Travel to Dover from Barcelona

[JLT]

I am posting this here in the hopes that someone has experience in travel between these two ports.

 

I am considering a TA cruise which arrives in Barcelona because it seems that it would be an alternative to a North Atlantic crossing prior to a Baltic cruise. We have been to most of the ports on the North Atlantic crossing but never to Spain so I am investigating the possibility of travelling to Dover from Barcelona to catch our cruise. I have looked up train and bus schedules and it looks doable but I'm curious whether any one has personal experience in doing this. The train goes to London and takes 2 changes including a station change in Paris but the bus has just one change in Lyon and goes directly to Dover. I thought the bus might be easier because I understand there are no baggage cars in Europe but baggage is stored in a baggage compartment under the bus. I do not fly so that is not an option and I am used to taking trains in the US. So, advice and information needed particularly from anyone who has done this route. Thanks for your help.

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[Normandie-BCN]

The easyest way to go from Barcelona to Dover is by plane to Gatwick.

 

Fromo Gatwick to Dover you may take the Gatwick Express to Victoria Station and there the train to Dover Priory. You may also take a taxi or a limousine. Finally, you may take the National Express bus to Victoria Coach Station and then the bus to Dover.

 

By train, you may go by the night train to Paris-Austerlitz (Talgo Joan Miró) and there take a taxi to the station to Calais (Paris-Nord?) and then the train to Calais. In Calais you may take the ferryboat to Dover.

 

I use always the plane (British Airways, Iberia or Easyjet) to Gatwick the day before and sleep at the Premier Travel Inn which is not expensive and enough for one night. The following day I have reserved a taxi from Dover which picks mi up at the hotel and when the cruise ends at the ship.

 

Gatwick is the most adivisabe London airport to go to Dover.

 

In the future, there is an airport at Dover (Kent International Airport) and may be some flight connection direct from Barcelona (low cost).

[Globaliser]

I do not fly so that is not an option ...

If you don't fly, you're very probably going to be in for an experience that is long, expensive or miserable - or some combination of those qualities. Flying is by far the easiest way of doing this.

 

If you really want to research other routes, try overland to Santander, then ferry to Plymouth, then train to Dover.

[edinburgher]

I know this might sound ridiculous but you could check out cruises from Barcelona to Dover. You might be lucky and find an actual cruise, although its a bit of a long shot in that the dates have to match. Still, might be worth a few minutes googling.

 

Barcelona becoming a popular base as well as a port of call and changeover port, so you might be lucky.

 

We did Dover to Barcelona with Orient last year then this year Barcelona to Dover as there were enough changes in the itinerary to redo.

[whogo]

I hate to think of what a coach trip would be like, but it might be kind of fun to take a compartment on an overnight train to Paris, take the Eurostar to London and continue to Dover by train. The sensible thing would be to spend a few nights in Paris and London, but you could do it in less than a day. I think it would be expensive.

 

Have you spent any time investigating timetables at http://www.reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en ? I found a routing that uses 8 trains and takes just 12:41.

[JLT]

I appreciate all of you taking the time to reply. The idea of a cruise from Barcelona to Dover would be great but we only have 6 days between cruises and the Marco Polo makes that sailing later in the summer. Too bad. It's funny how the idea of a coach trip sounds bad to people who think nothing of many hours in an airplane. After talking to a friend from Europe, I think that will work out best. But thanks anyway.

 

Jean

[JLC@SD]

It's funny how the idea of a coach trip sounds bad to people who think nothing of many hours in an airplane. After talking to a friend from Europe, I think that will work out best. But thanks anyway.

Jean

The idea of a long coach drive to get from one place to another sounds dreadful.

 

How do you fare with long trips w/ bus bathrooms. A toilet on a bus is impossible for me.....I am 6-4 and the toilets are 5-6.

 

I would opt for the train.......European trains are great.......but travel with only the essential amount of luggage......like the Europeans do.

[Post Captain]

Jean,

 

I don't know whether you've come across this option, but there's one more travel possibility that hasn't yet been suggested: Take the P&O ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth. The ferry departs every three days, so there might be a sailing date that would suit your travel plans. I believe this route would be more convenient (i.e., more direct & less time-consuming) than the Santander-Plymouth ferry route.

 

Check the P&O Ferries website for more information: http://www.poferries.com/tourist

 

Of course, you'd have to get from Barcelona to Bilbao and from Portsmouth to Dover, but that shouldn't be too difficult to do. There's a direct rail route from Barcelona to Bilbao. (Note: The ferry leaves from a fishing village called Santurzi, apparently just outside of Bilbao proper.) Portsmouth to Dover might require a change of trains (I haven't checked the service; the National Rail website will give you fuller information), but it definitely is doable.

 

Hope this is helpful. At any rate, it sounds exciting. (At least to me. At least in theory.)

 

Cheers,

 

John

 

 

 

 

[Globaliser]

Take the P&O ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth. The ferry departs every three days, so there might be a sailing date that would suit your travel plans. I believe this route would be more convenient (i.e., more direct & less time-consuming) than the Santander-Plymouth ferry route.

Post Captain is absolutely right. I don't know why this route wasn't listed on the resource that I used, but it will definitely be easier to get to Dover from Portsmouth than from Plymouth.

It's funny how the idea of a coach trip sounds bad to people who think nothing of many hours in an airplane.

Generally, aircraft are more comfortable than coaches. And one only spends many hours on an aircraft to do a trip that would take weeks by coach!

[Mattsudds]

The train is not an impossible, if long and probably expensive option. Barcelona to Paris on a night train, Paris to Ashford on Eurostar and Ashford to Dover on a local train. Can be done also in the daytime if you leave early. See http://www.bahn.co.uk to work out itineraries. Overnight it is about 18hrs all in.