Overview
United Kingdom is a country in Europe according to areacodesexplorer. Few countries in the world offer such an intense mix of scenery, history and culture as Great Britain. The South West of England is defined by a rocky coastline and offers fascinating history, while the UK’s capital, vast and multicultural London, nestles in the rolling countryside of the cosmopolitan South East. Bold and outspoken, the people of Northern England are among the friendliest in Britain. The wild and blustery regions of Northumberland, the Peak District and the Lake District are atmospheric and beautiful. But the true British wilderness is found in the Scottish Highlands, which are rugged, snowy at high altitudes and often inaccessible. Art-loving Edinburgh is a dream city, and the larger Hebrides draw walkers and whiskey lovers. Dynamic Cardiff and the industrial city of Swansea can be found in charming Wales, with the rugged cliffs of the Snowdon massif to the north. Across the water lies Belfast, a progressive and exciting city, and the scenery of Northern Ireland is as enchanting as that of mainland Britain. and the larger Hebridean Islands attract walkers and whiskey lovers in particular. Dynamic Cardiff and the industrial city of Swansea can be found in charming Wales, with the rugged cliffs of the Snowdon massif to the north. Across the water lies Belfast, a progressive and exciting city, and the scenery of Northern Ireland is as enchanting as that of mainland Britain. and the larger Hebridean Islands attract walkers and whiskey lovers in particular. Dynamic Cardiff and the industrial city of Swansea can be found in charming Wales, with the rugged cliffs of the Snowdon massif to the north. Across the water lies Belfast, a progressive and exciting city, and the scenery of Northern Ireland is as enchanting as that of mainland Britain.
Getting there
Arriving by plane
The national airline British Airways (BA) offers numerous connections from German, Austrian and Swiss cities to Great Britain. (For detailed information, see the relevant section for the individual parts of the country).
Flight times
Frankfurt – London: 1 hour 25 minutes; Frankfurt – Birmingham: 1 hour 40 minutes; Frankfurt – Manchester: 1 hour 40 minutes; Frankfurt – Belfast: 4 hours 15 minutes (with a stopover); Dusseldorf – Glasgow: 3 hours; Vienna – London: 2 hours 5 minutes; Vienna – Birmingham: 4 hours 15 minutes (with a stopover); Vienna – Glasgow: 4 hours 30 minutes (with a stopover); Vienna – Belfast: 6 hrs 10 mins (with a stopover); Zurich – London: 1 hour 40 minutes; Zurich – Birmingham: 1 hour 50 minutes; Zurich – Manchester: 2 hours 5 minutes; Zurich – Glasgow: 4 hrs 20 mins (with a stopover); Zurich – Belfast: 4 hrs 25 mins (with a stopover); Geneva – Manchester: 1 hr 55 min
Departure fee
Air Passenger Duty (APD) is a charge levied on flights with more than twenty seats departing from a UK or Isle of Man airport. The fee is paid per person; their amount depends on the length of the journey.
Arrival by car
There are hardly any border formalities at the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Long Distance Bus: Eurolines buses travel to and from Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Timetable and tariff information is available from the British Eurolines general agency National Express or the Eurolines agencies in: Germany: Deutsche Touring GmbH, Tel. +49 (69) 79 03 50. Austria: Eurolines Austria – Blaguss Reisen GmbH. Switzerland: Eurolines Swiss. Tolls: Tolls are payable on a section of the M6 north of Birmingham, some bridges and tunnels, Greater London and central Durham. Payment is made in cash or by credit card directly at the toll booths. Documents: The national driving license is sufficient for EU and EFTA citizens for short stays even after a disorderly Brexit. However, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, it will be mandatory for EU and EFTA citizens to take their green insurance card with them.
Note on arrival by car
In the UK, traffic drives on the left.
