Traveling by air:
The principal national airline is British Airways (BA) (tel: (0870)
850 4850; website: www.britishairways.com).
The second biggest
UK airline for long-distance flights is Virgin Atlantic (tel: 0870 380
2007; website: www.virgin-atlantic.com).
Regular international
flights are carried out by the airlines of
Aeroflot (tel: (495)
223-55-55 - in Moscow; website: www.aeroflot.ru);
Air
Berlin (tel: 0 870 738 88 80 (in GB); website:
www.airberlin.com);
Lufthansa (tel: 01803 803 803; website:
www.lufthansa.com.uk);
Swiss International Airlines (tel:
0845 601 0956 (in the UK and
Ireland); website: www.uk.swiss.com);
There are also a number of budget
airlines which only fly short-haul (from the UK airports to nearby
airports in the UK or Europe) using smaller aeroplanes. They keep
prices low by offering a simple service. Please, find the list below:
Air Southwest (it carries flights to/from Plymouth,
Bristol, and Newquay; tel: 0870 241 8202; website:
www.airsouthwest.com);
BMI Baby ("the airline with tiny
fares"; tel: 0871 224 0224 (in the UK), for all other calls from
outside the UK: + 44 870 126 6726; website: www.bmibaby.com);
Excel Airways (world's leading charter airline; tel: 0870 320 7777;
website: www.xl.com);
RyanAir (tel: +44 871 246 0000 (in GB);
website: www.ryanair.com),
Sky Europe (it is Central Europe's
first low cost airline; tel: 0905 7222 747; website:
www.skyeurope.com);
Thomsonfly (provides low fare
flights from 20 UK airports to over 80 destinations; tel: 0870 1900
737; website: www.thomsonfly.com).
International flights
arrive in London at Heathrow airport which is at a distance of 24 km
west of the city, and at Gatwick airport (43 km south of the capital
of GB).
Traveling by Sea: There are many ports offering ferry
connections between the UK and mainland Europe, Ireland, the Channel
Islands, the Isle of Wight, the Scilly Isles, and the Isle of Man. UK
ferry operators include:
Brittany Ferries (tel: (08703) 665 333;
website: www.brittany-ferries.co.uk);
Caledonian Macbrayne
(tel: (01475) 650 100; website: www.calmac.co.uk);
Condor
Ferries (tel: (0845) 345 2000; website:
www.condorferries.co.uk);
DFDS Seaways (tel: (08705) 333 111;
website: www.dfdsseaways.co.uk);
Hoverspeed (tel: (0870) 240
8070; website: www.hoverspeed.co.uk);
Irish Ferries (tel:
(08705) 171 717; website: www.irishferries.com).
Traveling by Train: Trains meet connecting
ferries at Dover, Folkestone, Newhaven, Portsmouth and Weymouth,
sailing for Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain (board at Victoria
Station in London); and at Harwich, sailing for Germany, the
Netherlands, and Scandinavia (board at Liverpool Street).
Traveling by Car:
All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in Eurotunnel
shuttles running between the two terminals, one near Folkestone in
Kent, and one just outside Calais. There are facilities for cars and
motorcycles, coaches, minibuses, caravans, campervans and other
vehicles over 1.85m (6.07ft). Passengers
generally travel with their vehicles. Heavy vehicles are carried
on special shuttles and drivers travel in a separate carriage.
Terminals and shuttles are well equipped for disabled passengers, and
Passenger Terminal buildings contain a variety of shops, restaurants,
exchange offices and other facilities. The journey takes about 35
minutes from platform to platform and about one hour from motorway to
motorway. For further information, contact Eurotunnel Customer
Services UK (tel: (08705) 353 535; fax: (01303) 288 786; website:
www.eurotunnel.com).
The direct Eurostar train runs through
the Channel Tunnel between London and Brussels, Lille or Paris.
Eurostar is a service provided by the railways of Belgium, France and
the United Kingdom, operating direct high-speed trains from London
(Waterloo International) to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels
(Midi/Zuid). Trains depart up to 18 times a day from Waterloo to
Paris, and up to nine times a day from Waterloo to Brussels. For
further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: (0870)
6000 792 (travel agents) or (08705) 186 186 (public; within the UK) or
(1233) 617 575 (public; outside the UK only); website:
www.eurostar.com) or Rail Europe (tel: (0870) 837 1371).
Few formalities are encountered when driving between
Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Eurolines, departing
from Victoria Coach Station in London, serves destinations in the United Kingdom.
For further information, contact Eurolines, 52 Grosvenor Gardens,
London SW1, UK (tel: (08705) 143 219; website:
www.nationalexpress.com).
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