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How to travel from the UK to Spain without flying
9 minute read | Author: Richard Hammond
There are several ways to travel to Spain from the UK without flying thanks to a variety of ferry, train and coach services from the south of England. On arrival in Spain, there are plenty of options at rail and ferry terminals for onward travel by rail and bus. Spain has one of the most comprehensive high speed networks in the world, so it's easy to travel quickly by train to the major cities.
For below for information on all the various ways of travelling across to Spain as well as how to take public transport to the UK's ferry ports and how to connect with public transport once you arrive in Spain.
Ferries from the south of England to Spain
Brittany Ferries runs the overnight ferry services across the Bay of Biscay from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Bilbao and Santander. These luxurious ferries are like going on a mini-cruise, the dining is first-class, there are lots of facilities to keep the kids happy, extremely comfortable sleeping cabins. And you may see whales and dolphin on the crossing - the Bay of Biscay is one of the best places in Europe to spot these magnificent marine animals.
The ferries from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander do take foot passengers, but the ferries from Portsmouth to Bilbao don't.
Portsmouth to Bilbao with Brittany Ferries
Journey time: 24-32 hours
Timings: up to three return crossings each week. Leaves Portsmouth at 08:45, 12:00 or 22:30, depending on the day and season. Sundays sailings offer two nights onboard
Facilities on board: restaurants, bar, cafe, shopping, pool, spa, cinema, children’s play area Sleeper cabins: 2-4 berth cabins including a cabin that accommodates a pet alongside its owners
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle for a small charge each way. Other info: opt for a Tuesday daytime crossing aboard the ‘no-frills’ ships, Baie de Seine or Connemara, for a more affordable crossing. Some crossings offer whale and dolphin spotting with the ‘ORCA wildlife officers’. As with Santander, the Alsa coach service is best for onward journeys by public transport unless you are heading south by train towards Madrid.
Portsmouth to Santander with Brittany Ferries
Journey time: 24-32 hours
Timings: two return crossings each week. Leaves Portsmouth at around 08:45 or 17:00 depending on the day and season
Facilities on board: restaurants, bar, cafe, shopping, pool, spa, cinema, children’s play area Sleeper cabins: 2-4 berth cabins including a cabin that accommodates a pet alongside its owners
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle for a small charge each way. Other info: opt for a ‘no-frills’ ship for a more affordable crossing, which operates during peak season - check the Brittany Ferries website for details. Some crossings offer whale and dolphin spotting with the ‘ORCA wildlife officers’. For journeys on from Santander, the rail network works best if you want to head south, with Madrid a four-hour journey away and Leon 3.5 hours, but for east-west journeys, it’s best to travel by car or by bus with Alsa the leading coach company in the region.
Plymouth to Santander with Brittany Ferries
Journey time: 18.5 hours
Timings: one sailing per week departing on Sundays at 16:45, arriving in Santander at 12:15, returning Wednesdays
Facilities on board: restaurants, bars, cafe, shops, pool, live entertainment, cinemas, spa, children’s play area Sleeper cabins: 2-4 berth cabins
Luggage: there’s no limit on luggage. Foot passengers can travel with a bicycle for a small charge each way. Other info: Brittany Ferries’ mini cruise package offers two nights on board the ship, Pont Aven on the journey out and back, plus two nights in Santander. For journeys on from Santander, the rail network works best if you want to head south, with Madrid a four-hour journey away and Leon 3.5 hours, but for east-west journeys, it’s best to travel by car or by bus with Alsa the leading coach company in the region.
How to travel to/from the ferry ports by public transport:
Portsmouth Port | Train: To Portsmouth Harbour Railway Station (it takes 85 minutes from London Waterloo and there are also services from London Victoria and Cardiff), from where it’s a 20-minute walk (or 10-minute taxi ride) to the ferry departure terminal. NB between May and September, there is a shuttle bus from Portsmouth & Southsea railway station to the ferry terminal. Bus: The easiest way for foot passengers to reach the harbour is to take a National Express coach (e.g. from London Victoria), which stops right outside the ferry departure building. There are also local bus services to Portsmouth ferry terminal operated by Stagecoach (bus 20) and First Bus (buses 8, X4 and X9). |
Plymouth Port | Train: There is a good rail service from major railway stations to Plymouth train station (it takes 3-4 hours from London Paddington) from where it's about a 20-minute walk to the Plymouth ferry terminal. Bus: National Express runs coach services from London's Victoria coach station to Plymouth coach station from where it's about a 20-minute walk to the Plymouth ferry terminal. |
Bilbao Port | The port of Bilbao is 10 miles (16km) north-west of Bilbao-Abando railway station, from where there are regular train services to major centres across Spain, including Madrid and Barcelona. There is no public transport direct from/to the ferry terminal, however there is a taxi rank outside the ferry terminal, or you could walk just under 2 miles (3km) to Santurtzi metro station to take the metro to Bilbao-Abando station (Santurtzi is the last stop on Line 2 and goes direct to Bilbao city centre). |
Santander Port | Santander's port is in the heart of the city, just one block along Avenida Castilla to Santander’s main railway station (a few minutes in a taxi) where there are trains running to major centres in the region and the rest of the country. Santander is the gateway to the Picos de Europa. |
By Coach from the UK to Spain
Travelling by coach is usually the cheapest way to travel from the UK to Spain.
