28 hours on a FERRY from Europe to Africa (rough)
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- Опубліковано 27 чер 2024
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I took an almost 30-hour overnight boat ride from Italy to Tunisia, because I wanted my first visit to Africa to be one to remember, arriving properly across the Mediterranean sea. And because I wanted to show you what it's like aboard one of the last ships to take you between Europe and Africa without flying.
➡️ Airalo is where I get good-value travel e-sims: airalo.tp.st/0a7CSKiV
I was in a private exterior room on the GNV Fantastic ferry, from Genoa to Tunis. We actually had really rough seas, and the trip was not exactly exciting, but I'm really glad I did it.
I also did Leipzig to Genoa by train before this, making the entire thing Leipzig to Africa without flying: • First Class DELUXE Sui...
More info: www.seat61.com/Tunisia.htm
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#travel #tunisia #boat
0:00 I rode a ferry from Europe to Africa
1:02 Boarding ferry from Italy to Tunisia
2:41 Private cabin on GNV ferry to Tunisia
3:59 Sailing away from Genoa to Tunis
4:40 GNV Fantastic tour
7:09 Mediterranean sunrise
9:22 GNV Fantastic restaurants and views
11:59 Why travel without flying?
14:27 How much does the ferry from Italy to Tunisia cost?
15:37 Arriving in Tunisia by ferry
What's the longest journey you've ever done by boat?
Also, if you want to hear a couple of Tunsia stories early ➡ www.patreon.com/tomthornton
It’s all adventure isn’t it? Mm. Alaska to Mexico for me…or maybe it was Uk to Spitsbergen/Svalbard was longer. Worth extra sometimes for comfort. We often take inside cabins now as they are totally fine!
Ancona Patras/ Piraeus Haifa/ Aqaba Nuweiba.
Ft. Lauderdale, FLA to Barbados. It was delightful!
Assuan Egypt to Wadi Halfa Sudan. As you say-A story for the grandkids
Amsterdam-Newcastle as I explained in my post! Probably around 14 hours or something, evening to morning. Absolutely worth it.
Only beginners go on a ferry without a pan set.
I have a lot to learn 🫡
What do you call a pan set ? Do you mean for cooking ?
Why do you need a pan set?
@@joselynrijna462 If you are a truck driver and you are going to spend the next couple of weeks driving through Africa, a good set of pans and cooking pots may be something very usefull.
Remember, this is not a cruise ship, it's a ferry.
@@olli1068 why? Can’t you buy food?
'Genoese boarding being as easy and safe for foot passengers as living underwater' is possibly the best comparison I've ever heard. Took a ferry from Bari to Dubrovnik a few months ago and Bari was just as bad-you walk along completely unsignposted asphalt roads with no assurances you're going the right way towards a weird-looking building with no signage and not many helpful people. Our boat left an hour late. Pretty sure it's because so many people got lost.
They genuinely see foot passengers as a nuisance, I swear ‼️
@@thornton I can guarantee you that. Much more money to be made shipping over lorries.
I would thank God instead of "OMG" or Neptune. That is no way to run a company.
Did that trip back in the 1980th several times bringing Peugeot 504 cars to Africa, driving them through Sahara and selling them in Niger or Benin - it was the legendary "Habib" under Tunesien flag, a great ship! - The journey took about 30 hours, too //
I never thought I'd be this excited for transport(?) videos until I started watching your channel. They're really good.
If I ever won the lottery, I'd send you to Antarctica
And I you, gigachadiusmaximuscaesar 💛
@@thornton Damn, my name is so cringe
Why does this sound vaguely like a threat xD
🐧 don't threaten me with a good time 🐧
@@thornton Flew to inland Antarctica (Wolf Fang camp) from Cape Town in January and avoided enduring the Drake Passage on a cruise boat. Very expensive but a life-changing (overnight) experience, and yes it was my 7th continent, the only one missing when I did all six inhabited continents in one calendar year a while back
What do you mean, last remaining? There's dozens of connections between Spain and Morocco, as well as some to Egypt from Greece and Cyprus... And also to Algeria from Spain and France...
