Three Brittany Ferries routes bring you home to Portsmouth from France: Caen, Cherbourg and Saint-Malo. This is the return half of the story: which days they sail this winter, when you leave and when you land, and what changes on the way back. Le Havre to Portsmouth no longer sails, it ended in September 2026.
Which crossing home suits you
Caen is the easy answer if you want choice: it sails every day, up to three times a day. Saint-Malo is the one to build a trip around, but it only sails four days a week, so your day decides your crossing. Cherbourg is the odd one out: a Brittany Ferries night sailing on Mondays, a day sailing on Tuesdays, and for the rest of the week it is the Guernsey ship calling in. The tables further down carry the actual times.
| Caen | Cherbourg | Saint-Malo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How often this winter | Every day, up to three a day | Every day, on three different sailings | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday |
| By day | Morning and afternoon (no morning sailing on Fridays) | Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesday to Sunday on the Guernsey ship | Monday only |
| Overnight | Every night | Monday night | Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights |
| Booked through | Brittany Ferries | Brittany Ferries, or Condor for the Wednesday to Sunday sailing | Brittany Ferries |
| Sailed by us? | No | Yes, the other way: Portsmouth to Cherbourg, overnight, August 2025 | Yes, this way: Saint-Malo to Portsmouth, by day, August 2025 |
Caen to Portsmouth
The most frequent way home: a morning, an afternoon and a night sailing, with no morning boat on Fridays. The regular ship is the “Guillaume de Normandie”, in service on the route since April 2025. You land at Portsmouth International Port.
| Leaving Caen | Morning | Afternoon | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every day except Friday | 08:30, arrives 13:30 | 16:30, arrives 21:30 | 23:30, arrives 06:15 (06:45 on Thursday night) |
| Friday | none | 16:30, arrives 21:30 | 23:30, arrives 06:15 |
Times are local, so the arrival column is UK time. The 08:30 from Caen lands at 13:30, which looks like five hours but is six. We have not sailed Caen in either direction yet, so this section sticks to what the timetable and Brittany Ferries tell us. Our Caen route page has the ship and the arrival port at Ouistreham.
Cherbourg to Portsmouth
Three different sailings share this route, so read the last column before you book. Brittany Ferries runs an overnight sailing on Mondays and a daytime sailing on Tuesdays. From Wednesday to Sunday the sailing is the “Islander”, the Guernsey ship, which calls at Cherbourg on its way to Portsmouth and is booked through Condor rather than Brittany Ferries. That pattern comes with the new Guernsey schedule from 1 November 2026, which we cover in our note on the 2026 route changes.
| Leaving Cherbourg | Departs | Arrives Portsmouth | Ship and booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 21:00 | 06:00 Tuesday | Brittany Ferries, overnight |
| Tuesday | 15:30 | 20:00 | Brittany Ferries, daytime |
| Wednesday to Sunday | 13:00 | 17:45 | Islander, booked through Condor |
We have sailed this route, just the other way: Portsmouth to Cherbourg, overnight on the “Santoña” in August 2025, in a four-berth outside cabin. The Monday night sailing home is the same overnight crossing in reverse, so the Cherbourg route page, with the ship, the cabins, the food and what the Cherbourg side is like, is the nearest first-hand account we have. The timetable does not name the ship on the return, so check yours when you book.
Saint-Malo to Portsmouth
The route to build a trip around, and the one we sailed home ourselves: Saint-Malo to Portsmouth on the brand-new “Saint-Malo” in August 2025, by day. There is only one daytime sailing a week, on Mondays. The other three are overnight, so the day of the week you need to be home is what decides it.
| Direction | Days | Departs | Arrives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Malo to Portsmouth | Monday | 10:45 | 18:20, daytime |
| Saint-Malo to Portsmouth | Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday | 20:30 | 07:45 next day |
Check-in on the French side took us about half an hour, passport control included, and customs were friendly and quick. Coming in to Portsmouth is worth a trip up on deck: the Isle of Wight’s cliffs first, then the Spinnaker Tower and the Solent. The Saint-Malo route page has the ship, the terminal and why the town deserves a night before you leave.
What changes on the way back
The clocks
France is an hour ahead of the UK all year, because both change their clocks on the same weekend. Departure times are French time and arrival times are UK time, so every crossing home looks an hour shorter than it really is. The arrival times in the tables are UK time, so plan your lift or onward journey from those.
Passports and the ETA
You need a passport to come back. If you do not hold a British or Irish passport, and do not have permission to live, work or study in the UK, you also need a UK electronic travel authorisation (ETA) before you travel. According to gov.uk it costs £20 per person, babies and children included. We checked that on 26 October 2026. Apply well before you leave home, not at the terminal.
Where you land
All three routes arrive at Portsmouth International Port, the same terminal the outward ferries use. Our Portsmouth port guide covers getting there and away, parking and what the terminal looks like.
Coming home from somewhere else
Not coming from France? Santander has regular sailings to Portsmouth this winter, while Bilbao has none on a regular basis. We sail Portsmouth to Bilbao ourselves in 2027, so that page will get a first-hand account. From the Channel Islands, Guernsey sails direct on some days and via Cherbourg on others, and the DFDS sailing back from Jersey is covered in Jersey to Portsmouth: the way back, though its return times are not published far enough ahead to list here. From the Isle of Wight, see the “Coming back” section of our Isle of Wight guide. Every route on one page: Portsmouth ferry times, winter 2026/27.
Times taken from the Brittany Ferries and Condor timetables on 16 October 2026, for sailings between 1 November 2026 and 21 March 2027. A few dates differ, so check yours when you book. We are not a booking site.
FAQs
Is there a ferry from France to Portsmouth?
Yes, three routes: Caen, Cherbourg and Saint-Malo, all arriving at Portsmouth International Port. Le Havre to Portsmouth ended in September 2026.
Which French port has the most ferries to Portsmouth?
Caen, with up to three sailings a day this winter and two on Fridays. See the Caen route page.
Why does the arrival time look an hour short?
Because France is an hour ahead of the UK. The 08:30 from Caen arrives at 13:30 UK time, which is six hours at sea, not five.
Is there a fast ferry from France to Portsmouth?
Not on these routes. The shortest crossing on the winter timetable is about five and a half hours, and the Saint-Malo sailings take longer. Our page on routes that do not exist covers the other crossings people expect to find.
Is a cabin worth it on the overnight sailing home?
If you want to arrive rested, yes. The overnight crossings land between 06:00 and 07:45 UK time. Our own overnight crossing, Portsmouth to Cherbourg, was far easier with a four-berth outside cabin, and with two young children it made the whole night painless.
What do I need to bring?
A passport. Unless you hold a British or Irish passport you also need a UK ETA, £20 per person including children, according to gov.uk when we checked on 26 October 2026.
Which terminal do these ferries use in Portsmouth?
Portsmouth International Port. The Isle of Wight ferries leave from elsewhere, see our Isle of Wight guide, and our port guide covers the International Port itself.