News
More Brits swerve the plane and sail to Spain in ’26
Wednesday 23rd July 2025
- Holidaymakers can now book their long-haul ferry to Spain up until November 2026
- 16 sailings per week direct to and from Spain allow holidaymakers to swap travel by air for a cruise by sea – with their own car
- Sail direct from two convenient ports in central south and southwest UK plus one in south Ireland to two destinations along the coasts of the Spanish Basque country and Cantabria
- 5 per cent more passengers took the ferry to Spain in 2025 compared to 2024 – with 340,000 passengers choosing sea-travel over air
Ferry operator Brittany Ferries has launched its latest timetables for journeys to and from Spain up until November 2026. So, holidaymakers can now plan for breaks and holidays to the Iberian Peninsula this winter, and into next spring, summer and autumn.
All sailings are available to passengers travelling with their car or motorhome, on their bicycle or motorbike, or on foot.
The long-haul sailings (each one covering 430 to 565 nautical miles and taking 20 to 36 hours – with one or two nights on board spent in an en suite cabin) mean that the ferry can take the strain and stress out of holiday travel, allowing passengers to sit back and relax, and enjoy the facilities, cuisine and cabins on board as they sail to or from their holiday destination. The journey to the holiday becomes part of the holiday, and sailing direct to Spain also means less driving, lower fuel costs, less road tolls, and overnight stays en route.
Long-haul ferry travel has made a comeback in recent years, as increasing numbers of Brits choose sea over air to reach Spain, savouring the joys of slow travel by sea. Brittany Ferries first launched trans-Biscay services to Spain in 1978 with a twice-weekly, seasonal service linking Plymouth and Santander. Things stayed that way until 15 years ago. Due to growing demand, it expanded the long-haul network, adding the ports of Portsmouth, Bilbao and then Rosslare. Today there are four routes to Spain offering up to eight sailings a week in each direction.
Spain is by far the most popular holiday destination for British tourists, and it’s little wonder. It’s a land of thrilling surprises beyond the stereotype of packed costa beaches. It’s a country of vast landscapes: splendid castles, age-old cities and timeless villages. There are gloriously unspoilt mountains, sophisticated resorts and villages steeped in tradition. Spain’s unique fascination lies in its exciting blend of cultures and styles – particularly the historic cities: dramatic Toledo atop a high granite hill, magical Segovia with its fairy-tale Alcázar, or Granada, site of the enchanting Alhambra. And stretching from the Mediterranean to the Algarve, and from the Atlantic to the Bay of Biscay: mile after mile of golden coastline. And by taking the ferry, holidaymakers can explore all this with the comfort and convenience of their own car.
The newly-published Spanish schedule covers 12 months from Monday 3rd November 2025 to Sunday 1st November 2026. Overall, in peak season, it offers 16 weekly trans-Biscay cruiseferry sailings linking Portsmouth, Plymouth and Rosslare (Ireland) to Bilbao and Santander in northern Spain. The Spanish schedule announcement follows the launch of Brittany Ferries sailings to and From France on Thursday 10th July, meaning that all Brittany Ferries sailings over the next 16 months are now available to book.
Highlights of the new Spanish schedules include:
Portsmouth to Bilbao
Two return sailings per week direct to the Spanish Basque Country from now until the end of October 2025. One return sailing per week from November 2025 to March 2026. Two return sailings per week April to November 2026.
Example timetable April – November 2026:
| Portsmouth/Bilbao | ||||
| Depart Portsmouth | Arrive Bilbao | Ferry | ||
| Thursday | 1900 | Saturday | 0800 | Galicia |
| Sunday | 2200 | Tuesday | 0800 | Galicia |
| Depart Bilbao | Arrive Portsmouth | Ferry | ||
| Tuesday | 1300 | Wednesday | 2045 | Galicia |
| Saturday | 1300 | Sunday | 1730 | Galicia |
The Portsmouth to Bilbao route has been popular with customers in 2025. It carries 74,000 passengers over the last 12 months – 10 per cent more than the previous 12 months.
Portsmouth to Santander
Two return sailings per week year-round from Hampshire’s great waterfront city to the capital of Cantabria from now until November 2026
Example timetable April – November 2026:
| Portsmouth/Santander | ||||
| Depart Portsmouth | Arrive Santander | Ferry | ||
| Monday | 2130 | Wednesday | 0800 | Salamanca |
| Friday | 2200 | Sunday | 0800 | Salamanca |
| Depart Santander | Arrive Portsmouth | Ferry | ||
| Wednesday | 1400 | Thursday | 2000 | Salamanca |
| Sunday | 1400 | Monday | 1730 | Salamanca |
This route has traditionally been operated by Santoña, but in 2026 it will be served by sister ship Salamanca as the two ships will swap their schedules.
Plymouth to Santander
Two return sailings per week from Devon to Cantabria from now until early November 2025 and then from 24th March to 1st November 2026.
