Boat Travel

A number of ferry routes link the United Kingdom and France, with fares depending on the length of the crossing and the number of passengers in your party. Ferries on the most popular route—Dover/Calais—cross the Channel in about 90 minutes. Driving distances from the French ports to Paris are as follows: from Calais, 290 km (180 miles); from Cherbourg, 358 km (222 miles); from Caen, 233 km (145 miles); from St-Malo, 404 km (250 miles). Trains also connect these ports with the capital. It's best to book directly through the ferry providers rather than from third-party websites offering cheap rates.

Dover–Calais

DFDS Seaways. DFDS Seaways runs ferries between Dover and Dunkirk or Calais at least 24 times each day. 02–32–14–68–50; www.dfdsseaways.co.uk.

P&O European Ferries. This company has up to 25 sailings a day. The crossing takes 90 minutes. 03–66–74–03–25; www.poferries.com.

Portsmouth and Poole–Cherbourg, Caen, and St-Malo

Brittany Ferries. This company has three sailings per day between Caen and Portsmouth, one crossing daily between Portsmouth and Cherbourg, one overnight crossing daily between St-Malo and Portsmouth, and one crossing daily between Poole and Cherbourg. 08–25–82–88–28; www.brittany-ferries.com.