
In these summer months, when sea escapades and cruises of all kinds are the order of the day, ferry travel is a popular means of transport for many travellers. Far from the stress of crowded airports or train stations, ferry travel is a comfortable way to take your time.
At Vivanoda, a web platform that enables travelers to find ferry, bus, train and plane tickets, we wanted to launch a major study of ferry prices in Europe to better understand the variations in ferry fares according to several criteria (destination country, distance, seasonality, etc.).
We therefore analyzed 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), in order to gain as exhaustive a picture as possible. It should be noted that price alone has been taken into account in this study, irrespective of the quality of service on board, differences in staff salaries, economic differences between countries, etc.
Based on the price index, which represents the average price per person to travel 100 miles by ferry, we have identified the most and least expensive countries for ferry crossings.
The results reveal a significant variation in fares across the continent.
Among the most expensive countries, Turkey tops the list, followed by the UK, Morocco, Malta, Iceland, Italy, Algeria, Portugal and Spain. These countries are characterized by relatively high ferry fares.
On the other hand, it is interesting to note that the Scandinavian and Baltic countries are among the cheapest in Europe. Tunisia tops the list of cheapest countries, followed by Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Albania, Estonia and Cyprus. These destinations offer more affordable fares for ferry crossings, which may be attractive to travelers looking for economical solutions.
The next part of our study focuses on the comparison of ferry fares between European countries. We have analyzed ferry fares on international routes, such as those between Italy and Greece, Spain and Morocco, and all sea routes between two countries, in order to understand price variations from one country to another. Domestic crossings (Italy -> Italy or Greece -> Greece, for example) are excluded.
We can see that crossings between Greece and Turkey have the highest price index in Europe. Far behind are crossings between Spain and Morocco, and between Denmark and Germany.
Conversely, crossings between Germany and Lithuania or Latvia are the least expensive in Europe in relation to the distance covered.
Crossings between Norway and Sweden, and between Italy and Spain, are also among the cheapest in Europe.
In stark contrast, crossings to Morocco are among the cheapest from France or Italy (long crossings), but among the most expensive from Spain (short crossings).
We wanted to check whether the length of the ferry crossing had an impact on the average price of crossings.
We found that the shorter the crossing, the higher the price.
In this section, we take a closer look at the ferry price index for each of the ferry routes in Europe. We have analyzed a total of almost 800 routes throughout Europe.
We notice that it's the very short crossings (Lymington-Yarmouth, Chios-Cesme, Santa Maria Salina-Rinella and Caleta del Sebo-Orzela) that have the highest price indexes. These crossings are the most expensive in Europe in relation to the distance covered.
Let's take a look at the ranking of the cheapest ferry routes in Europe by price index. We analyzed a total of almost 800 routes throughout Europe.
In contrast to the chart of the most expensive routes, we can see that it's mainly long crossings (Travemünde-Liepaja, Barcelona-Civitavecchia, Klaipeda-Kiel or Barcelona-Porto Torres) that rank among the cheapest in Europe.
We have analyzed and ranked the ferry ports according to the price index for crossings to each port.
We have analyzed and ranked the ferry ports according to the price index for crossings to each port.
We wanted to determine whether ferry prices are seasonal, and whether they vary according to the month of the year in which the crossing is made. Indeed, many transport companies, such as railways and airlines, vary their prices considerably according to demand, which is often much higher during the summer vacations.
At European level, we can see that ferry prices are on average higher from July to September, which corresponds to the summer period in Europe and therefore the high season for ferry travel. However, outside this summer period, prices are only slightly lower on average. A more detailed country-by-country analysis (see other tabs) shows that this seasonality is more pronounced in certain countries.
We also wanted to know whether the price of a ferry crossing varies according to the day of the week.
We found that ferries departing on weekends were slightly more expensive than those departing on weekdays. A country-by-country analysis (see other tabs) shows that this criterion is not always relevant.
To carry out this study, we collected nearly 110,000 prices for ferry crossings. Some prices included travel for one person without a vehicle, others for 2 adults and a vehicle. We then standardized these fares to obtain a price per person. Each price was then converted to an index representing the cost per 100 kilometers traveled.
It should be noted that price alone was taken into account in this study, irrespective of the quality of on-board service, differences in staff salaries, etc. (see study limitations).
It is essential to recognize that, like all studies, this analysis of ferry fares in Europe has certain limitations that should be taken into consideration. These limitations may affect the scope and accuracy of the results obtained.
Firstly, it is important to note that the study is based on available and collected data, which means that there may be variations in the coverage of ferry companies and destinations included. Consequently, some players or routes may not be represented in the analysis.
In addition, ferry prices are subject to fluctuations due to factors such as seasonality, demand and special promotions. It is therefore crucial to recognize that prices can change over time, and that the results obtained reflect a snapshot in time.
In addition, it's important to note that ferry prices can vary according to a variety of factors, such as economic differences between countries, government subsidy policies on certain routes, company quality and service levels, exchange rates and each company's own fare policies. These differences may influence the price differentials observed between countries, and would probably require in-depth analysis.
