Brittany Ferries · Pont-Aven
Ferry from Plymouth to Santander
Twice a week, the Pont-Aven sails Plymouth to Santander in about 20 hours 30 minutes, most of it open Atlantic. We did the crossing in August, five of us, in a Commodore Suite, and we’d book it again tomorrow.
Plymouth to Santander ferry timetable
Departures run every Wednesday at 15:45 and every Sunday at 17:45, arriving roughly 20 hours 30 minutes later. Return sailings run Monday and Friday, with journey times varying by day, see the table below for exact times.
| Departure | Day | Time | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plymouth → Santander | Wednesday | 15:45 | ~12:15 next day |
| Plymouth → Santander | Sunday | 17:45 | ~14:15 next day |
| Santander → Plymouth | Monday | 18:30 | ~15:30 next day |
| Santander → Plymouth | Friday | 23:59 | ~08:00 two days later |
Arrive early, it’s part of the fun
We got there about two hours ahead and the queue was long, but that’s where the holiday actually started. Looking at the cars waiting to board, Ferraris, old-timers, all sorts, it seems plenty of people bring serious cars from the UK across to Spain on this route. Worth arriving early just for the people-watching.
Ferry prices from Plymouth to Santander
Foot passenger fares start from around £120 to £150 for a single journey. It’s an overnight crossing, so accommodation is required, a reserved seat is the minimum.
What you actually pay depends on the season, how far ahead you book, and whether you’re bringing a vehicle. Peak summer sailings and school holidays are noticeably pricier than shoulder-season dates, and booking early usually beats booking last minute. As a rough guide, a family of five travelling with a car and a cabin should budget a few hundred pounds each way once transport and accommodation are added on, more again if you upgrade to a suite.
Accommodation, per person or per cabin
- Reserved seat: from £13 per seat
- 2-berth inside cabin: from £115 per cabin
- 4-berth inside cabin: from £147 per cabin
Transport add-ons
- Car: from +£265
- Minibus / motorhome: from +£343
- Van: from +£308
- Motorbike: from +£124
- Bicycle: from +£7
Book the suite, don’t think twice
We booked early, so the Commodore Suite barely cost more than a standard cabin, and it was worth every extra pound. If you can swing it, book it, we’d always take the upgrade. The private lounge alone makes it worth it.
Our ferry to Santander experience
If you’re prone to seasickness, book a cabin with a window and take something before you feel it, not after. It never stopped us enjoying the ship, and the payoff was waking up to open sea and, eventually, the Spanish coast.
Check-in is at least 45 minutes before departure at the Brittany Ferries terminal in Plymouth (90 minutes with a pet).
What a Commodore Suite actually gets you
It made the overnight crossing feel like part of the holiday: twin beds, a separate seating area, and enough room that five of us weren’t on top of each other for 20 hours.
The bed we almost missed
We didn’t realise a fourth bed folded down from the ceiling until we found it ourselves. Felt like complete novices working that one out, but it was a fun surprise, worth knowing before you’re stood there wondering where everyone’s meant to sleep.
The kids found the arcade and the pool before we’d even finished unpacking, and we spent a good chunk of the crossing out on deck.
Dinner onboard
For dinner, we ate at Le Flora, the ship’s buffet restaurant, with a broad spread of French and Spanish dishes to choose from.
Le Flora is worth it, kids and all
We had dinner at Le Flora the first night, and the food was genuinely good. Our kids nearly took the place apart in the process, sorry to whoever was sitting near us, but we had a great time, and the quality more than made up for it.
“Was it worth it? Yes, genuinely. For a family, it turns a stressful cross-country dash to catch a flight into part of the trip itself: no airport queues, you bring as much luggage as the car holds, and the kids get a proper adventure before you’ve even reached Spain.”
Brittany Ferries Plymouth port address: Stonehouse, Plymouth PL1 3EW
