France Ferry & Campsite info (use Search function) mod warning post 1

There's never been any queues when I've been there. We hit the place around noon and are out in less than 30mins and then go get food somewhere before heading for the ferry.

Last year we were in and out in 15mins because we knew exactly what we wanted. 8 cases of different wine loaded onto the trolly, hand-picked a couple of single bottles, paid and out the door

Ferry for 2027 booked 🤫

Will leave booking the campsites until after we actually come home from France in 2026 :D

Cork-Bologne ferries now bookable https://hibernia-line.com/

timetable (for us) is probably as good as could be hoped for. No 3 or 5am arrivals or departures like with DFDS and a couple of pints before bed after the drive, can also be achieved

Departure from Cork 9pm Monday to Satuday, arrival 7.30pm Tuesday to Sunday so you're anywhere in North France/ Belgium/ NL/ LUX and border areas of Germany by midnight - i.e. any of those Eurocamps/ Centre Parcs in that area

Departure from Bologne 10pm Monday to Saturday, arrival Cork 6.30pm - so folks in above areas travelling to Ireland can work/ do touristy stuff for a full day and then hop on the ferry, for folks coming from Poland/ Denmark/ South Germany, that departure is sufficiently late to be able to drive it in one go with no need for an overnight stop or drive, it saves 400km over Cherbourg, 600km less than driving to Roscoff.

Likewise, when land bridge used to be an option I did Holland and Germany. Wouldn't mind venturing that way again now that this route is up and running plus the DFDS one.

Oh I have plenty of them 😆

Yes…its a totally different buzz though, very relaxing..not running after the kids, not dragging around 4 bags worried are they getting lost, trying to orgainse 10 trays of food in the resturant. You can also go out of holiday season and the ferry is a lot cheaper and you can justify in getting the Commadore cabin. I always say the ferry is one the highlights of the holiday for me.

The ferry without the kids is better…there I said it!!

Do your kids know you get the Commodore cabin?

Myself and myself siblings were all financially independent adults when my mother was telling us a story about something that happened on their trip on the ferry, in passing she mentioned that they were in the restaurant at the time - we all just replied in disbelief "You ate in the nice restaurant!".

Our memories were of being cramped in the cabin, eating a precooked chicken out of the coolbox, begging to be brought to the restaurant but knowing it would never happen! 🤣

Oh we rub it in actually 😋TBH they are in their early 20s and the fun for them was the bunk beds and running arond the ferry and I think the last ferry trip we made with them was a last minute decision after one of them finished their leaving cert. The only ferry we coudl get was the Wednesday one out of Cork and there were no cabins left out and back, only the pullmans!!! We said how bad could it be it will be fun!

NO IT WASNT 😮 ending up sleeping in the lounge on the benchs, the floor any where but the pullmans with all the snoring and farting etc etc, wouldnt have been all that bad if you were prepared. Some people know where all the comfortable sofas are and they bring pillows etc we had none of that it was a nightmare. So I think that might have put them off the ferry for a few years.

I wonder what the Hibernia ferry will be like, will it be in the same league as BF? If it was geared towards truckers I would have my reservations.

it’ll be interesting to see if there’s tellys in the rooms of the Hibernia ferries and how the internet is (cost / does it even work) as it’s a long journey to be cut off from the outside world

The website doesn’t mention anything

Short video tour from 2024 of St Patrick as Tallink Superfast IX

We've done a lot of the west coast plus the Pyrenees, but we've never been on the eastern side. I'd be interested in hearing from people who have stayed in the Languedoc Roussillon area and if they have any recommendations. It would be just myself and my wife and travelling into Bilbao. Thanks.