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North Sea

Hull to Rotterdam, with the cabin in the fare.

A sailing almost every evening of the year, and every passenger has a berth because cabins are compulsory on this route. Check-in closes 90 minutes before departure, the longest cutoff of the three North Sea boats.

BritainHarwichHook of HollandNewcastleIJmuidenHullRotterdam

Timetables checked August 2026, and how they are checked

11 hat sea1sailing a day1night aboardYear roundP&O

The crossing

Cabins are compulsory here, and the fare already has one in it.

Operator
P&O
Sailings
Daily, overnight only; cabin included in the fare
Crossing
About 11 hOne night aboard on the usual schedule.
Accommodation
Cabin compulsory, included in the fareEveryone aboard has a berth, from an inside two-berth up to Premier and Club.
Check-in
Closes 90 minutes before departure at both ends. Hull opens at 15:00, and the departure is around 20:30 on weeknights but 20:00 at weekends, which pulls the cutoff back to 18:30. Aim to be at King George Dock by 18:00 and leave room for evening traffic.
Gas bottles
Up to three cylinders, 47 kg between them, secured and shut off at the cylinder. P&O wants them declared when you book rather than at check-in, and treats a part-full bottle as a full one.
Pets
Pets can't stay in the van on this route. Air-conditioned kennels on Deck 7 take all cats and any dog without a cabin, or there are six dog-friendly cabins per ship, first come first served. The kennel deck is shut from sailing until arrival.Paperwork: an EU pet passport or a GB Animal Health Certificate, a microchip, and a rabies vaccination at least 21 days old. A dog also needs a vet-administered tapeworm treatment 24 to 120 hours before it comes back into Great Britain. An Animal Health Certificate has to come from an official vet within ten days of travel, so it's booked well before the crossing is.
Book with
P&O (opens in a new tab)Fares and availability live with the operator, not here.

Seasons, weather and operators all move these, so confirm with the operator before you book.

Getting there

Leeds is 1 h 10 away, Bristol 4 h.

Typical driving hours to Hull with light traffic
Starting fromDriving hours
Leeds1 h 10
Manchester2 h
Liverpool2 h 30
Birmingham2 h 40
Newcastle upon Tyne2 h 50
London3 h 30
Bristol4 h

Ashore

You come off into a refinery landscape rather than a town.

You come off into a refinery landscape rather than a town. The road out is the N15, which becomes the A15 and runs east as the spine of the port: the Rotterdam ring is about half an hour, the centre forty minutes, Kinderdijk and Dordrecht around forty-five. Southbound the N57 crosses the delta dams into Zeeland in an hour and skips the city altogether. Rotterdam runs no car emissions zone, so the age of the engine isn't what decides whether you drive in.

Still asked

There's nothing at Europoort, and no bus out of it.

No shop, no cafe, no public transport, and long straight roads past refineries. It matters most on the way home: fuel up and buy what you need before you arrive for the return sailing, because there's nothing to do at the terminal but wait.

There's no bus or train at the terminal. P&O sells coach transfers to Rotterdam and Amsterdam that have to be booked with the crossing, and the drive into the city is 35 to 45 minutes. If someone is joining or leaving the trip here, book the transfer at the same time as the ferry.

Run as a mini-cruise: two restaurants, a cinema and live entertainment across the evening. The Pride of Hull and Pride of Rotterdam have been on the route since 2001, so they're comfortable and dated next to the newer Stena pair at Harwich. Breakfast sittings queue near arrival, which is worth getting ahead of.

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