Car ferry routes from the UK to Europe

Car ferry routes from the UK to Europe

When it comes to planning a road trip in the UK or Europe with your own car, the choice of destinations can be overwhelming. As a continent with so much history and so many unique countries, you could spend weeks sifting through guidebooks and brochures before you hit on the perfect holiday spot or road trip route.

But one way of narrowing down the search is by looking at where ferries leaving the UK actually travel to. This can at the very least give you a realistic start point.

Many people think of Dover to Calais as the main car-carrying ferry route, but there are many others.

Perhaps you’ll explore the greenery of Northern Ireland and the Giant’s Causeway by using the Cairnryan – Belfast route, operated by Stenna Line. Aiming further south, both Irish Ferries and Stenna Line can take you from Holyhead to Dublin, where you can enjoy some of the best nightlife in Europe, before driving off into the beautiful green landscapes of southern and western Ireland.

Or maybe you’ll choose to leave Dover in a less common direction, by taking DFDS’s Dunkirk-bound ferry. Here you can explore the site of the famous military evacuation, and  gain access to France – and Europe generally.

For those with Spain in mind, you might choose the Plymouth to Bilbao route, operated by Brittany Ferries. In Bilbao you can enjoy the Guggenheim Museum before setting off for Spanish history, culture – or beach life.

And if you’ve never visited the legendary Dutch city of Amsterdam before, you might consider the Newcastle to Amsterdam (IJmuiden) route, run by DFDS Seaways.

There are many fantastic spots to begin a European driving holiday, and perhaps the best piece of ‘road trip Europe’ advice, is to take a look at the full list of destinations, here: http://www.expats.org.uk/travel/bysea.html