All connections that have been running for decades are still operating //
Sète in France > Barcelona in Spain > Nador in Morocco is very popular with my family
Νο ferry to Egypt from Cyprus or Greece
@@mo4848 I just asked my Egyptian friend at work and he says it's a thing 😅
@@realhawaii5o maybe years ago? I actually live in the region....
Uk customs duty free allowance is 200 cigarettes, 90 litres of wine and 30 stainless steel pan sets. I usually melt them down for the scrap value but don’t tell anyone 🤫
Tom, you're my new favourite travel vlogger. Loved the flixtrain one and this one tops it. Dry humour is in such short supply on UA-cam. Well done.
Tom I really enjoy your content ! You don’t ramble and you go through each situation / stage intricately and with humour !
Great video as always. Travelling by boat is my favourite mode of travel. There's just something civilised about having your own cabin and being able to walk around and do stuff while you're moving towards your destination.
Good point, like being in a moving village!
Looking forward to your latest adventure, Tom…🛥️
I leave my pan set at home. I usually travel with a wok because it doubles as a sun hat
this is next-level
Thanks for another great video, Tom!
There's still many ferries from France and Spain to Morocco, for example. Plus, if I remember correctly, there's still a number from France, Spain and Italy to Algeria.
And we enjoy videos like this..good to have you back 🎉🎉
Very enjoyable. Being familiar with ferry crossings to the UK and Europe from Ireland, I could relate to the rocking and rolling of the ship. It enriches the whole experience. Like you said, it’s like being part of a story. Impressed that you learned some of the language during your trip. Hope you experienced the best of Tunisian hospitality, culture and delicious food. Really looking forward to your next video.
still remember the days when you had a direct Plymouth to Tunisia ferry, don't remember which port it went to... but it was a weekly service fairly famous with us Boat-spotters (that slightly heretical branch of the huffer-puffer family)
I believe, today, the main kind of foot-passenger the boat does get is the occasional bus (and yes, there are bus services from Prague to central Tunisia that use this boat)...
Another great video Tom, always enjoy watching these.
Your videos are always so calming and relaxing. Really enjoy watching them!
Thank you! :)
We had a school trip to Ireland and traveled in a ferry over night from Cherbourgh to Rosslare during a massive storm. We had tiny cabins with four beds - below the waterline! I saw people just lying on the floor because they were too sick to get up. It was a f-ing nightmare. Oh, and it was 3 years after the Estonia disaster.
Below the waterline would of been better that higher up
@@dazlebluefrogify in terms of Amplitude, yes. In terms of claustrophobia, hell no
@@dazlebluefrogify depends, less oxygen below, and the boat moves as a whole if the seas get really bad (this is from a person who regularly took Scotland's longest ferry)... so, you would prefer to be on a lower above-water deck.
you have such a lovely calming voice to tell things
Another banger video!
feel like a brand new person 🎶
I absolutly love your videos. They are so calming and make up for the fact that I dont have the money to do these journeys myself :)
I was at Genoa last week, saw these boats in port. Interesting to watch your video, a journey I won't ever be making. Having said that I have been to Tunis port, on a cruise, but I remaind onboard. That night there was a storm and the ship was very rocky, luckily for me I've now found my sea legs so I wasn't unwell. Longest sea journey, apart from a cruise, Plymouth to Santander with Brittany Ferries, it was 1992, two nighs and a day and a very uncomfortable Bay of Biscay!
Another nice video Tom. 👍
I enjoyed your subtle humor
@tom thornton, you can actually fly to antarctica for only about 400 usd round trip: from southern chile or Argentina, from either Punta Arenas, or Ussuaia, they fly a fleet of AVRO RJ 100s (Or BAE 146's) to a gravel runway on antarctica, that wont break your bank account, and is a once in a lifetime, experience. Alternatively, Latam airlines operates seasonal 787 Dreamliner flights to antarctica, that if you time it right, are actually possible to book!
Which airline does it
I was thinking of the French Northern Territories Ferry, it's a more fulfilling way to travel for someone like Tim,
but you do have to get to Reunion first (I guess there are Lowcoster flights to the Mauritius and then you could get a ferry from there, it's only like 12 hours)
the ferry itself is I think in the 450 USD region, taking 46 days for a full tropics to Antarctica and back round trip if I remember correctly
I did the Genoa-Palermo trip a few weeks ago….we had a car, and someone fluent in Italian, and checking in was still chaos! But I agree, it’s so cool to actually experience those distances. Can’t wait to see the Tunisia videos!
