Cheap Day Trips to France

By Ferry

• Ferries leave the Southern English ports of Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth for Normandy and Brittany in France. Prices start from the equivalent of $30 per person for a return journey, as of September 2010, according to Brittany Ferries. To take a car on board, the minimum tariff is roughly $40. The journey can take less than four hours, depending on the route and type of boat.

  Brittany Ferries

  Terminal Building at Millbay Road

  Plymouth, Devon

  England, PL1 3EW

  011-44-0871-244-0744

  brittany-ferries.co.uk

By Train

• Fast trains to France leave from London Saint Pancras International Train Station and take just a little more than an hour to arrive in the French town of Lille. To go to Paris, the travel time is roughly two hours, which allows the return in the same day.

  According to Eurostar, ticket prices are cheaper when booked in advance, and can cost about the equivalent of $100, as of September 2010. Fast train to Paris and other big French cities also leave from Belgium, Spain, Germany and Italy.

  Eurostar

  Paris Gare du Nord

  18 Rue Dunkerque

  Paris 75010, France

  011-33-0892-353-539

  eurostar.com

By Bus

• If you are in a city near the French border, a day trip to France is possible in a bus. From Catalonia, in Spain, you can reach Southern France in only a couple of hours, spending less than $60, as of September 2010.

  Or if you are in Brussels, Belgium, you can go to Pas-de-Calais in a couple of hours. According to Eurolines, day trips to French towns are also possible from Germany and Italy, among other countries.

  Eurolines

  Boite 313

  28 avenue du Général de Gaulle

  Ville Bagnolet Cedex

  Paris 93 541, France

  011-33-0892-899-091

  eurolines.fr