The British Isles

London’s Houses of Parliament

Photo: David Iliff

 

The British Isles are packed with ports of call and England is a major hub for cruise passengers. Three base ports are within two hours by road or rail of London and the city itself is a port for small cruise ships, which dock on the River Thames. Southampton, on the south coast, is the largest of England’s cruise ports and is home port for Queen Mary 2’s transatlantic sailings to New York. Dover, on England’s southeast coast, and Harwich, situated northeast of London on the Essex coast, are also base ports for Northern Europe cruises. Other English ports, such as Liverpool, are gaining popularity as ports of call and are sometimes included in a British Isles itinerary, as are various ports in Scotland, the Channel Islands and Ireland.

This section contains information on England, with detail on London, along with Wales, Scotland, the Channel Islands and Ireland. To quickly find information on a specific port, please refer to the Index at the back of this book. For a history of Great Britain, please turn to the History section in Part I.