United Kingdom Travel Guide - Getting There

The UK's main airline is British Airways (BA) (website: www.britishairways.com).

From New York to London is 7 hours 45 minutes.

See Getting There in the country sub-sections.

None.

Main ports: Dover (website: www.doverport.co.uk), Harwich (website: www.harwich.co.uk), Holyhead (website: www.holyheadport.com) and Portsmouth (website: www.portsmouth-port.co.uk).  

There are many ports offering ferry connections between the UK and mainland Europe, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Wight, the Scilly Isles and the Isle of Man.
UK ferry operators include:
Brittany Ferries (tel: 0870 907 6103; website: www.brittany-ferries.co.uk)
DFDS Seaways (tel: 0871 522 9955; website: www.dfdsseaways.co.uk)
P&O Ferries (tel: 0870 598 0333; website: www.poferries.com)
Stena Line (tel: 0870 570 7070; website: www.stenaline.com)

VisitBritain provide a map of ferry routes online (website: www.visitbritain.com).

Trains meet connecting ferries at Dover, Newhaven, Portsmouth and Weymouth, sailing for Belgium, France, Germany and Spain; and at Harwich, sailing for Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

Eurotunnel (tel: 0870 535 3535, in the UK only; website: www.eurotunnel.com) runs shuttle trains for vehicles between Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France. All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform. Services run every day of the year. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time of year and whether or not you have a reservation. The price applies to the car, regardless of the number of passengers or size of the car.

Eurostar (tel: 0870 518 6186, in the UK only, or (01233) 617 575; website: www.eurostar.com) operates direct high-speed trains from London to Paris and to Brussels. It takes 2 hours 15 minutes from London to Paris (via Lille) and 1 hour 51 minutes to Brussels. The Eurostar terminal moved to St Pancras in late 2007.

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Eurolines (tel: 0870 514 3219, in the UK only; website: www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services between the UK and numerous European cities. Travellers can book a 15- or 30-day pass.

Few formalities are encountered when driving between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.