That latter stretch (shown as a solid green line on our map) skirts the south coast of Mallorca, affording good views of Cabrera along the way. Cabrera is nowadays a nature reserve, but during the Napoleonic Wars it had a terrible reputation as a prison island. Those who were sent there were condemned to live like savages on the barren terrain of Cabrera.

Map © hidden europe

Later in the journey, the ship runs up the great inlet that signals arrival in Maó. This really is the way to arrive in Menorca. It is splendid.

Exploring the Balearic Islands

We rate that Sunday journey from Palma to Maó as one of the finest short ferry routes in the Mediterranean. It is just a pity that it runs but once a week. The operator is Acciona Trasmediterranea, the leading shipping company on routes from the Spanish mainland to the Balearics and Canary Islands.

From Maó, it is possible to continue with another Acciona Trasmediterranea ship back to the mainland at Barcelona. On the Valencia to Palma and the Maó to Barcelona sections (both shown as green dashed lines on the map), sailings are several times each week. It is merely Palma to Maó that runs only weekly.

Back to the mainland

The journey we commend here (effectively from Valencia to Barcelona via the islands) is one of many creative itineraries available to travelers around the Balearic islands. Maó is a great place to stop over for a couple of nights. So we suggest taking that Saturday evening sailing from Valencia on the Albayzin which will have you in Maó by early afternoon Sunday. Then take the mid-morning boat Tuesday from Maó on to Barcelona to arrive back on the mainland that evening.

It makes a perfect 72-hour island tour, and a fine chance to relax in the middle of a longer European trip. The one-way fare for the full circuit from Valencia to Barcelona via the islands is €138.50.

Other options

Other ferry routes around and between the islands are shown on our map as dotted lines. There is another useful shipping operator apart from Acciona Trasmediterranea. That is Balearia, who use the port of Denia on the Costa Blanca as the mainland hub for their operations.

The post Valencia to Barcelona by Ferry (via Mallorca and Menorca) appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Time to think

We are not talking posh cruises here, but thinking rather of the regular ferries that ply the seas and inshore waters of Europe. Boats are a chance to take time out and think. We love boat trips.

It may be a simple hop on a ferry from Calais in France to Dover in England – where shipping stalwarts P&O bring cruise ship luxury to a 90-minute journey which in good weather is a sheer delight. Those famous white cliffs at Dover are quite something. (Read our previous post about P&O’s ferry service from England to France.)

Or it may be the long haul, such as the weekly voyage with the Smyril Line vessel Norröna from Denmark to Iceland. Depending on the time of year, the voyage to Iceland takes two or three days.

Shipping links

Europe is a continent that has been shaped by its maritime heritage and shipping links. Ferries are still a major component of the continent’s transport network, taking heavy freight off crowded highways and allowing discerning travelers a chance to swap the rush of modern life for a few quiet hours on board a comfortable ship.

For many island communities, of course, ferries provide lifeline links to the wider world. And, at this time of year, the weather is quick to remind us of the fragility of those links. This week, for example, shipping services from the Scottish mainland to Shetland, Orkney and the Outer Hebrides have all been heavily disrupted by storms.

Ferry schedules

Sadly, there is no comprehensive guide to Europe’s passenger shipping and ferry routes, but the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable (ERT) does cover more than just trains. Each monthly edition of this wonderful book includes details of several hundred ferry routes in European waters.

For the majority of these routes, the ERT gives the full schedules but for a few routes it is no more than a tantalizing hint of a connection. The vessels of Bumerang Shipping, the ERT advises, sail irregularly from Yalta (in the Crimea) to Novorossisk (in Russia). The timetable tracks the twice weekly sailings of Siremar to Stromboli, and it waves the flag for the Virtu catamaran to Valletta.

Back in the more familiar waters of western Europe, the ERT gives the schedules for most major ferry routes. But still there are gaps. There is simply no space to include small routes of real character. Kintyre Express runs a year-round passenger link between Campbeltown in Scotland (on the Mull of Kintyre) and Ballycastle (in Northern Ireland). This is a route to clear the head. Life jackets are compulsory as the 11-metre RIB speeds over the North Channel on its two-hour run. Not for everyone, perhaps, but it’s certainly an antidote to the deadening boredom of air travel.

A taste of the sea

On longer journeys around Europe, an overnight hop on a ferry makes perfect sense. Here is our pick of a handful of long routes that run all year round. These are all routes run by leading shipping operators with vessels that offer every possible creature comfort.