This video had such a calming vibe, well done! I’ve gone on a couple of cruises and my favorite part is waking up and stepping on the balcony to watch the ocean. I think you‘d really enjoy another traditional ocean ferry, like the Atlantic crossing (on the famous Queen Mary) or taking the ferry route in Norway with Hurtigruten on its historic mail route. Can’t wait to see more of your adventures!
Thanks! :) I actually have the Hurtigruten in my norway video, but yea, would love to do transatlantic all dressed-up!
Very glad to have been pushed this video today. Great vid!
I remember leaving on a cruise last year from Genoa and seeing those giant ferries and wondering "where are they actually going?" . Now I know 😅
My son and I did the Stockholm to Helsinki on a Viking line ferry. Private inside room for 2 was $100. 18 hour crossing. I agree, much better story and memories than a simple flight. Nice and relaxing and met some nice locals. Would definitely do it again and will have to check this one out.
Another great video. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! :)
Lad! Looks a great trip
I took a ferry from Buenos Aires to Uruguay...wouldn't have missed it for the world. Of course, that ride was only 1 hr 15 min each way. Great way to travel. George, Canada
thank you for this video
It really is a different kind of travel. I loved taking the flixbus for 15 hours, then some local buses to get to where I want. A little urban adventure. Seeing that sunrise must have been magical, no wonder you spend time just looking out the window.
To love a flixbus journey, you must be tougher than me 😲
@thornton I really lucked out with having the row to myself in most buses. A lot of it was nighttime travel where I could zone out to music. I got to travel with the Calais-Dover Ferry several times and with the train once, so two experiences for the price of one.
Very interesting and congrats on your 6th continent 👍🏻😊 Hope you have a good time in Tunis
Thanks for that interesting video. What an amazing journey. Many years ago I took a ferry from Spain to Morocco, but the trip you took seems even more exciting.
Just came across your channel, love your content.
What a super journey - all power to your elbow….
As a native speaker, I just had to google that phrase because I never heard it before 😆 but thanks!
Oh my god, 18min video and 5 ad breaks, 30-40sec non skippable.
UA-cam is rigged 😢
I did a 16 hours Ferry from Barcelona to Italy once across the med, was long but a great experience!
Sorry you missed the combination promo of soap and a pan set.
might have to do another lap on the good ship Fantastic to cop that
Your a great storyteller you future grandkids will be so blessed!
Nice videos. I've got some watching to do. 😊
Travel safe my friend 😁🙂
Try the 12 to 14 hour overnight ferry crossing between Aberdeen and Lerwick in Shetland (Northlink Ferries), it crosses a point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea and can get rather “interesting” especially in the winter when the storms roll over the Atlantic towards the UK form the US.. also wanted to try Smryl Line which takes 4 days from Denmark to Faroe Islands which runs weekly and used to call in at Lerwick in Shetland.. both routes have a “very rough” reputation with storms and rough seas..
2 of my absolute bucket list trips, particularly the one to Thorshavn!
One of my first jobs after leaving school was as a barman on the my Hjaltland running between Aberdeen and Lerwick. Never once in three years did I get bored crossing the route. The scenery was just beautiful particularly passing the remote Fair Isle at 4.30am in the morning, watching the birds and sheep as we passed. I usually standing at the bar by myself as most passengers were in bed, I used to have an espresso as we went passed..
I'm getting nostalgic just reading this 🏴 I need to make another scotland video soon!!
there are many people from tunisia, morocco and algeria living in europe who use these ferries in summer to visit back home. especially when wanting to use a car in their holiday and wanting to bring goods to their family make it a better option then flying. especially with family.
Love it , and I totally get it , I hate flying if there is an alternative Boat/Coach/Train etc even if its more expensive ill take it .
Your videos opened my eyes to non-plane travel and it has added so much surprise and delight to my trips where it’s offered. As cheesy as it sounds, it really does make you slow down and smell the roses, even if the smelling roses part is in the form of feeling like in Inception 😅 airports and airplanes are also just not great places in general
yes exactly :) and I agree, some trips I'm just in way too many airports and it's definitely not a healthy place to spend time.
