Country Information

National airline British Airways (www.ba.com) flies direct from destinations around the world including New York, Zurich, Johannesburg and Hong Kong. Other airlines flying to England include Virgin (www.virgin-atlantic.com) with direct routes from Sydney and Dubai and easyJet (www.easyjet.com) which flies from Lisbon and Berlin to Luton and London Gatwick.

None.

Edinburgh Airport (EDI). (www.edinburghairport.com) Edinburgh Airport is situated 12km (8 miles) west of Edinburgh. Tel: <p>0844 481 8989.</p>.

Glasgow Airport (GLA). (www.glasgowairport.com) Glasgow Airport is located 13km (8 miles) west of Glasgow. Tel: <p>0844 481 5555.</p>.

Leeds Bradford International Airport (LBA). (www.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk) Leeds Bradford International Airport is situated 18km (11 miles) northwest of Leeds and 11km (7 miles) north of Bradford in West Yorkshire. Tel: <p>0871 288 2288.</p>.

London Gatwick Airport (LGW). (www.gatwickairport.com) London Gatwick Airport is located 45km (28 miles) south of London. Tel: <p>0844 892 0322.</p>.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR). (www.heathrowairport.com) London Heathrow Airport is located 24km (15 miles) west of central London. Tel: <p>0844 335 1801.</p>.

London Luton Airport (LTN). (www.london-luton.co.uk) London Luton Airport is located 51km (32 miles) north of central London. Tel: <p>(01582) 405 100.</p>.

London Stansted Airport (STN). (www.stanstedairport.com) London Stansted Airport is located 48km (30 miles) northeast of central London, in Essex. Tel: <p>0844 335 1803.</p>.

Manchester Airport (MAN). (www.manchesterairport.co.uk) Manchester Airport is located 17km (10 miles) southwest of Manchester. Tel: <p>0871 271 0711.</p>.

Dover (www.doverport.co.uk), Harwich (www.harwich.co.uk), Holyhead (www.holyheadport.com) and Portsmouth (www.portsmouth-port.co.uk).

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: 0871 244 0744; www.brittany-ferries.co.uk); DFDS Seaways (tel: 0871 522 9955; www.dfdsseaways.co.uk); P&O Ferries (tel: 0871 664 6464; www.poferries.com); Stena Line (tel: 08447 707070; www.stenaline.com).

Trains meet connecting ferries at Dover, Newhaven, Portsmouth and Weymouth, sailing for Belgium, France, Germany and Spain; and at Harwich, sailing for Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia.

Eurotunnel (tel: 08443 35 35 35, in the UK only; www.eurotunnel.com) runs shuttle trains for vehicles between Folkestone in the UK and Calais in France. All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform. Services run every day of the year. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time of year and whether or not you have a reservation. The price applies to the car, regardless of the number of passengers or size of the car.

Eurostar (tel: 08432 186 186; www.eurostar.com) operates direct high-speed trains from London to Paris and to Brussels. It takes 2 hours 15 minutes from London to Paris (via Lille) and 1 hour 51 minutes to Brussels. The Eurostar terminal moved to St Pancras in late 2007.

InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).