Each of these five routes feature in this month’s ERT. But they are just five of a vast range of maritime connections that help keep Europe on the move:

Oslo (Norway) to Kiel (Germany):
Every night — 20 hrs — Color Line — ERT Table 2372

Hirtshals (Denmark) to Bergen (Norway):
Thrice-weekly overnight service — 19 hrs — Fjord Line — ERT Table 2237

Rotterdam (Holland) to Hull (England):
Every night— 12 hrs — P&O — ERT Table 2245

Stockholm (Sweden) to Tallinn (Estonia):
Every night — 16 hrs — Tallink Silja — ERT Table 2475

Civitavecchia (Italy) to Barcelona (Spain):
Nightly ex Sundays — 20 hrs — Grimaldi Lines — ERT Table 2520

The post Traveling by Ferry in Europe: Down to the seas again appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

But for many journeys by boat to and from Britain there are some credible alternatives which deserve a look. This week we explore shipping routes across the North Sea.

Dutch Flyer

Stena Line offer twice-daily sailings from Harwich to Hoek van Holland (a Dutch port that Brits still colloquially refer to as “The Hook”). One of the two services is by day, the other an overnight crossing. The ferry terminals at either end of this shipping route are well served by trains, so this makes an excellent rail-sea route linking London with Amsterdam, Rotterdam and northern Germany.

A Dutch Flyer ticket from just £39 allows you to travel from London Liverpool Street (or more than 160 other train stations in eastern England) to anywhere in the Netherlands. The fare covers the rail journey to Harwich, the 7- to 8-hour journey on the ship and then the onward train ride from Hoek van Holland to any train station on the Dutch network.

This really can be tremendous value. Rail fares in the Netherlands can be pricey, but with the Dutch Flyer ticket you effectively get onward travel within the Netherlands at no extra cost. Travelers using the overnight ferry option will need to pay a modest supplement for cabin accommodation.

Directly to Denmark

A prime choice for travelers bound for Scandinavia or the Baltic region is the DFDS service from Harwich to Esbjerg. The 18- to 19-hour crossing is a real chance to relax. Fast trains to Harwich from London connect with the late afternoon departure of the ship. From Esbjerg there are convenient same-day train connections on to Copenhagen and Hamburg.

One-way fares for the ship start at £49.

By ship from northern England

If you are based in Scotland or northern England, it is a long haul down to Harwich to catch a boat across the North Sea. But there are three long-established daily shipping routes direct from the North to the continent. All three are overnight services.

They are:

1. With DFDS at 5 p.m. every afternoon from Newcastle (North Shields) to Ijmuiden on the Dutch coast. DFDS lay on a connecting coach service which will speed you from Ijmuiden to the middle of Amsterdam.

2. A 6:30 p.m. P&O Ferries ship from Hull to Zeebrugge in Belgium, perfectly placed for access to Flanders. A bus collects foot-passengers from the ship in Zeebrugge for a shuttle transfer to Bruges railway station.

3. A second P&O Ferries daily departure from Hull, this one at 9 p.m. bound for Europoort in Holland. P&O offer real cruise-ferry luxury on this route. This route offers a choice of onward bus connections from the Dutch port of disembarkation: a direct express coach to Rotterdam and one to Amsterdam.  You can link onto the Dutch rail network in both cities with same-day onward connections to destinations across central Europe.

Our view is that these North Sea shipping routes offer an imaginative way to make journeys from many parts of Britain to the eastern Alps, the Rhine Valley, central European capitals and much of eastern Europe. They are all certainly a lot more fun than shuffling through long lines at airport security.

The post From Britain to the Continent: North Sea Ferries appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Of course, there are plenty of other ferry options, many of them with much longer crossing times than the short but sweet shipping routes which we highlight here. Those longer options includes several North Sea crossings from the eastern England ports of Harwich, Hull and Newcastle to the continent. And there are also a range of routes linking the south and southwest England ports of Newhaven, Portsmouth, Poole, Weymouth and Plymouth with France and Spain. The “short-sea” routes on which we focus below are all year-round services.

Four companies compete with ferry services from the Kent coast to the continent, three running from Dover to France and the fourth operating out of Ramsgate to Belgium.