Absolutely lovely video! I can relate to the feeling you get on such a journey, it is something else and absolutely worth the added time (and possibly money, depending). I had a similar, but a bit smaller experience a couple of years ago when I wanted to travel to Edinburgh from Berlin without flying. I rode by train to Amsterdam, then took a ferry to Newcastle across the North Sea. It was great! Such an adventurous feeling, even though it was just through one night, but having the sea all around you is magical. In the morning, I attended a little informational class on dolpins a marine biologist on the ship gave regularly which included watching some!
Also, I would never have visited Newcastle in my life for sure, but it was really interesting, too! Went to a great museum with photographs of the old worker's houses around the shipyards, took a stroll by the football stadium, and had a lovely coffee and pastry in a café under the train bridges. Then took a very nice trainride up north. I'll remember that journey forever, which I certainly wouldn't have if I'd just taken a 1h flight or however long it would have taken. I've been dreaming of doing something similar someday again, and Genoa-Tunis seems like a great journey!
Yesss exactly! Thanks for your comment ☺️ that’s another element that I neglected to mention, I never would have been to Genoa otherwise. Just like you and Newcastle (where I also haven’t been, to be honest 🙈)
I was working in one of those ships for a different Italian company :) I have been sent pretty much everywhere in the Mediterranean and I can ensure you this type of traveling it’s still used by sooo many people
Really enjoyed the video
I've done Rome across to Barcelona but I used to regularly take the 20 hour Aberdeen to Lerwick Northlink. That was fun in winter!
Those onboard pools are usually only filled when the weather is calm and seawater is warm.
Thanks!
thanks Paul! 🎁🎉
If you want rough, the Spirit of Tasmania, between Geelong and Devonport, in mid winter is a decent adventure. It's only about 12 hours :) Bass Strait are some of the roughest waters in Australia.
Enjoyable video with lots of interesting detail. I do want to take the ferry to Tunis at some time but I had thought of making the shorter crossing Palermo-Tunis. You take the overnight train Milan-Palermo (which uses the train ferry between the mainland and Sicily), stop in Palermo for a couple of days then board the ferry Palermo-Tunis.
Ad a cruiser I can tell you that traveling by sea is beautiful! You really feel the journey itself sometimes more than the destination itself! You should try a cruise experience once!
I'm with you, more fun to take the boat plus not as far to fall.😐 Certainly worth it for a window and lucky to get a double where the other person was absent. Water was beautiful and a safe trip.
I've made it a habit to travel from the Continent to the UK by train and/or ferryboat. IJmuiden near Amsterdam to Newcastle is about 17 hours, which is plenty of time to enjoy the roof bar, restaurant, some company, a good night's sleep and an extended breakfast before arrival. Mostly I book a cabin for two and have been lucky so far to have it for myself. In the 1980s and 90s I'd use the ferryboat from Brindisi to Patras a couple of times. Travel time is similar to IJmuiden - Newcastle, although during summertime you could spend the night on the upper deck and enjoy the night sky.
loveley! will be on the ferry soon with my motorcycle 😅
I can't believe he managed to make a regular, boring ferry into 20 minutes of content.
New to your channel. Wonderful content! I’m looking forward to watching more! Safe travels!! 😊
I had a trip in December with flight to London, bus and train to Berlin and then a flight back home. The trio with bus and train was the longest, but also the one I annoyed most.
Another winner.
"you can connect any two dots on a map by flying and then forget all about it, but this is a journey I'll be telling people about for years!" - makes me think of the time I took a flixbus to go from barcelona, spain, to our hometown of leipzig, germany, which was almost eight years ago and I still tell the story sometimes
Grim memories, I’m sure 🙈
@@thornton actually not! 😅Although it may sound surprising, I get that ^^
the alternative would've been faster by about 24 hrs, but also way more exhausting and about 200€ more expensive. At the time and under the circumstances, I genuinely preferred the flixbus.
