Forget crowded airport lounges and long queues at passport control, travel to Europe by ferry has never been easier!
We asked DFDS Ferries to tell us some of their top ferry destinations you can reach from Calais or Dunkirk within just three hours. You could quaff champagne in Reims, wander around Rouen or see world-renowned art in Lille and much more…
Cultural Lille
Lille is a French city near the border with Belgium. A bustling University town, Lille was once an important merchant city and Flemish influences remain. The historic centre is characterised by 17th-century brick town houses, cobbled pedestrian streets and the large central square, Grand Place. Visit Lille Cathedral, enjoy art at the Palais des Beaux-Arts Gallery and take a stroll though the Vauban Gardens. (Approx. 1 hr drive time)
Beautiful Rouen
Highlights: Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Rouen; Vieux Rouen; Rue du Gros-Horloge
Famed for its spired skyline, much painted by the Impressionist artist Claude Monet, Rouen is a port city on the river Seine. Home to Gothic churches, including Saint-Maclou and Saint-Ouen, and a cobblestoned pedestrian centre with timbered houses, Rouen is the heart of Normandy and is an homage to French medieval architecture. (Approx. 2.30 hrs drive time)
Awesome Arras
Famed for the Battle of Arras in 1917, Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais region. In keeping with the city’s historic roots, highlights include the Memorial of the Battle of Arras grounds and Wellington Tunnels Museum, a fascinating underground network of World War One tunnels. (Approx. 1.30 hrs drive time)
Historic Amiens
A delightful market town, Amiens is divided by the Somme river and is known for the Gothic designed Cathedral and nearby medieval belfry. Shops and cafes line the Quartier St. Leu’s narrow streets and floating market gardens, known as “hortillonnages” dot the city’s canals. Visit the Musée de Picardie for art and antiques and the Maison de Jules Verne museum where the famed science fiction author resided. (Approx. 2 hrs drive time)
Bubbly Reims, France
The unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, Reims is famed for its well-known champagne houses, including Möet and Chandon. Enjoy a tasting session and cellar tour, and visit the Porte de Mars arch showing the town’s time under Roman rule dating back to the 3rd-century. For more than 1,000 years, French kings were crowned at the Cathédrale Notre-Dame and the city has plentiful cafes, boutique shops and beautiful gardens to wander around. (Approx. 3 hrs drive time)
Travel to France with DFDS from just £39 each way for a car and up to nine passengers, crossing time is just 1.5 hours. To book visit www.dfds.co.uk
