Ferry to France Statistics
A ferry to France is the most popular way of travelling across the English Channel, but just how busy are the ports and routes?
We’ve taken a look at some figures produced by the Department for Transport and produced some ferry to France statistics for you, to show you just how popular each ferry port and ferry crossings were in 2018.
To make things a little easier we will list each of the UK ferry ports and show you firstly the total number of passengers using the port and secondly the number of passengers using each ferry crossing.
Dover Ferry Port
Dover ferry port only offers two ferry services to France which include Dover to Calais and Dover to Dunkirk. The total passenger number for Dover Ferry Port in 2018 stood at 11,793,000.
Dover to Calais
The Dover to Calais route is the most famous cross channel ferry crossing. Services are operated by both P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways with a large number of crossings per day. As such it’s not difficult to see why passenger numbers are so high. Passenger numbers for the Dover to Calais route in 2018 were 9,168,000.
Dover to Dunkirk
Dover to Dunkirk is not as popular as Dover to Calais, however, passenger numbers were still higher than any other UK ferry route in 2018. DFDS Seaways operate the service and in 2018 passenger numbers stood at 2,615,000.
Newhaven Ferry Port
Newhaven Ferry port offers only one ferry route to France which is the Newhaven to Dieppe crossing.
Newhaven to Dieppe
The Newhaven to Dieppe crossing is highly popular for passengers looking for an alternative to Dover. As such it has a relatively high number of passengers compared to its peers. DFDS Seaways operate the service and in 2018 passenger numbers were 380,000.
Portsmouth Ferry Port
Portsmouth offers the largest number of passenger ferry services to France from the UK and also boasts other routes to Mainland Europe. Ferry routes to France include Portsmouth to Le Havre, Portsmouth to Caen, Portsmouth to Cherbourg and Portsmouth to St Malo. With so many routes it’s hardly surprising that the total passenger number for 2018 stood at 1,848,000.
Portsmouth to Le Havre
Portsmouth to Le Havre is very popular for passengers heading to Paris because Le Havre is the closest port to the capital. Brittany Ferries operate the service and passenger numbers in 2018 were approximately 146,000.
Portsmouth to Caen
Portsmouth to Caen is the most popular crossing from Portsmouth with nearly three times the number of passengers travelling the route than its nearest competitor. Brittany Ferries operate the service and passenger numbers in 2018 were approximately 924,000
Portsmouth to Cherbourg
Portsmouth to Cherbourg is very popular with those wanting to get to Normandy from the UK quickly. Brittany Ferries operate the service and passenger numbers in 2018 were approximately 165,000.
Portsmouth to St Malo
Portsmouth to St Malo is popular because of its relatively central location and excellent onward travel links. Brittany Ferries operate the service and passenger numbers in 2018 were approximately 343,000.
Plymouth Ferry Port
The ferry port at Plymouth is the most western commercial ferry port in the UK and offers a number of crossings to Spain and a single route from Plymouth to Roscoff in France. Total ferry passenger numbers for 2018 were 433,000.
Plymouth to Roscoff
Plymouth to Roscoff is popular because of two reasons. Firstly because of Plymouth’s western location. Secondly, because Roscoff is perfectly located for holidays in Brittany and onward travel along the western coast of France. Brittany Ferries operate the service and passenger numbers in 2018 were approximately 366,000.
Booking your Ferry to France
The wide variety of passenger numbers are down to a variety of factors. Some ferry routes are busier because of the number of ferries that run and some because of their locations. Choosing a ferry crossing can sometimes be a difficult choice which is why we’ve compiled these ferry to France Statistics.
We’d always recommend considering all options before booking. Look at the times you want to travel, your departure location, final destination and of course cost before you book.
If you’d like to find more about any of the individual routes or costs, simply click on the relevant route link above.
