Brittany Ferries · Portsmouth to Bilbao
The Galicia
The first of the three E-Flexer ships Brittany Ferries brought in to modernise the Spanish routes. Spanish interiors, a tapas bar, and a layout built around two nights at sea rather than one.
Galicia specifications
Built at the China Merchants Jinling shipyard and delivered in 2020, entering service on the Spanish routes in 2021. She is an E-Flexer, a standard hull design from Stena RoRo shared with several Stena Line ships and DFDS’s Côte d’Opale, which is why she looks so much like her part-sisters.
| Detail | Galicia |
|---|---|
| Entered service | 2021 |
| Builder | China Merchants Jinling |
| Class | Stena E-Flexer |
| Length | 214.5 metres |
| Passengers | 1,015 |
| Cabins | 341 |
| Reserved lounge seats | 43 |
| Propulsion | Diesel with exhaust gas scrubbers |
| IMO number | 9856189 |
She is the one E-Flexer that isn’t LNG-powered
The Salamanca and Santoña were ordered as dual-fuel ships running on liquefied natural gas. The Galicia came first and uses an exhaust gas cleaning system instead, so she is marginally noisier under way. Inside, the difference is barely noticeable.
Where the Galicia sails
In 2026 she works Portsmouth to Bilbao, two return sailings a week from April to November and one a week over the winter. Departures are Thursday at 19:00 and Sunday at 22:00.
Across the wider network she has also covered Portsmouth to Cherbourg and other French crossings, so the ports you may board her at include:
- Portsmouth
- Bilbao, at Zierbena, about 21 km from the city
- Cherbourg
Check in at least 45 minutes before departure, or 90 minutes with a pet.
On board
The whole ship is themed around Spain rather than France, which is the deliberate contrast with the Pont-Aven on the Plymouth route.
Eating and drinking
- Azul, the a la carte restaurant
- Taberna de Tapas
- Plaza Mayor bar
- Commodore C-Club lounge, for Commodore Suite and 2-berth Club cabin passengers
- Duty-free shopping
For families
- Indoor children’s play area
- Interactive digital games area
- Travel and Sea exhibition with hands-on games
- Sun deck with sports equipment
- Open-deck space for whale and dolphin watching
There is no pool on the E-Flexer ships. If that matters for a family crossing, the Pont-Aven is the only ship to Spain that has one.
Cabins and accommodation
Every route the Galicia covers involves at least one night at sea, so booking a cabin or a reserved lounge seat is compulsory, not optional.
Seats and standard cabins
- Reserved lounge seats
- 4-berth inside cabin
- 4-berth cabin with window and TV
Upgraded and specialist
- 2-berth Commodore Suite
- 2-berth Club cabin with TV and video on demand
- Pet-friendly 4-berth inside and outside cabins
- Wheelchair-accessible 2-berth inside and outside cabins
With only 341 cabins for 1,015 passengers, the specialist cabins are a small share of the total. Accessible and pet-friendly rooms sell out first.
Travelling with pets
Rules on the Galicia are stricter than on the Pont-Aven’s French routes, and people who have sailed to France before get caught out by this.
You cannot leave your dog in the car on this ship
Pets travel either in a pet-friendly cabin or in an onboard kennel. Leaving an animal in your vehicle is not permitted. Dogs must also be muzzled whenever they are outside their cabin or kennel, including in the port, around the ship and in the pet exercise area.
Check the vaccination and documentation requirements for taking an animal into the EU well before you travel, and book the cabin as early as you can.
Where is the Galicia right now?
Live position and the last 24 hours of track from AIS. Handy the day before you sail, or if someone is waiting on an arrival.
Inside the ship
Two walkthroughs covering the cabins and public areas.