Cruise-ferry comfort with P&O

Top choice from Dover to Calais is P&O, which offers cruise-ferry comfort on the 90-minute crossing to France. The company currently shuttles to and fro 46 times each day, but services will be a shade less frequent in the quieter winter months (from early January to mid-March 2012).

These are wonderful, well-appointed ships. Crossing the Channel by sea is a chance to relax, see the White Cliffs of Dover and recall how that short stretch of water separating Kent from the French coast so powerfully shaped English identity.

Daytime-only for foot passengers

This P&O ferry route to Calais is the only route from Dover on which foot passengers are permitted. And remember that foot passengers may not use night services. They are restricted to daytime sailings (viz. sailings that leave Dover between 8:10 a.m. and 7:35 p.m. or those that leave Calais between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.).

One-way fares for a car (including up to nine passengers if you can squeeze that number in) start at £25 single, and that fare also applies to car travelers wanting to return the same day – good for shoppers making a day excursion to France to stock up on cheap wines and French deli produce.

By coach and ship to France: Eurolines

Selected departures on Eurolines’ London to Paris express bus service also use the P&O shipping service from Dover. (Others take the less romantic option: the Eurotunnel vehicle shuttle). Services using the ferry are marked as such on the Eurolines timetables.

Grab one of Eurolines’ Advance Single fares and you may pay as little as £29 for the one-way ride from London to Paris, with a short cruise with P&O along the way.

DFDS and Sea France

Two other companies operate from Dover to French ports, namely Sea France (to Calais) and DFDS (to Dunquerque). Neither carry foot passengers, although the DFDS services will carry cyclists – and they have a very reasonable £10 one-way fare that covers both cyclist and bike.

Ramsgate: A link to Belgium

Kent’s second port at Ramsgate is very much smaller than Dover. Ramsgate is north of Dover and the travel time from London to both ports (whether by car or by train) is broadly similar.

Transeuropa Ferries offer thrice-daily services from Ramsgate to Oostende in Belgium. Crossing time is 4hrs 30mins (so more than twice as long as on services from Dover to France). Transeuropa do not carry foot passengers – a travesty as the ferry port in Oostende is right by the train station and this route would be so convenient for rail-sea travellers.

And – surely this must be against the law – Transuropa say that, for the time being, they will not accept cars that have a passenger who relies on a wheelchair. We have never used a Transeuropa ferry, but we understand from those who have that there is little by way of creature comforts.

The post England to France by Ferry: A few short routes appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

1. St. Peter Line to Russia

The news last week that over 60 ships were trapped in thick ice in the Baltic for some days is probably no great incentive to go and book some ferry trips. But Baltic spring ice does melt–eventually–and this year sees some interesting new options for Baltic travel by ship.

Cypriot-owned St. Peter Line last year launched a thrice-weekly service from Helsinki to St. Petersburg and back. And next month the company expands its offering with twice-weekly sailings from Stockholm to St. Petersburg (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) and a weekly departure from Tallinn to St. Petersburg (on Sundays).

2. Brittany Ferries to Bilbao

French operator Brittany Ferries has long been one of the most adventurous operators in the Western Channel with a raft of routes linking England and Ireland with northwest France. Later this month, the company opens a new service from Portsmouth to Bilbao in Spain, so reviving a long established ferry connection that abruptly disappeared when P&O pulled off the route last September.

Last Saturday, Brittany Ferries also reinstated its Poole to Cherbourg service. This is a very useful short link from England’s south coast to Normandy’s Cotentin peninsula. At the moment, Brittany advertise sailings just to October, so the long-term future of the route is still in doubt.

3. Maltese Connections

Virtu Ferries are one of several operators serving the Maltese market. The company had a welcome dose of free publicity in late February as Virtu’s smart white catamarans were featured on many news reports as the vessels evacuating foreign workers from Libyan ports. Virtu operates a year-round fast-ferry link between Pozzallo in Sicily and Malta. This year the company will also offer a Saturday catamaran service from Catania to Malta, starting on May 7, 2011.

Virtu’s latest Australian-built catamaran hit the headlines in September 2010 when it encountered Somali pirates on its delivery voyage to Malta. Virtu prides itself on speed, and reports say that the pirates were easily outpaced.

4. Scotland-Northern Ireland: Kintyre Express

Not for many years has there been any direct ferry link across the North Channel between the Mull of Kintyre (in western Scotland) and Northern Ireland. The last operator to offer a service was the splendidly named Argyll & Antrim Steam Packet Company which turned out to have rather flaky finances, and the service stopped in 2000.

