Flying to France or Spain is fine. It gets you there. But if you’ve ever done it — checked the bags, queued through security, crammed into a seat, landed at an airport an hour outside the city you actually want to be in — you know it’s not exactly a pleasant experience. Brittany Ferries is the alternative that a lot of people don’t consider until someone tells them about it, and then they never go back to flying.
I took the Cork to Roscoff route for the first time a couple of years ago and genuinely couldn’t believe I’d been flying across the Channel all those years when this existed.
Where It All Started
The story behind Brittany Ferries is one of those ones that sounds almost too good to be true. It was founded in 1973 by a Breton farmer named Alexis Gourvennec — not a shipping magnate, not a transport executive, a farmer — who wanted a direct sea route to export his vegetables to Britain. He built a deep-water port at Roscoff, found no existing operator willing to run a route, and decided to just start his own ferry company. That’s the origin of one of Europe’s leading ferry operators. Over fifty years later, the company turns over €516 million annually. Not bad for a cauliflower export project.
The Routes From Ireland
For Irish travellers specifically, the routes are genuinely useful. From Cork, you can sail directly to Roscoff in Brittany — a crossing of around 14 hours on the Pont-Aven or Armorique, two of the company’s flagship cruise ferries. From Rosslare, there are routes to Cherbourg, Le Havre, and Bilbao in northern Spain. The Rosslare to Bilbao route takes around 26 hours and puts you right in the heart of the Basque Country — one of the best starting points for a road trip through Spain or southern France.
These aren’t just transport crossings. They’re overnight journeys on ships that have restaurants, bars, boutiques, entertainment, and proper cabin accommodation. Your car travels with you. Your luggage goes in the cabin. You arrive rested, with your vehicle, right where you want to be. Compare that to flying, renting a car on the other side, and paying excess baggage fees — the ferry often makes more financial sense too.
On Board — What to Actually Expect
The ships are properly equipped. There are multiple restaurant options on most crossings — from self-service cafeterias to full sit-down French cuisine restaurants, which is exactly what you’d hope for on a French ferry company. Cabins range from basic inside rooms to sea-view options and premium suites. There are club lounges for passengers who want a quieter space, kids’ areas, and entertainment programs on longer sailings.
Pets travel too, which is a big deal for anyone who’s ever tried to figure out what to do with a dog when flying abroad. Brittany Ferries has proper pet-friendly cabins and kennels on most routes, which removes one of the main logistical headaches of European travel for pet owners.
Save More With DealSavv
Before you book, it’s worth stopping at DealSavv.com first. It’s a coupons and deals platform that tracks working Brittany Ferries promo codes, discount offers, and seasonal sale alerts all in one place. Ferry crossings can add up — especially if you’re booking cabins and travelling with a car — so finding a current discount code before checkout makes a real difference. DealSavv keeps its listings updated, so you’re not wasting time on expired offers that stopped working months ago.
The Honest Bottom Line
Brittany Ferries is genuinely one of the better travel options available to Irish passengers heading to France or Spain — not just as a way to cross the water, but as part of the trip itself. The routes are well-timed, the ships are comfortable, and arriving by ferry with your own car gives you a freedom that flying simply can’t. If you haven’t considered it before, it’s worth a proper look before you book your next trip across.