Ferries And Mini Cruises From Hull

Hull (or to give it is full name, Kingston upon Hull) is located in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and was founded by the monks of Meaux Abbey in the 12th century.

The monks needed to find a port from which they would more easily be able to export the wool that they gathered and processed, and they picked a spot that was right in between the River Hull and the River Humber – that spot became Hull.

From being an early port and quay, Hull has also been known as a market town, military port, trading area, industrial town, and fishing village.

The Humber Bridge can be found here. This impressive piece of engineering was built in 1973, and was a much needed crossing over the Humber Estuary. For those with a love of man-made engineering and architecture, it is a sight to behold.

A more natural place to visit is East Park. This 120 acre site is registered as Grade II listed with English Heritage, and it includes an animal education centre, boating, cycling, a play area, and a café amongst other family friendly activities.

History buffs aren’t left out either – there are a number of fascinating museums in Hull including the Hull Maritime Museum, the Hull and East Riding Museum, and Burton Constable Hall.

Ferries and cruise ships from Hull

Ferry Routes

OperatorRouteServicesTravel TimePrice
Hull Rotterdam 1 daily 10¾ hoursSee prices
Hull Amsterdam (via Rotterdam) 1 daily 10¾ hoursSee prices
Hull Bruges (via Zeebrugge) 1 daily 13¼ hoursSee prices

This information is for reference purposes only. Journey times are approximate. Frequency is based on typical schedules. Schedules are subject to availability and weather conditions. Information correct at the time of writing.

Taster Cruise Ship Itineraries

Sorry, no mini cruise routes can be found departing from Hull sailing on a cruise ship.

Top 3 Cruise & Ferry Deals

  1. P&O Ferries Amsterdam Mini Cruise From £55pp
  2. P&O Ferries Rotterdam Mini Cruise From £55pp
  3. DFDS Amsterdam Mini Cruise From £65pp FLASH SALE
Tip: You may want to consider alternative routes between Newcastle and Amsterdam as well as between Harwich and Hook of Holland in addition to those listed above.

To find other ports near you, take a look at the UK port map here.

Address

PO Box 1, Port House, Northern Gateway, Hull, HU9 5PQ, United Kingdom

Driving Directions

The Port of Hull (King George Dock) sits just off the A1033 (Hedon Road), at the end of the A63 in Hull. The A63 follows the River Humber westwards until it becomes the start of the M62 motorway, the road that bridges East and West Yorkshire and that runs through to Liverpool.

Motorways that lead off the M62 are the A1(M) for Doncaster and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne; the M18 (and M180) for Doncaster and Grimsby; the M1 for Sheffield and Leeds; and the M60 for Manchester.

The A1079 runs northwards from Hull and links up with the city of York about 44 miles (about 71 kilometres) later.

Follow the A63 briefly and take the Humber Bridge across to the A15 for the A180 to Grimsby.

For Bridlington and Scarborough take the A165 from Hull which follows the eastern coastline northwards.

Note: Check which terminal you are departing from as Hull has two separate buildings. Terminal 2 is for ferries to Zeebrugge and is the first exit off the first roundabout after turning off Hedon Road. Terminal 1 is for ferries to Rotterdam and is the third exit off the same roundabout.

Both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are well signposted. Terminal 1 is easy to drive to. terminal 2 is a little confusing as you have to pass through a security barrier and drive along a highly industrialised port road before taking the first right hand junction (road-marked "ferry"). This leads to the terminal building.

Cruise passengers usually need to head towards Alexandra Dock. This is the fourth exit off the first roundabout after turning off Hedon Road. The port doesn't handle many cruise ships per year so don't expect permanent signage. There should be plenty of marshals out in force on the day of embarkation to help guide cruise passengers to the right place.

Car parking

Passengers from Terminal 1 get the use of a multi-storey Pay and Display car park. Follow the signs as it can be confusing on how to enter it as it looks part of the terminal building.

Passengers from Terminal 2 don't have the same luxury as undercover car parking. The open air Pay and Display car park is quite expansive though, with a choice of car parks to accommodate a generous amount of cars.

When I looked in May 2016 both car parks charged the same rate of £7 per 24 hour period.

Cruise passengers will have separate car parking facilities at Alexandra Dock. Places normally must be reserved and paid for in advance although your cruise line will advise of this. The cost was unavailable at the time of writing but appears to be calculated on a per-cruise basis.

Getting there by coach

One National Express route - the 562 - serves the city of Hull. The coach departs London and travels north to Scarborough via Doncaster, Hull and York. Book your tickets here.

Getting there by train

Hull Railway Station is a large transport hub in the centre of the city, with the central bus station opposite. Direct services that run from Hull head to York, Bridlington, Doncaster, London via Selby, Sheffield, Scarborough, and Manchester.

Long distance times are very respectable. Manchester is just 2 hours away, Birmingham is 2½ hours away, both London and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne are under 3 hours away, Edinburgh is around 4½ hours away, and Cardiff is 6 hours away by train. Plan your journey here.

Transfers

A taxi from Hull train station to the ferry terminal is around £10 one-way.

A bus service between the city and the ferry port operates during the main embarkation and disembarkation times. The pick-up point is Bus Stand D at St Stephen's Bus Station (which can be found opposite the train station). The cost of this service when I checked in May 2016 was £3.25 one-way.

Cruise passengers: The transfer bus service is intended for, and timed for, P&O Ferries' passengers and is unsuitable for cruise ship departures.

Two for one mini cruises from Hull

P&O Ferries runs one of the longest running two-for-one promotions in the industry, normally from September to late February / early March. Whenever it release dates on the offer tickets are snapped up quickly for the prime dates. Even if you discover the offer relatively late, deals can still be found in the middle and toward the end of the promotion. Check here to see if P&O Ferries have a two for one deal from Hull on at the moment.

10 comments on “Ferries And Mini Cruises From Hull

    • I've not heard of any such deals for the Med, although I know MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises tend to offer good value mini cruises around the Med (usually one way, for example, departing from Barcelona and ending in Marseilles). Some travel agents will package these up with flights and hotels, but you can also create your own itinerary should you wish.

  1. Hi looking to travel Hull to Zeebrughe on Saturday 9th December . What time does the ferry depart on the homeward journey ? How long is the transfer from the port to Brugge ? Thank you Karen Easton

    • On a Saturday or Sunday, the ship departs Zeebrugge at 1900hrs, although check-in must take place by 1730hours. The journey from the port to Bruges depends on traffic but normally takes half an hour or so.

    • Unfortunately not, but that would be a great idea. The issue is that the 2 for 1 spaces fill up quickly, so I suspect they wouldn't be able to guarantee a place onboard should such a gift voucher be offered.

      P&O Ferries does offer gift vouchers° which can be redeemed on the Hull to Amsterdam/Rotterdam/Bruges routes although I don't know if they could be used as payment for a 2 for 1 offer. A quick call to P&O should yield an answer.

    • I'm glad you had a great time. There should be very good value deals coming towards the end of the year which would be ideal for another trip to Belgium!

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