Now Kintyre Express will fill the gap with a new fast passenger ferry from Campbeltown to Ballycastle. Services start on May 27, 2011. The route will be operated by fast RIBs with a heated cabin, so the 90-minute crossing is surely going to be a whole lot more fun than the average ferry journey. We reserve judgment on whether this is an inspired idea by Colin Craig, the man behind Kintyre Express, or whether perhaps it might be the balmiest idea in the history of European ferry transport.

We hope it is a great success, but Kintyre Express really needs to get its act together in terms of publicity and having a functioning online booking system on its website. This new ferry link creates a raft of new travel opportunities allowing visitors to Kintyre and Islay to make an easy hop over to the most beautiful part of the coast of Northern Ireland. The Antrim Glens and the Giant’s Causeway are both within easy reach of the Ballycastle ferry terminal.

The post European Ferries: 4 interesting new options for 2011 appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Yet so many travellers today, in their pursuit of speed, choose back-door routes into ancient ports, and thus fail to get the right perspective on their chosen destination.

Venice: Arriving in style

That’s one of the reasons why we at hidden europe are so keen on the Alilaguna water bus services that connect Venice’s Marco Polo airport with the city centre. Our favorite Alilaguna run is the “blue route” which takes 80 minutes to reach San Marco from the airport, with stops along the way at the island of Murano and the Venice Lido. The final run into San Marco is exquisite, with superb views of the Isola di San Giorgio Maggiore and tantalising glimpses, up beyond the landing stage at San Marco, to the seaward end of the Canal Grande.

Genoa connections

Last week, we hopped along the coast of Liguria by boat, and much enjoyed the forty-minute run from Pegli into Genoa’s old port on a local ferry. This was not one of those posh tourist boats, but rather a humble municipal ferry run by local company AMT Genova.

Pegli is a nice enough spot, worth a visit in itself. The ferry from Pegli quay to Genoa leaves ten times each day (six times daily at weekends and public holidays), and is a great deal. A modest outlay of €1.20 (€2 if purchased on board) will get you an AMT Genova ticket valid on the company’s buses and boat services (and local trains, too) for 90 minutes. Enough to allow you to cruise from Pegli to Genoa and back again if you wish.

Ports for the future

True, if you have time and funds to spare, you could board one of the stylish Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV) ferries in Tunis or Tangier and a day or two later arrive at the modern ferry terminal west of Genoa’s city centre. But the AMT ship, called the “Onda Azzurra,” outsmarts the GNV long distance ferries by sailing right into the very heart of Genoa’s old port. On the way over from Pegli, you’ll see thousands of cranes, skirt the wharves of a busy working port, and then gaze on Genoa at its best—a fabulous medley of palazzi and churches rising in tiers behind the old port.

It would be sheer perfection, had not traffic planners in the mid-sixties constructed an elevated highway that skirts the waterfront, so creating an eyesore that unhappily severs the visual link between the old port and the ancient city it once served. The “Strada sopraelevata” is an environmental disaster, a travesty that mocks a once handsome port, but built at a time when city planners thought that ports were a mere relic of history.

The renaissance of the Porto Antico in Genoa over the last fifteen years shows just how wrong those planners were. Today the quaysides bustle as visitors queue to see one of Europe’s largest aquariums, locals throng waterfront bars and restaurants, and migrants from Senegal tout some of the strangest designer handbags and sunglasses that we’ve ever seen.

Also see: Our recommended list of budget hotels in Venice.

The post Genoa and Venice by Boat: Europe’s port cities appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

The liner is not only a service to tourists but also another means of transport for locals of both cities as well as business people who would like to try an alternative to trains and cars. Ship passengers don’t have to worry about parking spaces or grumpy cab drivers—the liner takes passengers from city center to city center. Plus, the murky waters of the famous Danube afford great views along the way.

The cheapest one-way ticket costs €15 on weekdays and goes up to €17 on weekends and holidays. Kids up to two years old travel for free, and there’s a 50% reduction for children under 12. Twin City Line is also wheelchair-accessible and accepts dogs and bikes.

For the month of April, 2007, the line is offering a child-free-with-parent special. The offer is valid for all routes but can only be reserved by telephone: +43 1-588-80. For more information, please email twincityliner@ddsg-blue-danube.at.

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