Portsmouth to St Malo

Joto_2

Hi
Last year we travelled to Bordeaux from Calais on a cheap ferry crossing.
2006 we'd like to travel Portsmouth to St Malo and back from Caen to Portsmouth.

At the moment Brittany Ferries are quoting £738 for 2 adults, 2 children.
MPV with Trailer. 20/07/06 - 14/08/06

Does anyone have a promotional discount for Brittany Ferries. Did anyone do this crossing this year and think we should wait for any discounts/ promotions later in the year. Or is there another company who offers a better service?

I know the Dover/Calais has offers all the time but I don't know if this route has them as well.

Sorry for all the questions Thanks for the help

madfrenchgirl

OK what about tryin to get a 24 hour return from Portsmouth to St Malo and then a single from the French side from Cae-Ouistreham?

That is what I used to do when i was a student (I was a pedestrian, tho): take a 24 hr return from the english side, only use the outward way, dont use the come back. Buy a single from the French side and it would work out to be about 30 instead of 50!

Frontera2

madfrenchgirl wrote:

OK what about tryin to get a 24 hour return from Portsmouth to St Malo and then a single from the French side from Cae-Ouistreham?

That is what I used to do when i was a student (I was a pedestrian, tho): take a 24 hr return from the english side, only use the outward way, dont use the come back. Buy a single from the French side and it would work out to be about 30 instead of 50!

Whatever you do DONT book a 24 hour fare and misuse it, ie not turn up for the return. If you do, the ferry company will automatically charge your credit/debit card with the difference in fares, ie 24hr return and full price single.

I've tried this myself and been caught out...

innovate

Frontera is absolutely right - DON't use a 24-hour ticket just one way, they WILL charge you a full one-way fare, on top of what you have already paid. Their T&Cs say they will do so, so you will not have any recourse.

Finding any bargains for crossings from Portsmouth/Southampton/Pool to France is literally impossible - the ferry operators have no competition on these routes, so they charge whatever they like. Only potential way to save I have seen is if you book a full holiday (crossing + accommodation). Or if you travel completely out of season

You can get some amazing bargains if you go via Dover or Folkestone because these are the more popular routes, and there's cut-throat competition with the channel tunnel. If you are prepared to do extra 100-150 miles each side of the channel, you could save quite a few bob.

Phonix

I'm thinking of travelling across the channel myself from portsmouth at the cheapest possible time.

Any ideas what time this might be, the best way to book and how much a single is or a long return for a footpassenger is likely to cost.

I've tried the cheapferry online bookings but they quote about £150 for a single which is ridiculous.

Also I didn't know ferrys went from either poole or southampton? If they do, where do you book them online?

Frontera2

Phonix wrote:

I'm thinking of travelling across the channel myself from portsmouth at the cheapest possible time.

Any ideas what time this might be, the best way to book and how much a single is or a long return for a footpassenger is likely to cost.

I've tried the cheapferry online bookings but they quote about £150 for a single which is ridiculous.

Also I didn't know ferrys went from either poole or southampton? If they do, where do you book them online?

Poole to Cherbourg / Portsmouth / St Malo: Brittany Ferries. https://www.brittanyferries.co.uk

Portsmouth to Le Havre: https://www.ldlines.co.uk (Very cheap for Foot passeners, only around £10 each way. However, there is only one sailing a day (23.00 ex Portsmouth, 17.00 ex Le Havre and the cost of a cabin can be quite pricey).

A good site to use for price comparison is https://www.aferry.to

Hope this helps

John

Joto_2

Thanks for all the advice. I had thought about day return tickets in the past, but with all the luggage,bikes etc we take we would never look like day trippers.
We did the Dover/ Calais route this year. taking into consideration the petrol/tolls, hotel stopovers both way, breakfast, lunch, dinners and sweets to bribe the boys we thought if we could get the San malo ferry for around £450/£500 we wouldn't be out of pocket too much. We are travelling from the north so we thought we could travel down late afternoon to catch the 8.30 pm, sleep on the ferry (cabin) and then have only an hour or two to the resort. The ferry back from Caen is 11.30 pm so again we should benefit from an extra day in resort.
I just need to get the price down otherwise my OH will argue for the Dover/Calais route again and it is such a long, long journey.

Phonix

Thank you very much for that info, it's very useful.

My next question is going to sound odd but does anyone know the best way to book a bus for a an intercountry european journey?

Cheers

Frontera2

Phonix wrote:

Thank you very much for that info, it's very useful.

My next question is going to sound odd but does anyone know the best way to book a bus for a an intercountry european journey?

Cheers

Try https://www.eurolines.co.uk

madfrenchgirl

sorry people! Did not know about their new conditions!

That was about 4 years ago mind you. It does not surprise me tho: I used the 3 day return from the French side, until they found out the con and wiped off the offer, but taking a single back from the French side was still cheaper.

I still dont understand how a 24 hr return can be so cheap compared to a 3-week return...

Phonix

Simple, it's a promotional ploy to get people to use the ferrys more often.