Finally, it should be mentioned that ferry fares can vary according to passenger categories and types of service offered, which can lead to significant price variations.
Bearing these limitations in mind, it is important to interpret the results in a balanced way, and to use the findings as a general guide to understanding trends and variations in ferry fares in Europe.
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings departing from the UK. By analyzing ferry prices on various routes linking the UK to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight pricing trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from the UK to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
Domestic ferries are by far the most expensive in relation to distance traveled.
Crossings to Spain are proportionally the cheapest on average.
We have selected all the ferry routes in the UK and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
The Lymington - Yarmouth route is the most expensive, as are the routes serving the Isle of Wight in general.
We have analyzed all UK ports served by at least one ferry service and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
Lerwick, Aberdeen, Liverpool, Kirwall and Hull are the cheapest ferry destinations in the UK.
We wanted to know whether ferry prices in the UK vary according to the month of departure.
We can see that there is no real seasonality on ferry prices, although prices are a little lower in September and October.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more expensive or cheaper than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
We found very little difference between a weekend departure and a weekday departure.
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings departing from France. By analyzing ferry prices on various routes linking France to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight pricing trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from France to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
When it comes to ferry crossings from France, one thing stands out: destinations to Morocco, Tunisia and Corsica are among the most affordable. In fact, these crossings are well below average prices on other routes.
The crossings to Ireland also offer rather moderate fares.
We have selected all the ferry routes in France and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
Crossings between Bonifacio and Sardinia are by far the most expensive.
Crossings between Toulon and Porto Torres, those to Morocco from Sète and, generally speaking, those between the continent and Corsica are the least expensive in France.
It should be noted, however, that crossings to Corsica receive subsidies from the French public authorities, as part of the 'Dotation de Continuité Territoriale', enabling certain carriers to offer lower prices.
We have analyzed all ports in France served by at least one ferry line, then ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know whether ferry prices in France vary according to the month of departure.
August is the most expensive month for ferry travel in France.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more or less expensive than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
As far as France is concerned, there is no real price difference between a weekend departure and a weekday departure.
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Spain. By analyzing ferry prices on various routes linking Spain to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we will seek to highlight pricing trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from Spain to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
Crossings to Morocco have by far the highest price index.
Conversely, routes to Italy and Ireland have the lowest price index.
We have selected all the ferry routes in Spain and ranked those with the highest price index.
The routes between Tangier at Marox and Algiersciras or Tarifa are among the most expensive in Spain.
Local lines serving the Canary island of Lanzarote also have a very high average crossing price.
We have selected all the ferry routes in Spain and ranked those with the lowest price index.
These are the long crossings such as to Italy from Barcelona, and those linking the Canaries (Arrecife) to the mainland, which have the lowest price index in the country.
We have analyzed all Spanish ports served by at least one ferry line, and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to find out whether ferry prices in Spain vary according to the month of departure.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more expensive or cheaper than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
In Spain, there's very little difference in price between traveling by ferry on a weekend or on a weekday.
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Italy. By analyzing ferry prices on various routes linking Italy to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight pricing trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from Italy to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
Crossings to the island of Malta (Valletta) and domestic crossings (islands -> mainland) show the highest price index.
Long crossings across the Mediterranean to Spain, Morocco or Tunisia are the cheapest in the country.
We have selected all the ferry routes in Italy and ranked those with the highest price index.
The link between Santa Marina Salina and Rinella, on the island of Salina, is the most expensive crossing in Italy, in relation to the distance covered.
We have selected all the ferry routes in Italy and ranked those with the lowest price index.
The crossings to Spain (Bacelona) from Civitavcchia and Porto Torres in Sardinia have the lowest price indexes in Italy.
We have analyzed all the Italian ports served by at least one ferry line, and then ranked those with the highest price index.
We have analyzed all ports in Italy served by at least one ferry line, then ranked those with the lowest price index.
We wanted to know whether ferry prices in Italy vary according to the month of departure.
Prices seem to decrease after September.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more or less expensive than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
There is no difference between weekend and weekday ferry fares in Italy.
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Greece. By analyzing ferry prices on various routes linking Greece to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight pricing trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from Greece to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
Prices for crossings between Greece and Turkey are by far the highest in the country.
Domestic crossings, and especially crossings to Italy, are much cheaper.
We have selected all the ferry routes in Greece and ranked those with the highest price index.
Two ferry lines stand out from the rest for their high prices.
As seen in the previous graph, the Chios > Csme route, between Greece and Turkey, is the most expensive in the country in relation to the distance covered.
The most expensive domestic crossing is between Kosta and Spetses.
We have selected all the ferry routes in Greece and ranked those with the lowest price index.
Ferries to Italy, especially those between Patras and Venice or Ancona, are the cheapest in the country.
It's also worth noting that a large number of national routes between the Greek islands are relatively inexpensive.
We have analyzed all Greek ports served by at least one ferry line, and then ranked those with the highest price index.
