Question 1

Is the ferry cheaper than driving on?

Accepted Answer

On short crossings rarely, on long crossings often yes. Reckon on around 12 to 14 litres of diesel per 100 km for a motorhome (roughly 20 euros per 100 km including toll), plus 25 to 40 euros per overnight stay en route. Travemünde-Helsinki with Finnlines costs 711 to 968 euros for a motorhome plus 2 people including a cabin, but replaces 2,100 km of driving and 3 to 4 days of driving through Poland and the Baltic states: that overland route soon costs you 450 to 600 euros in diesel, tolls and campsites, plus four days of your holiday. Ancona-Patras, Karlshamn-Klaipeda and Sète-Tanger Med work out the same way. On Kiel-Oslo or Hook-Harwich you are instead paying a premium for comfort and time saved.

Question 2

What if I miss my sailing because of a traffic jam or a breakdown?

Accepted Answer

The starting point is harsh: miss the boat and your ticket lapses, as booking platform ADAC Fähren puts it. In practice something can usually be arranged if you phone in advance: on high-frequency routes such as Calais-Dover, Dunkirk-Dover and Algeciras-Tanger Med, ferry operators will often put you on a later sailing for a small change fee or free of charge. On low-frequency routes (Smyril Line, Rosslare-Dunkirk, Sète-Tanger Med) missing it simply means days of waiting or booking again. So call the moment you know you will not make it, and on an expensive, infrequent sailing consider a flexible fare or cancellation insurance.

Question 3

How far in advance do I need to be at the port with the motorhome?

Accepted Answer

Rule of thumb: short Channel crossings 60 to 90 minutes, overnight ferries and long routes 2 hours, and intercontinental sailings to Morocco 3 to 4 hours. Concretely: DFDS IJmuiden opens check-in at 13:00 and closes it at 16:45 for a 17:30 departure — so 45 minutes before departure you will no longer get in. LeShuttle asks motorhomes to allow extra time for the compulsory gas check. On the Greece routes, check-in no later than 2 hours before departure is the norm, and during the Marhaba period (5 June to 15 September) to Morocco you can queue for hours in Sète and Algeciras. Motorhomes are also often given a separate lane, so follow the signs rather than the queue of cars.

Question 4

What does a motorhome trip to Morocco cost, and is Sète worth it?

Accepted Answer

Two routes dominate. Via Algeciras-Tanger Med you pay only 180 to 320 euros one way for a motorhome plus 2 people (1.5 hours at sea, 30 to 40 sailings a day), but you drive some 2,500 km to get there from Utrecht: 3 to 4 days, 400 to 500 euros of diesel, 100 to 150 euros of toll and 2 to 3 overnight stays. Via Sète-Tanger Med (GNV or Baleària, around 40 hours) you pay 700 to 1,200 euros in high season, but you only drive around 1,250 km. Financially it works out about the same; on comfort and holiday days the boat wins. Outside the peak, Sète drops to 450 to 600 euros and becomes the better deal on paper too.

Sète – Nador

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