For context: flying would've meant to take two metros and a train to the airport, a shuttle from one terminal to the other, then check-in and fly to Berlin, to the crappy temporary airport they had while BER was delayed, pick up my luggage, take an S-Bahn through Berlin and then a train (or flixbus) to Leipzig. Considering the fact that I was hauling 2 large pieces of luggage, 43kg total, by myself, that amount of transitioning just sounded very exhausting to me.
Flixbus, meanwhile, took me from BCN city centre to LE city centre with only one transistion in Düsseldorf.
On top of that, it was rather spontaneous AND a bank holiday weekend in spain which had made the airfare prizes (for me + 2 large pcs of luggage on ryanair) get kinda high (around 250 for the whole journey incl Berlin-LE), while the flixbus was 60€ including luggage....
Now, I didn't exactly have high expectations for the 31hr Flixbus experience and I must say, it was actually okay. There were a few stops that took 20-30 minutes in a place where one would be able to hop into a café, buy a snack and use an actual bathroom. During the nighttime section (22-5 or something) they only sold half the seats so every passenger had an adjustable double-seat to themselves. The wifi was working just fine, the other passengers were nice...people were quiet during the night... I know I was incredibly lucky in all of these aspects, but yeah, it was actually just fine!
Would I do it again, especially now that I'm over 30? Um.... probably not 🤣
The _Salt Express_ for whenever any Italians feel the ancestral urge to go dunk on Carthage.
Very kool views and very kool video
Tunisia ia a fantastic country. As a westerner only the minivan bus terminal seemed pretty crazy.
Only if yiu go to tran station on the country side, like el djem if you want to se the roman amphitheater of the movies Gladiator, the screens only are in Arabic
Remember if you go to that amphi theater, remember the ticket includes the arceological museum. Its worth the detour
Fascinating journey! I wonder if the shorter crossing from Sicily is still operating? Way back, I did cross the Med to Africa by ferry once, only the 90 minutes from Algeciras to Tangier though!
Awesome video Tom! I too have never been to Africa so this might well be the way I do it :)
Can I actually recommend it: no
Should you do it anyway: potentially yes 👍🏼
@@thornton That's enough for me haha
Danke!
Thank you! I appreciate it ☺️
What a delightful cruise! I totally get why you would choose the ferry over a flight. Instead of transportation, you had a full-on experience. I think your cabin was very nice and very inexpensive. I'm a bit puzzled why the ferry has not chosen to offer more food options as it would be a revenue source. I was struck by how EMPTY the ship seemed compared to most ferries I have been on. I was also impressed by how nice the public areas seemed. I would definitely use the ferry if it suited my needs. Thanks so much for sharing your experience on it.
Flashback to nearly 20 years ago when I took a GNV ferry from Genoa to Palermo with some mates. Bonus fact: GNV means Grandi Navi Veloci... Or in translation "Big Fast Ship".
Your translation is perfectly accurate, but I feel it works even better when translated literally:
BIG SHIP FAST!
So, when we going to Antarctica :)
👀👀
Nice video tom glad i've found your site, so subcribed to see what you have and wîĺl be up to, as an english born frog coming to see my dads side of the family we'd always use the dover/calais or bologne route back in the 70/80's or even the hovercraft i loved it ,then when i did national service in fontainebleau south of paris i'd get the friday night train/boat / tain to london via dieppe and newhaven cause it was cheap at 30 quid lol ,my dad always said the roughest crossing he's done on a boat was the med from sete in the south of france to algeria were he had to go in 61 for the war ,sod the eurostar give me a ferry crossing any day lol
we sailed around denmark in 10th grade(germany) it was very cool, but sadly i got very seasick. almost 6 days
Tom, if you like weird journeys, i can recommend you the ICE 699 from hamburg to munich. The trip takes 13 hours, but you could travel in 5 hours also. Sth. the ICE has not the number 699, but sth else. But the journey always takes more than 12 hours.
ive sail all or most of the ferry routes in Eu,Uk,Ireland,scandinavian
as a trucker lol..
private room with free meals
I never go anywhere without my kettle.for coffee eggs noodles veggies no problem!
I use to run a travel company specialising in Tunisia and Egypt. If I can recommend something, try a dish called brik. It is a pastry filled with mashed potatoes, egg and whatever you desire. My favorite is sea food, but there are also vegetable options and meet. I hope You have a great time in Tunisia. They have the best cuisine, because it is a mix of oriental and French flavours. Can't wait for next videos.
