Free or Low Cost Travel for Ukrainians

We are aware that with time it has become more difficult to find free or low-cost travel options from Ukraine to the UK. To help you and your guest arrange transport to the UK, we have put together a list of suggestions as to what is available in different countries across Europe. The list below is correct as of 28th September 2023.

Trains

Poland

The train journeys are no longer free for Ukrainians, however, train tickets in Poland are a lot cheaper than they are in the UK and there are ways to travel very cheaply. You can search for tickets here. Look for connections marked as TLK, which offer the cheapest tickets.

Germany

Ukrainians are able to get a free ticket to get through Germany, it is possible to use it to travel onwards to following countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, to Paris and Marseille in France (ICE, TGV and Thalys), Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia and Italy/South Tyrol. More information here.

France

SNCF offers 1 free journey through France and to neighbouring European countries upon presenting Ukrainian passport or ID card, more information here

Eurostar offers free travel to London St Pancras from following stations: Paris Nord, Lille Europe.

Belgium

Free onward travel for those arriving with Deutsche Bahn’s Help Ukraine ticket

Eurostar offers free travel to London St Pancras from Brussels-Midi.

Netherlands

Free 1 day one-day ticket on Dutch railway  

Eurostar offers free travel to London St Pancras from following stations: Rotterdam Central, Amsterdam Central.

Slovakia

Free rail journeys for Ukrainians. Information on the website is only available in Slovak and in Ukrainian.

Spain

Renfe are offering free travel on the rail network in Spain.

Other Countries

Trainline has a good and up to date list of what different countries are offering.

Car Sharing

BlaBlaCar – it is possible to find car sharing opportunities for journeys across Europe. There is a cost attached to each journey, but it is always a very affordable option.  

Facebook Group ‘Liftshare – Calais and Dunkirk Refugee Camps’ – is a very active group with lots of volunteers crossing over from Calais/UK nearly everyday. You may need to join the group and ask on there if anyone could take your guest (this is always free travel, with maybe a bit of petrol money needed).

Travel within the UK

National express offers free travel within the UK.

Rail companies offer free journeys for the first 48h after someone enters UK.

Travelling with Pets

It is possible to travel with pets on trains, and it may also be possible to travel with pets using car sharing websites. However your guests would need to check with the driver first. Ifaw produced a brilliant guide explaining entry requirements for pets in different countries across Europe, which you can find here.