How much does it cost to travel by ferry in Ireland and Europe?
In this summer period, which is ideal for maritime escapades and cruises of all kinds, travelling by ferry is a very popular means of transport for many travellers. Far from the stress of crowded airports or stations, ferries allow you to travel in comfort while taking your time.
At Vivanoda, a web platform that enables all travellers to find ferry, bus, train and plane tickets, we wanted to launch a major study into ferry prices in Europe in order to gain a better understanding of the variations in ferry ticket prices according to a number of criteria (destination country, distance, seasonality, etc.).
We therefore analysed tens of thousands of ferry fares on hundreds of routes in Europe, as well as crossings to Turkey and the Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia), to get as exhaustive a picture as possible.
Here are the key points highlighted by this study at European level:
- Ferry crossings to Tunisia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland and Sweden have the lowest price index.
- Conversely, ferry crossings to Turkey, the UK and Morocco have the highest price indexes.
- Connections between Greece and Turkey and those between Morocco and Spain are proportionally the most expensive in Europe.
- Connections between Germany and Lithuania or Latvia are the least expensive in relation to the distance travelled.
- The shorter the crossing, the more expensive it is.
- Across Europe, prices are higher on average from July to September. They are also slightly higher at weekends.
What about Ireland?
- Ireland is the 12th most expensive country in Europe to travel by ferry, and is in the middle of the European league table.
- Crossings with the UK are by far the most expensive.
- Crossings with Spain, particularly the Rosslare-Bilbao route, have the lowest price index.
- Ferry fares are slightly higher in July and August
- It is cheaper to travel by ferry on a weekday than at the weekend.