Example timetable April – November 2026:
| Plymouth/Santander | ||||
| Depart Plymouth | Arrive Santander | Ferry | ||
| Wednesday | 1545 | Thursday | 1300 | Pont-Aven |
| Sunday | 1645 | Monday | 1515 | Pont-Aven |
| Depart Santander | Arrive Plymouth | Ferry | ||
| Monday | 1815 | Tuesday | 1500 | Pont-Aven |
| Thursday | 1600 | Friday | 1115 | Pont-Aven |
Rosslare to Bilbao
Two return sailings per week year linking the Emerald Isle direct to the Spanish Basque Country until 2nd November 2025. One weekly sailing in each direction from 3rd November 2025 until Sunday 29th March 2026. Two weekly sailings in each direction from 30th March 2026 to 1st November 2026.
Example timetable April – November 2026:
| Rosslare/Bilbao | ||||
| Depart Rosslare | Arrive Bilbao | Ferry | ||
| Wednesday | 0900 | Thursday | 1330 | Santoña |
| Friday | 2359 | Sunday | 0830 | Santoña |
| Depart Bilbao | Arrive Rosslare | Ferry | ||
| Thursday | 1800 | Friday | 2030 | Santoña |
| Sunday | 1100 | Monday | 1430 | Santoña |
Rosslare to Bilbao is Brittany Ferries’ newest route, and the first ever direct ferry service linking Ireland to Spain. It carries more Spanish passengers than any other Brittany Ferries route: 17 per cent of all passengers using the service originate in Spain. It’s also growing in popularity, with 67,000 passengers using the service over the last 12 months – up 18 per cent on the previous year.
This route has historically been operated by Salamanca – but in 2026 it will be served by sistership Santoña as the two ships will swap their schedules.
Two stunning Spanish destination ports
Both Brittany Ferries Spanish port cities are world-class city break destinations. But they also provide fast access to Spain’s motorway network making it easy to reach all major cities and regions across Spain and Portugal by car.
Bilbao: Spain’s tenth largest city is a captivating juxtaposition of old and new. Modern buildings like the striking Guggenheim Museum jostle with the stunning Gothic architecture of Casco Viejo (the ‘Old Town’) with its narrow streets packed with tapas bars.
Explore the different quarters of the city by strolling alongside the River Nervión on its beautiful walkways and footbridges and move around effortlessly using Norman Foster’s elegant and futuristic Metro system. With a strong shipbuilding past, Bilbao was once the second biggest industrial power in Spain, after Barcelona, and the city is undergoing a major regeneration process with dazzling new buildings including the Isozaki Atea skyscraper.
Bilbao makes the ideal gateway not only to the Basque country, but also to the Spanish costas as well as the holiday regions of southwest and Mediterranean France. From Bilbao it’s 90-120 minutes’ drive to the French border, and it’s around six hours to Barcelona.
Santander: As you sail into port, past golden beaches and royal palaces, you’ll quickly realise that this is no ordinary ferry port. Cosmopolitan Santander offers a memorable first taste of Spain. It’s a seaside city of enormous style, designed for strolling. The shopping streets are pedestrianised, and the promenades are long, wide and tree-lined.
The city is alive with culture, hosting museums and concert halls, as well as a casino, terrace cafes, and elegant tree-lined streets and shops. And the latest jewel in Santander’s crown is its striking Renzo Piano-designed modern art museum perched over the waterfront, the Centro Botín.
From Santander, fast roads take you easily to all the major holiday areas of Spain including Madrid, Segovia, Barcelona, Alicante and the Mediterranean Coast, as well as to Portugal (it’s four to five hours’ drive from Santander to the Portuguese border).
A fleet fit for long-haul sailings
Brittany Ferries’ long-haul services to Spain are operated by three of the newest additions to the fleet – Galicia, and LNG-powered Salamanca and Santoña, as well as the company’s luxury flagship Pont-Aven. On board all Brittany Ferries long-haul sailings to Spain passengers enjoy high-quality French and Spanish dining options, duty-free shopping, bars with entertainment for all the family.
And in the summer months there’s even whale and dolphin watching with expert wildlife guides from Brittany Ferries’ marine conservation partner ORCA. All Brittany Ferries Spanish sailing cross Bay of Biscay, a world hot spot for marine wildlife and bird life, and inhabited by over one-third of the world’s whale and dolphin species.
All sailings are dog-friendly, with a choice of pet-friendly cabins, kennels and an open-deck walking area. Brittany Ferries pioneered pet-friendly cabins on its long-haul routes to Spain 15 years ago, and today it carries 108,000 dogs a year – with 162 dog-friendly cabins across the fleet in addition to a range of kennels.
Book now for the best choice
Tickets are now on sale for travel over the next 16 months. Brittany Ferries recommends booking early. This brings multiple benefits including access to the best choice of sailings especially over the popular school holiday periods and festive periods, the ability to make holiday plans and book holiday accommodation, peace of mind, and crucially: the first pick of cabins. The most sought-after types like luxury, accessible and pet-friendly are always the first cabins to sell, and early booking is advised.
Paul Acheson, Brittany Ferries’ director sales and marketing says:
“As we launch our 2026 long-haul Spanish sailings, our message is clear: whether you sail with us for holidays, business or maybe to get to your second home in Spain, France, or Portugal; whether you travel once a year, or every month; you travel alone, with family, friends, as part of a group, or with your dog—Brittany Ferries is here to serve you.
