Europe To Australia/New Zealand

The route from Europe to Australia/New Zealand is one of the most popular passenger services and it is advisable to book well in advance if you wish to be certain of securing a cabin. Most ships will depart from a Northern European port, such as Felixstowe (England), Antwerp (Begium), Hamburg (Germany), Bremerhaven (Germany), Rotterdam (Netherlands), or Le Havre (France), but it is perfectly possible to join the ship at a port in Southern Europe too.

Via Africa

The ship will travel south and then through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean, calling at ports such as Barcelona (Spain), Valencia (Spain), Fos sur Mer (France), La Spezia (Italy), Genoa (Italy), Rome (Italy), Naples (Italy), Athens (Greece), Limassol (Cyprus), Haifa (Israel), Alexandria (Egypt). After heading through the Suez Canal, the ship will usually travel non-stop to the West coast of Australia, calling at Fremantle (for Perth). Some ships will bypass Fremantle and only stop at the Southern and Eastern ports in Australia, such as Adelaide, Melbourne, sydney and Brisbane.

Via Pacific

Some ships will return to Europe after stopping in Australia, but many will continue on to New Zealand, calling at ports such as Auckland, Christchurch, Napier, Tauranga and Wellington. After leaving New Zealand, these ships will often make a second call at an Australian port before heading back to Europe along the same outbound route.

Voyage Durations

A short voyage from Europe, via the Suez Canal, directly to the West coast of Australia will be around 28-30 days.

Longer voyages are available with more stops en route, in places such as Saudi Arabia, Colombo and Singapore. Alternatively, you can find ships that travel South after passing through the Suez Canal, to the Indian Ocean islands (Mauritius/Reunion) and sometimes South Africa, before heading East to Australia/New zealand.

These longer voyages will usually be around 40-45 days one way, or 80-90 days for a round-trip.

Approximate Fares

For a guide to fares, please see our "costs" page.