What is the Best Time to Book Brittany Ferries for Cheaper Fares?

The best time to book Brittany Ferries for cheaper fares is usually 60 days or more before your outward sailing, provided your route, dates and vehicle details are fixed. Brittany Ferries says its Early Bird tickets are only available 60 days or more before outward travel, so that is the first timing rule worth knowing. Before paying, it is also sensible to check our Brittany Ferries Voucher Codes page in case a live discount voucher can improve the fare. The cheaper fare still has to fit the trip, though. That is the bit people sometimes rush past.

The 60-day rule is the best place to start

The clearest answer comes from Brittany Ferries itself. Early Bird tickets are only available 60 days or more before outward sailing, and Brittany Ferries describes them as the cheapest fare available at the time of booking. That makes the 60-day point the most useful official benchmark, rather than a vague “book early” guess. You can check the fare rules on the Brittany Ferries ticket types page.

For fixed-date travel, that matters. If you already know the sailing, the return date, the car details and whether you need a cabin, waiting can quickly become harder to justify. Not always. But often enough. Early Bird will not suit every booking, especially if the trip might change, yet it is the right fare to check first when the plan is settled.

France crossings and Spain crossings should not be treated the same

A short France crossing and a longer Spain crossing are not the same buying decision. Brittany Ferries operates routes from UK ports including Portsmouth, Plymouth and Poole to France and Spain, with France destinations including Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo, Le Havre and Roscoff, and Spain routes including Santander and Bilbao. Those route options are listed on the Brittany Ferries ferry routes page and its booking page.

That route mix changes the saving strategy. A flexible midweek France sailing may leave more room to compare dates. A Portsmouth to Santander or Bilbao crossing, especially with a cabin, is usually harder to treat casually because the journey is longer and the booking tends to carry more moving parts. This is where timing becomes less about chasing the lowest fare and more about securing the right crossing before the useful options narrow.

Book earlier for cabins, pets, motorhomes and school holiday crossings

The more specific the booking, the less sense it makes to wait. A family car crossing in August, a pet-friendly booking, a motorhome space or an overnight cabin is not as flexible as a simple off-peak trip where several sailing times might work. Brittany Ferries advises travellers to book as early as possible for the best range of fares, sailing choice and onboard accommodation, and it also recommends checking flexible options such as midweek sailings through its Low Fare Finder.

This is the practical difference. A Portsmouth to Santander trip with a cabin and a dog is not the same as a short France crossing where you could travel a day earlier. If the booking depends on a particular cabin, vehicle space or school holiday return, early booking is not just about price. It protects the shape of the trip.

Is January really the cheapest month to book Brittany Ferries?

January can be a good time to start checking summer fares, but it should not be treated as a guaranteed cheapest month. Which? looked at ferry prices for peak August travel and found that early booking was often cheaper, although not every route followed the same pattern. Its research noted that Portsmouth to Caen and Poole to Cherbourg were cheapest in June in the sample it reviewed, rather than January. The full research is available from Which?.

That is why a fixed “book in January” answer feels too tidy. Start looking early, yes. But compare the actual route, sailing time and return leg before assuming one month is always the winner. Ferry pricing does not behave neatly enough for that.

Waiting can work, but only when the trip is genuinely flexible

Waiting can still make sense for some travellers. If you are travelling off-peak, do not need a specific cabin, and can move the outward or return sailing, later offers may be worth watching. Brittany Ferries has a dedicated offers page for ferry deals, short breaks and promotional fares.

The important word is flexible. Waiting is not a great plan if the family accommodation is already booked in France, the school holiday dates are fixed, or the return sailing has to land neatly around work. A later saving is useful only if the sailing still works. Otherwise, it can turn into an awkward compromise dressed up as a bargain.

The return sailing can be where the fare changes

Many people check the outward sailing first and treat the return as an afterthought. That can be a mistake. Weekend returns, school holiday changeover dates and overnight cabin availability can all affect the total booking cost. Brittany Ferries’ own Low Fare Finder suggests checking flexible sailing options, including midweek travel, which is worth doing before you assume the first return price is the only realistic one.

A Thursday outbound or Monday return will not suit everyone. Sometimes work and accommodation dates make the decision for you. But where there is room to move, compare the whole return booking, not just the exciting first leg of the trip.

Early Bird, Standard or Flexi: the cheapest ticket is not always the best value

Brittany Ferries lists Early Bird, Standard and Flexi ticket types, and the right choice depends on how certain your plans are. Early Bird is the one to check first when dates are fixed, because it is the cheapest fare available at the time of booking and is only available 60 days or more before outward sailing. Standard and Flexi may be more suitable where plans could change, with Brittany Ferries explaining the ticket differences on its fare comparison page.

This is where the cheapest visible fare needs a second look. If you might need to amend the trip, a more flexible ticket may be better value than saving a little at checkout and paying for it later in stress. Cheap is useful. Rigid is not always useful.

A better way to check Brittany Ferries fares before booking

The strongest routine is simple enough. Check the official fare while you are still 60 days or more from travel. Try nearby dates if your trip allows it. Look at the return leg carefully. Then check the Brittany Ferries offers page before you pay.

After that, check our Brittany Ferries Voucher Codes page to see whether any live voucher codes, promo codes or discount vouchers can be used against the booking. We also explain how our team checks savings on our voucher code testing process page, which is useful if you want to know how offers are reviewed before publication.

Do the fare comparison first, though. A discount voucher is only genuinely useful when the underlying crossing is the right one.

Club Voyage is worth checking if you travel more than once

Club Voyage may be worth comparing if you use Brittany Ferries regularly. Brittany Ferries says members can access route savings and other benefits, with details set out on its Club Voyage page. For one occasional crossing, the maths may not work. For several France or Spain crossings, it could look different.

The sensible approach is to compare the membership cost against the saving on the actual journeys you expect to take. Do not join because it sounds like a saving. Join only if the numbers make sense.

Quick answer by booking situation

For most travellers, the answer is not complicated: check early, especially once you are inside serious planning mode. For Spain, cabins, pets and school holidays, book as soon as the trip is settled. For flexible France crossings, compare properly before committing. The best Brittany Ferries fare is not just the cheapest fare on the screen. It is the fare that fits the crossing you actually need.

By Julian House 28th April 2026