We have analyzed all ports in Greece served by at least one ferry line, then ranked those with the lowest price index.
We wanted to know whether ferry prices in Greece vary according to the month of departure.
From November onwards, prices are much lower (but many lines no longer operate during the winter period).
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more or less expensive than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
Going on a weekend seems to be more expensive than going on a weekday.
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Denmark. By analyzing ferry prices on various routes linking Denmark to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight pricing trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from Denmark to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
Crossings to Germany are the most expensive from Denmark.
The routes between Denmark and Sweden or Norway are the cheapest.
We have selected all the ferry routes in Denmark and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
As seen in the previous chart, the lines serving Germany (Rodby-Puttgarden and Gedser-Rostock) stand out for their high price, in relation to the distance travelled.
Lines serving Norway, and in particular its capital Oslo, have a very low average price.
We have analyzed all Danish ports served by at least one ferry line, and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know if ferry prices in Denmark varied according to the month of departure.
From September onwards, ferry prices seem to drop significantly.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more or less expensive than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
There is no difference between weekend and weekday ferry fares in Denmark.
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Norway. By analyzing ferry prices on various routes linking Norway to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight pricing trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from Norway to other European countries, as well as domestic connections.
Connections to Germany and domestic crossings are the most expensive in the country.
Crossings to Sweden are by far the least expensive (particularly the Sandefjord-Stromstad route).
We have selected all the ferry routes in Norway and ranked them from highest to lowest.
We have analyzed all ports in Norway served by at least one ferry line and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know if ferry prices in Norway varied according to the month of departure.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more expensive or cheaper than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
Ferry prices are on average slightly higher at weekends.
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Sweden. By analyzing ferry fares on various routes linking Sweden to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight fare trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from Sweden to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
Crossings to Norway (particularly the Stromstad-Sandefjord route) are the cheapest in the country.
Conversely, crossings to Denmark are the most expensive.
We have selected all ferry routes in Sweden and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We have analyzed all ports in Sweden served by at least one ferry line and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know whether ferry prices in Sweden vary according to the month of departure.
Prices are highest from June to August.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more expensive or cheaper than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Finland. By analyzing ferry fares on various routes linking Finland to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight fare trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all ferry routes from Finland to other European countries, as well as domestic routes.
We have selected all ferry routes in Finland and ranked them according to the price index from highest to lowest.
We have analyzed all ports in Finland served by at least one ferry line and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know if ferry prices in Finland varied according to the month of departure.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more expensive or cheaper than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Germany. By analyzing ferry fares on various routes linking Germany to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight fare trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from Germany to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
We have selected all ferry routes in Germany and ranked them according to the price index from highest to lowest.
We have analyzed all ports in Germany served by at least one ferry line and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know whether ferry prices in Germany vary according to the month of departure.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more or less expensive than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from the Netherlands. By analyzing ferry fares on various routes linking the Netherlands to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight fare trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from the Netherlands to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
We have selected all ferry routes in the Netherlands and ranked them according to the price index from highest to lowest.
We have analyzed all ports in the Netherlands served by at least one ferry line and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to find out whether ferry prices in the Netherlands vary according to the month of departure.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more expensive or cheaper than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Ireland. By analyzing ferry fares on various routes linking Ireland to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight fare trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all ferry routes from Ireland to other European countries, as well as domestic routes.
We have selected all ferry routes in Ireland and ranked them according to the price index from highest to lowest.
We have analyzed all ports in Ireland served by at least one ferry line and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know if ferry prices in Ireland varied according to the month of departure of the trip.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more or less expensive than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Portugal. By analyzing ferry prices on various routes linking Portugal to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we seek to highlight pricing trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all ferry routes from Portugal to other European countries, as well as domestic routes.
We have selected all ferry routes in Portugal (Madeira and Azores) and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We have analyzed all ports in Portugal served by at least one ferry line and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know if ferry prices in Portugal varied according to the month of departure.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more or less expensive than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Poland. By analyzing ferry fares on various routes linking Poland to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we will seek to highlight fare trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We have compared the prices of all crossings from Poland to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings.
We have selected all ferry routes in Poland and ranked them according to the price index from highest to lowest.
We have analyzed all ports in Poland served by at least one ferry line and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know if ferry prices in Poland varied according to the month of departure.
We wanted to know whether departing by ferry on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more or less expensive than departing on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).
In this section, we'll focus on ferry crossings from Croatia. By analyzing ferry fares on various routes linking Croatia to other European countries, as well as domestic crossings, we will seek to highlight fare trends and variations in costs for travelers according to different criteria.
We've compared the prices of all ferry routes from Croatia to other European countries, as well as domestic routes.
We have selected all ferry routes in Croatia and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We have analyzed all ports in Croatia served by at least one ferry line and ranked them by price index from highest to lowest.
We wanted to know if ferry prices in Croatia varied according to the month of departure.
We wanted to know whether ferrying on a weekend day (Friday to Sunday) was more expensive or cheaper than ferrying on a weekday (Monday to Thursday).