Arrival by train
Rail transport in Great Britain is operated by numerous private companies. Trains to Dover and Newhaven ferry ports depart from Victoria Station (London), to Weymouth and Portsmouth from St Pancras (London); Special trains to Harwich Ferry Port operate from Liverpool Street (London) station. Continuous passenger transport connections with Eurostar trains between Paris (Gare du Nord) and Brussels and London-St. Pancras, between London and Lille and London and Brussels-Midi/Zuid. Travel time between Brussels and London is 1 hour and 51 minutes, between Paris and London 2 hours and 15 minutes and between Lille Europe and St Pancras 1 hour and 20 minutes. There are also direct Eurostar connections between Amsterdam/Rotterdam and London. From various European cities, including Cologne, Düsseldorf, Aachen, Geneva, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and London, there are connections with the Thalys high-speed trains to Brussels-Midi. From Brussels, continue with the Eurostar to London St. Pancras. There are also boarding options at Lille on the Brussels-London route, some services at Calais on the Paris-London route and at Ashford on the UK side. There are also good connections (even at night) from Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Ashford and Edinburgh. Fast EuroNight connections via Germany and France to Vienna. Thalys and Deutsche Bahn sell tickets for the Thalys. Deutsche Bahn also sells tickets for the Eurostar and SNCF tickets. A sales portal for international offers is www.international-bahn.de/en. Eurotunnel carries cars, buses, motorbikes, caravans and, by prior arrangement, cyclists between Calais and Folkestone. There are several daily departures per hour between Calais and Folkstone. Driving time from terminal to terminal 35 minutes, from motorway to motorway approx. 1 hour. Buses, motorcycles, caravans and cyclists by prior arrangement. There are several daily departures per hour between Calais and Folkstone. Driving time from terminal to terminal 35 minutes, from motorway to motorway approx. 1 hour. Buses, motorcycles, caravans and cyclists by prior arrangement. There are several daily departures per hour between Calais and Folkstone. Driving time from terminal to terminal 35 minutes, from motorway to motorway approx. 1 hour.
rail passes
The Interrail One Country Pass and the Interrail Global Pass are no longer valid in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Arrival by ship
Numerous ferry services exist between the British Isles and mainland Europe, Ireland and Scandinavia. Full information on ferry routes is available from Ferry Online.
Cruise ships
Shipping companies such as AIDA, TUI Cruises, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Cunard call at various ports in Great Britain on their cruises.
Ferry provider
Ferries to/from and within Southern England: Brittany Ferries: Portsmouth – Caen, Portsmouth – Cherbourg, Portsmouth – Le Havre, Poole – Cherbourg, Plymouth – Roscoff, Plymouth – St Malo; Condorferries: St Malo – Poole; DFDS Seaways: Dunkirk – Dover, Calais – Dover; P&O Ferries: Calais – Dover; Red Funnel Ferries: Southampton – Isle of Wight; Transmanche Ferries: Dieppe – Newhaven; Wightlink: Portsmouth – Isle of Wight, Lymington – Isle of Wight; Ferries to/from East England: DFDS Seaways: Newcastle – Amsterdam; P&O Ferries: Hull – Rotterdam, Hull – Zeebrugge; Stena Line: Harwich – Hook of Holland, Harwich – Rotterdam, Killingholme – Rotterdam; Ferries to/from Northern England: DFDS Seaways: Newcastle – Amsterdam (Ijmuiden); P&O Ferries: Liverpool – Dublin; Stena Line: Fleetwood-Larne; Belfast – Liverpool; Ferries to/from Wales: Irish Ferries: Holyhead – Dublin, Pembroke – Rosslare; Stena Line: Holyhead – Dublin, Fishguard – Rosslare; Ferries to/from and within Scotland: Caledonian MacBrayne: Ferries to Arran, Barra, Benbecula, Bute, Coll, Colonsay, Cowal, Cumbrae, Gigha, Harris, Iona, Islay, Kintyre, Lewis, Lismore, Mull, Raasay, Skye, Tiree, The Uists; Orkney Ferries: Orkney – 13 smaller islands; P&O Ferries: Cairnryan – Larne; Stena Line: Cairnryan-Belfast; Ferries to/from the Channel Islands: Condor Ferries: Poole – Jersey, Poole – Guernsey; Portsmouth-Jersey, Portsmouth-Guernsey; Weymouth-Jersey, Weymouth-Guernsey; St Malo – Jersey, St Malo – Guernsey.