“Year-round, we offer the widest choice of routes and sailings anywhere on the Channel, Celtic Sea and Bay of Biscay–with the biggest and best fleet.
“This modern, green and comfortable flotilla of ships allows us to respond to customers’ varied and changing requirements throughout the year, ensuring we always have the right ship, in the right port, on the right route and at the right time – and never will this be truer than in 2026.”
Find the perfect sailing
Brittany Ferries’ website technicians have now made it even easier for its customers to view the new timetables and find the perfect fare and cabin, thanks to new online functionality including a timetable PDF download facility, a low fare finder, and a cabin availability search tool. Additionally, the website hosts a constantly evolving range of money-saving special fare offers.
How to book for ’26
Customers can now book their UK/Spain and Ireland/Spain ferry sailings for travel dates until Sunday 1st November 2026. They can book online at www.brittany-ferries.co.uk, over the phone with Brittany Ferries’ Plymouth- and Cork-based contact centres on 0330 159 7000 (UK) and 021 427 7801 (Ireland), or via all good travel agents.
—Ends—
Notes to editors:
Summer ’26 Spanish timetable – by day of week:
| Southbound (UK to Spain & Ireland to Spain) | ||||||
| Depart day | Depart time | Depart port | Arrive day | Arrive time | Arrive port | Ferry |
| Monday | 2130 | Portsmouth | Wednesday | 0800 | Santander | Salamanca |
| Wednesday | 0900 | Rosslare | Thursday | 1330 | Bilbao | Sañtona |
| Wednesday | 1545 | Plymouth | Thursday | 1300 | Santander | Pont-Aven |
| Thursday | 1900 | Portsmouth | Saturday | 0800 | Bilbao | Galicia |
| Friday | 2200 | Portsmouth | Sunday | 0800 | Santander | Salamanca |
| Friday | 2359 | Rosslare | Sunday | 0830 | Bilbao | Sañtona |
| Sunday | 1645 | Plymouth | Monday | 1515 | Santander | Pont-Aven |
| Sunday | 2200 | Portsmouth | Tuesday | 0800 | Bilbao | Galicia |
| Northbound (Spain to UK & Spain to Ireland) | ||||||
| Depart day | Depart time | Depart port | Arrive day | Arrive time | Arrive port | Ferry |
| Monday | 1815 | Santander | Tuesday | 1500 | Plymouth | Pont-Aven |
| Tuesday | 1300 | Bilbao | Wednesday | 2045 | Portsmouth | Galicia |
| Wednesday | 1400 | Santander | Thursday | 2000 | Portsmouth | Salamanca |
| Thursday | 1600 | Santander | Friday | 1115 | Plymouth | Pont-Aven |
| Thursday | 1800 | Bilbao | Friday | 2030 | Rosslare | Sañtona |
| Saturday | 1300 | Bilbao | Sunday | 1730 | Portsmouth | Galicia |
| Sunday | 1100 | Bilbao | Monday | 1430 | Rosslare | Sañtona |
| Sunday | 1400 | Santander | Monday | 1730 | Portsmouth | Salamanca |
About Brittany Ferries:
Brittany Ferries was conceived in 1972, starting life as a freight-only ferry-service on 2nd January the following year. The first vessel (Kerisnel) linked Roscoff in Brittany with Plymouth on the southwest of England and carried a cargo of cauliflowers and cognac. Since then, the company has progressively launched, then strengthened its shipping routes. In more than 52 years of service, millions of passengers and businesses have travelled by sea across the so-called Atlantic Arc (France, UK, Spain and Ireland). They rely on the links forged by more than five decades of experience. In addition to cutting congestion and emissions on busy roads, Brittany Ferries’ motorways-of the sea have helped enrich local communities, creating jobs, nurturing international tourism and boosting cross-border trade. Five new vessels joined the fleet between 2019 and 2025. Two LNG-electric-hybrids (Saint-Malo in February 2025 and Guillaume de Normandie in April 2025) complete the largest fleet renewal programme in the company’s history.
More details, and images here:
- Brittany Ferries consumer site
- Brittany Ferries newsroom
- Brittany Ferries image bank
- Brittany Ferries corporate site
Key figures:
- Turnover: €516 million in 2024 compared with €484.7 million 2023 and €444.7 million in 2022.
- Employment: Around 2,707 employees, including 1,818 seafarers (full-time equivalent)
- Passengers: 2.15 million in 2023 compared to 2.03 million in 2023
- Freight: 162,000 in 2024 compared to 155,592 in 2023
- 13 ships connecting France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Ireland, via 13 maritime routes
- 12 ports: Roscoff, Saint-Malo, Cherbourg, Caen, Le Havre, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Poole, Cork, Rosslare, Santander, Bilbao.
- New for summer 2025: rail-freight ‘ro-ro-rail’ service connecting Cherbourg with Bayonne (Mouguerre)
Press contacts:
- Nigel Wonnacott [email protected]
- Christopher Jones [email protected]