertainment. On longer routes Brittany ferries offer magicians, cabaret singers, Children's entertainers and DJs. There are even swimming pools and cinemas. Though if you are a particularly restless traveler the best option is to sleep through it during a night voyage.

By Rail:-

With the opening of the International rail service at St Pancreas station in London, the train to Paris has become a much sought after route. It offers a quick and convenient service that particularly suit businessmen wanting to get to Paris or those on city breaks. Though if you are wishing to take you car and family then the ferry is a great option allowing you to bring as much as you can to your vacation rental.

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