Sorry for asking but where are you from? Norwegian or you just put that flag ?
@@WhiteAngel14ProMax My parents were Polish, I grew up in Kuwait and I live in Norway for 11 years now. Between 2001 -2015 I worked In tour operator industry and travelled half of the world and got paid for it. Best job ever.
There are more crossings than you might think which link southern Europe with north Africa.
I took GNV's sister ship to this from Genoa to Barcelona which was part of a triangular route then taking passengers on to Algiers I think after Barcelona. I was in my car as part of a long European road trip and port confines are enormous - can't imagine how difficult it was for foot passengers.
I also booked a 'double bedded suite' which was only really a normal cabin with a double bed in it. A double bed that I later found out was likely full of bed bugs as the day after getting off the ship broke out in nasty rashes down both arms.
I'm use to taking the clean comfy, bright and atmospheric crossings with Brittany Ferries across the western English channel - there was a strange atmosphere on this ship. I guess it's because it's more a life line route and didn't have the joyous holiday feeling that I was used to., it's quite hard to explain. Despite finding it a weird atmosphere on board, being eaten alive by bed bugs and finding the ship a little grotty, I really enjoyed it for different reasons. The food was really good especially in the deserted sit-down restaurant which churned out the most amazing pizzas.
I've taken a few long ferry routes, this one was 20hrs I think. I've done Plymouth to Santander which is 24hrs and Stockholm to Helsinki which is 17hrs but plan on taking the longest northern passage from Denmark to Iceland at some point in the future which makes a brief stop at the Faroe Islands which I believe is around 34hrs. There's also a crossing I'd like to do from Spain out to the Canaries which is around 37hrs and Japan to South Korea which is around 40hrs. Some day I'll complete them all!
Great video!
The ship looks simple and like there is nothing to do. Very few services. The Helsinki - Tallinn and Helsinki - Stockholm ferries have a lot more services, shops, tax-free, a casino, several restaurants, karaoke bars, a night club and even a Burger King. And the price of the ship is cheaper in Finland, Sweden and Estonia. Other things look the same on the Tunis - Genoa ship. But the glass display/vitrine with traditional Arabian dishes and traditional clothes looks great.
Good job, Tangier-Tarifa ferry should be next, followed by an AlBuraq train to Casablanca and Marrakech.
Didn't know about the existence of this connection from Genoa. Knew only about the one from Trapani (South Italy).
I'm puting Tunis back on my short list!
PS: from Genoa there's also a ferry connection to Morocco!
There's also a Algiers-Genoa and Annaba-Genoa connection
You have a good taste in music.
Actually I have never been to the US but when it happens I want it to be by Cunard's transatlantic Queen Mary 2. It takes about a week, surprisingly doesn't cost that much more than a plane and it must be a superb experience. On the way back I would happily take the plane though.
one of the last ferries connections? just from Algeria
Oran - Alicante
Oran - Marseille
Algiers - Alicante
Algiers - Barcelona
Algiers - Marseille
Béjaïa - Marseille
Skikda - Marseille
Annaba - Marseille
There are cruises to Antarctica! I'd love to do it one day.
Same 😭
That's the type of football game that plays on a TV in the background of a TV show lol
Justice for Bologna U19s 😭
I’ve been to a lot of countries. My trip too Tunisia was horrible. I hope your visit there will be better than mine.
You should do Morocco next, seeing Jbel Moussa from Gibraltar and going past it by ferry is magical. You might see some dolphines and whales as well.
Could you imagine if red funnel were running that route it probably cost about £3000 another fantastic video
💀 so true.
Ferries allow your soul to keep up with you, unlike plane travel.
Next time you need soap in a bathroom you can grab a cup in the food area and visit one of the public bathrooms. I may or may not have refilled my pump liquid hand soap container at a public restroom on our last cruise ship when it ran empty.
did a 28 hours trip from Gothenburg via Oslo to Newcastle in the 90's
Good stuff, Tom! How was the internet on the ferry?
The hardest part of riding a ferry from "Eruope" to Africa is finding "Eruope".