Ferry from Dover to Calais

Ferry from Dover to Calais at a glance

Here is what the Dover to Calais ferry looks like: large car ferries run by P&O Ferries, DFDS, Irish Ferries, about 1 hour 30 minutes from port to port, up to 30 sailings a day. You board at Port of Dover (Eastern Docks) and step off at Port of Calais. Haqqi Tours checks the sailings for your dates and tells you the cost before anything is booked.

• Route: Dover to Calais (about 40 km by sea)
• Operator: P&O Ferries, DFDS, Irish Ferries
• Crossing time: about 1 hour 30 minutes
• Vessels: large car ferries
• Frequency: up to 30 sailings a day
• Departure port: Port of Dover (Eastern Docks)
• Arrival port: Port of Calais
• Vehicles: cars and motorbikes carried on the car ferries
• Booking: form on this page, confirmation on WhatsApp, e-ticket by message

The busiest ferry route in Europe: ninety minutes across the Channel with the car, a departure every half hour, and the white cliffs behind you. Book by car and passengers, and give passport details in advance; Dover is 90 minutes from London by train or road.

Arrival: Port of Calais

Arrival is at Port of Calais. Calais is the Channel port facing Dover, the start of the road to Paris and Belgium. We can have a Haqqi Tours driver at the pier with your name, or tell you the best way to your hotel by bus or taxi. If you brought the car, the road out of the port is signposted for the main routes.

Arriving late? We note your arrival and, if you have booked a transfer, the driver tracks the ferry, so a delay costs you nothing.

On board the Dover to Calais ferry: seats, cabins, cars and luggage

What is the Dover to Calais ferry like on board? Large car ferries, with airline-style seats, lounges, a café or restaurant and open decks on the larger ships; overnight vessels add cabins with beds and showers. Cars, motorbikes and bicycles travel on the vehicle deck and you go up to the passenger decks for the crossing. Luggage is not weighed; you keep it with you or on the racks. Haqqi Tours explains the seat and cabin options for the exact ship you are booking so you pay for what you will use.

• Cabins with beds and showers on overnight sailings - two to four berths
• Café, bar or restaurant on most vessels; open decks on the conventional ferries
• Vehicles on the car deck - give us the car's length and height when booking
• Children's fares by age; infants normally free

Things to do in Calais after the ferry

Calais is the Channel port facing Dover, the start of the road to Paris and Belgium. Start with the Burghers of Calais, the beach and the dunes and Cap Blanc-Nez, then Boulogne.

We offer tours and transfers in Calais as well as the ferry ticket - one conversation, one plan for the whole trip.

Best time to take the ferry from Dover to Calais

The ferry from Dover to Calais runs all year on most operators, but not equally: summer brings the most sailings and the highest fares, shoulder months the best balance, winter a reduced service. Whatever the month, booking early is the single biggest saving, especially with a car or a cabin.

Ferry or flight from Dover to Calais?

Ferry versus plane between Dover and Calais comes down to time, luggage and the view: the ferry has the deck, the luggage and the town-centre arrival; the plane has speed. On this route the ferry is the option Haqqi Tours recommends first for families and anyone with a car.

Return ferry from Calais to Dover

Coming back? Say so on the form. A return ferry ticket from Calais to Dover booked with the outbound is often cheaper than two separate bookings, and it keeps the whole trip on one WhatsApp thread with one point of contact.

How much does the ferry from Dover to Calais cost?

"How much is the ferry ticket from Dover to Calais?" has several answers, because the operators price the slow boat and the fast boat differently, charge separately for vehicles and cabins, and raise fares in high season. Haqqi Tours can provide the current cost for the date you travel and party - foot passengers, car, seats or cabin - shortly afterwards of receiving the form, and tells you which sailing is the best value.

The figure we send is the total: passengers, vehicle, seats or cabin and port fees. If a slower sailing an hour later is cheaper, we say so; on this route the conventional ferry is often the best value for a family.

Cheapest ferry ticket from Dover to Calais: how to pay less

Getting the lowest fare on the ferry from Dover to Calais is a matter of vessel, timing and flexibility. Here is how Haqqi Tours finds you a cheap ferry ticket:

• Book early for July, August, Easter and holiday weekends, when sailings sell out and fares rise
• Travel on a weekday - Friday and Sunday sailings carry the highest fares
• Tell us if your dates are flexible; moving by a day often changes the fare
• Compare operators - on this route the cheapest company changes with the date
• Price the crossing with and without the car - for two people a rental at the other end is sometimes cheaper
• Book the return with the outbound - open returns and round-trip fares are cheaper on many operators

We answer "what is the cheapest way to get from Dover to Calais by ferry?" many times a day; the answer for your travel date comes back in the WhatsApp chat with the booking ready to confirm.

How to book ferry tickets from Dover to Calais with Haqqi Tours

Booking a ferry from Dover to Calais with us takes minutes and one conversation. Fill in the booking form on this page with your date, one-way or return, the number of adults and children and whether you bring a vehicle. Our team messages you through WhatsApp to check your booking: we confirm the sailings that day, the vessel, the seats or cabin and the cost. You choose, we book, and the electronic ticket arrives in the same chat.

• Step 1 - fill in the form: date, one-way or return, adults and children
• Step 2 - we message you by WhatsApp with the sailings, vessels, seats or cabins and the cost
• Step 3 - you confirm the sailing you prefer and we arrange payment in the same chat
• Step 4 - we issue the electronic ticket and send it; we stay in touch until you land in Calais

Because a person books it, we can line the Dover to Calais ferry up with a flight or a train the same day, choose the sailing that leaves a safe margin, and warn you if the weather forecast makes the fast boat a risk.

Timetable and season of the Dover to Calais ferry

Sailing times on the Dover to Calais route depend on the shipping line and the month - as a rule up to 30 sailings a day. Morning departures are usually the calmest and the most reliable; the last sailing of the day is the one to avoid if you have an onward connection. We choose the sailing to fit your plan and tell you the check-in time at Port of Dover (Eastern Docks).

For a connection at Calais - a flight, a train or another ferry - let us know and we choose a sailing with a comfortable margin.

Departure: Port of Dover (Eastern Docks)

Your crossing starts at Port of Dover (Eastern Docks). Large ports have several gates and the boarding gate is announced on the boards and on the ticket; we send the gate and the check-in time with your confirmation. A private transfer with Haqqi Tours takes you and the luggage to the right gate.

• Haqqi Tours arranges a private transfer from your hotel in Dover to the port on request
• Ask us which gate or terminal your sailing uses - big ports have several
• Foot passengers: at the port 45-60 minutes before departure; vehicles 60-90 minutes
• Keep the e-ticket and the ID or passport used for booking together

Why book your Dover to Calais ferry ticket with Haqqi Tours

What we offer on the ferry from Dover to Calais: live fares checked across every operator for your dates, fast boat and slow boat explained plainly, seats and cabins reserved, vehicles booked with the right dimensions, the e-ticket delivered on WhatsApp and a team that answers at any hour if the weather changes the plan. Send the form and let us take the ferry off your list.