The ever expanding Flixbus coach operator, which now incorporates the Eurolines and Isilines bus companies, runs coach services to Europe from many cities, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff and Swansea. The coaches travel to London via London Victoria Coach Station and then across the Channel, either via LeShuttle (Eurotunnel) or on the ferries that cross from Dover to Calais, and then on to dozens of cities, including Paris, Lille, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Brussels, Antwerp and Bruges.
From London you can reach cities such as Frankfurt in 13.5 hours, Prague in 24 hours and Vienna in 26 hours. You can even travel as far as Bucharest, a 44-hour journey across six countries.
Luggage: You can take a hand luggage bag and medium-sized bag for the hold weighing no more than 20kg. Bikes can be taken on the bike rack from €9 per journey.
Facilities: Coaches are air conditioned and have free wifi, charging sockets, toilets, and on some journeys food and drink is sold onboard in addition to the refreshment stops. You can also pack your own food and drink for the journey and stops are made at service stations to stock up on supplies.

National Express also runs an intercity coach service from cities across the UK that also go via London Victoria where you can change to its international coach services which go to many European cities.
The cost varies depending on the route, time of year and so on, so check on the coach operator’s website for the latest fares.
By train from the UK to Spain
It is possible to travel by train to Spain in a day from the UK. The quickest way is to go by Eurostar to Paris and then travel on one of the direct services from Paris to the border town of Hendaye (France), which borders will Irun in the Basque Region of Green Spain – the quickest you can do that journey from Paris is 4 hours 53 minutes. For instance, you could take the Eurostar departing London St Pancras at 08.01, arrive Gare du Nord at 11.24, then transfer across Paris to Gare Montparnasse (see our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris) to catch the 12.33pm train to Hendaye arriving 4.47pm. From Hendaye, you can take the train across to San Sebastian in just 30 minutes.
There are also multiple other connections between France and other areas in Spain, such as between cities such as Lyon and Marseille to Barcelona. From the UK, the fastest route to Barcelona is to take the Eurostar from London St Pancras International Railway Station then change in Paris to catch the high speed train to Figueres, Girona and Barcelona. From Barcelona there are trains throughout Spain, including to Madrid and south to destinations such as Cordoba, Seville and Malaga.
En route to Spain, you have to change stations in Paris from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, which can take about half an hour on the Paris RER line (it's only two stops, though we recommend you leave at least 50 minutes for the entire transfer - you have about an hour and a half to get the connection, though you could get an earlier train and spent a bit more time in Paris, e.g. have lunch at the wonderful Train Bleu Restaurant in Gare de Lyon). See our guide to How to transfer between train stations across Paris. At Gare de Lyon, you board a TGV high speed train to 'Barcelona Sants' station. For more detailed information about the journey and arriving in Barcelona, see our guide to How to travel by train from London to Barcelona
Tickets provided by Trainline, which allows you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. It does charge a small booking fee, but offers several useful facilities, such as a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets when they become available.
How to book train tickets as part of a package with accommodation
If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels en route, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its page for booking enquiries.
Stopover hotels to break the journey in Paris
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Paris while you're travelling through (and catch the day time train the following day down to Barcelona), there are lots of lovely places to stay in Paris conveniently near both Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon. Here are some examples of hotels that are conveniently near these stations:
Hotels close to Gare du Nord:
Grand Hotel de Paris and Hôtel Kabanel are just a few minutes walk from Gare du Nord (and Gare de L'Est so also great if you're heading out east). Rooms from about €100 per night.
Hotels close to Gare de Lyon:
citizenM Paris Gare de Lyon is one of 5 citizenM hotels in Paris that aim to provide 'affordable luxury' in central city locations. Billed as 'hybrid hotels', they're as much about places to work as they are to sleep, with the idea that you can meet local people in a smart, cozy environment.
Green Traveller's Top Pick:
Mob Hotel is a particularly environmentally friendly and socially conscious hotel that's in the heart of St Ouen, just a few miles north of Gare du Nord and close to the Garibaldi metro station (line 13). The hotel is all about being socially engaged within its neighbourhood (the artistic creations of local craftspeople are everywhere), but it also has strong eco credentials, such as water jugs rather than plastic bottles, refillable toiletries and organic cosmetics in the rooms. The restaurant is fully organic with a seasonal menu that draws on produce from farming cooperatives or direct from local producers (they also make their own honey and beer).
Eco-certified hotels in Paris:
If you're looking for other green hotels in the French Capital, then these have all been certified by an accredited ecolabel: Hotel Gavarnie (near the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides Museum) | Hotel Le Pavillion (a former convent in the Saint-Dominique area) | Amélie Hotel (2-star) | Hôtel Malar (10 minutes from the Champs Elysees) | Hôtel Du Printemps, about a mile from Gare de Lyon.
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Please note: The information on this page aims to give you a reasonable idea of train and ferry routes, times and tickets, in order that hopefully there’s enough detail to know what's available, how to plan an overland journey and where to book tickets. The information was up to date at time of publication, but services do change from time to time and we cannot take responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies we provide. Always confirm details when you book with the relevant travel operator. If you are aware of any inaccuracies, we'd really appreciate being informed via our contact page so we can make the relevant changes to the information provided for the benefit of other travellers.
Bon Voyage!