Ferry Trip - Dover to Calais

Last Saturday, around lunch time, the weather happened to be sunny and bright. Debating how we could best make use of such a rare occurrence of sunshine, we concluded that it might be a good idea to take a ferry somewhere - in this case, as foot passengers, from Dover to Calais in France. Many people use this route for alcohol, cigarette and other shopping supplies, however we were going merely for the journey, to enjoy a trip on the sea and have a look at the city and port that lay on the other side of the English Channel.

We jumped in the car and made our way to the "White Cliffs of Dover", not entirely sure how long the drive would take, but Google Maps had assured us it wouldn't be over two hours. We were pleasantly surprised that we managed to reach Dover in about an hour and a half - no, not due to excessive speed but because the traffic happened to be rather light. On arrival at the ferry travel and information centre, we had the option of choosing between two ferry companies to get us to Calais: Sea France and P&O Ferries. Our decision was made based on the first ferry leaving, which happened to be Sea France. Unfortunately Sea France didn't have any ferries returning to Dover later that night, so we only purchased single, one way tickets with them to Calais, and then booked the return part of the journey with P&O - thereby getting to experience and compare both ferry operators. Our tickets to Calais cost £12 each.

A bus came to pick up all the foot passengers outside the travel centre to take us to the ferry, passing through immigration control and baggage checks along the way. Once on board the ferry, we investigated the different levels, whilst getting used to our 'sea legs'. We really liked the layout and design of Sea France, particularly its large windows, letting the sunshine in and allowing for good views. We ordered drinks from the bar and enjoyed the general ambiance. We then went to the restaurant upstairs and had some continental cheese and biscuits (we even got a roll thrown in for free). The staff on Sea France were really friendly and we'd have no hesitation in using the ferry company again.

About an hour and a half later we arrived in Calais. Unfortunately, by this time, it was already dark, so not much sightseeing to be had. There's a bus stop outside the arrivals hall, with regular buses to the town centre (only till about 7:30pm) and costs £1 per person. The bus arrived shortly and in ten to fifteen minutes we were in the centre of Calais. We didn't have much time before our return ferry, so we walked along the main street, checking out the restaurants and bars. We went into a bar that looked inviting to have a drink, and it had a good, friendly vibe. We then wandered around a bit longer until it was time to find a taxi back to the port (as the buses had stopped running for the night). Finding a taxi wasn't very easy, and we ended up going into a hotel and asking them to order us one! The taxi arrived just in time and the driver sped along to the ferry departure hall, costing around 11 Euros.

The most memorable part of the return journey, on P&O, was being able to stand on the upper deck and having a clear view of the total lunar eclipse that took place. In our view, the ferry itself isn't as comfortable and appealing as Sea France. It has all the amenities, but somehow it just wasn't the same. The return journey cost slightly more at £17 per person . If we have to make a choice between the two ferry companies again, then we will probably choose Sea France as our first option.

Despite our rather fleeting visit across the channel, we enjoyed ourselves. It felt slightly dreamy and surreal too, but that was probably due to it being a spontaneous idea. Next time we'll plan it better so that we spend more time in Calais and possibly explore its neighbouring towns. At least we now know the ferry is a stress-free and affordable way of travelling to France.