Just booked Poole to Cherbourg fast ferry. 5hr trip and £170 return for me, mrs and bike. Good alternative if you are visiting west side of France or riding to Spain.
DFDS - Newhaven / Dieppe - Discount tickets (as at 14 April 2026)
- Thread starter Wapping
- Start date
cheapest i have been quoted on that sailing £300 plus
Just an update on DFDS prices, they are now at what they used to be last year, i have just booked a return from Newhaven, 2 people and 1 motorcycle without a cabin both ways for £91.00.
I have no idea why they were coming up so expensive a week or so ago,
I have no idea why they were coming up so expensive a week or so ago,
I have no idea why they were listed being so expensive compared to the year before but now normal price has been resumed.
last year in mid sept , it was £145 return , cheap out expensive back , so i did DFDS from Dover for my normal £70 return.
Boat was quiet when we went out in May and especially coming back on 3/6 at noon
I cannot see how it can pay to run it
I cannot see how it can pay to run it
it was set up as a freight only line which remains the core earner. Maybe some days of the week are busier than others?
when DFDS took over the route, they added tourist traffic for a bit of extra on the top line as they already had the customer base to make it worthwhile.
Some Brittany Ferries routes are not very busy on some days. Our overnight ferry from Le Havre on 9 May was pretty empty. I'm pretty sure, as they get subsidies from the French to run the services, they are contracted to operate so many days a week/year. They must get enough traffic throughout the year to make a profit, whilst some individual crossings do not cover overheads.
Ok, didn't see much freight either.................about 6 Reefers
Our ferry deck was totally empty, except for 9 bikes...........on the way back
Originally established to export French farm produce, I believe.
Still owned by a farmer cooperative set up by a pig farmer after we joined the common market.
Brittany Ferries - Our story
Depuis sa création en 1972, Brittany Ferries est devenu le premier transporteur maritime sur la manche Ouest et Centrale, et reste le premier employeur de marins français.
corporate.brittany-ferries.com
A last minute quote for two bikes to France this Sunday shows Le Shuttle at £325 return cheapest, DFDS return cheapest £225 (including 10% blue light discount).
25 quid each way extra is worth it for me to get the flexibility to cross when it suits me, not what DFDS offer to suit their freight customers
I used the Dieppe ferry once to attend a function in Dieppe but for touring, as JB identified, the times are a bit shit
That's the conclusion I've come to aswell
it is certainly good enough for our needs, times of sailings have never bothered us. but what suits one may not suit others its all about what you want.
