Freighter Travel from Charleston: Routes, Lines and What a Berth Costs

Freighter travel from Charleston puts you on a working cargo ship with a cabin, three meals a day and no entertainment programme — and takes you to northern Europe without boarding an aircraft. This is what sails from Charleston, what a berth costs and how to join the ship.

Where Charleston is, and what it handles

Charleston sits on the Atlantic in the United States, in the city of the same name. The port works containers, cars and project cargo.

Charleston has the deepest harbour on the US east coast, so it takes the largest container ships without waiting for the tide.

Which lines carry passengers from Charleston

Only a minority of cargo lines take passengers at all, and which of them calls at Charleston changes from season to season as rotations are redrawn. That is the single thing most people get wrong when planning a voyage: a line that carried passengers here last year may not be running the route this year.

A freighter carries between two and twelve passengers. There is no tender, no second sitting and no alternative if the ship is full, so the practical constraint on freighter travel from Charleston is availability rather than price. Tell us the month you want and we will tell you which ships have a berth.

Where you can sail from Charleston

From Charleston the scheduled trades run to northern Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia via Suez and Panama.

What it costs

A berth is priced by the day rather than by the voyage, and the fare is full board: a private cabin with a window, usually with a separate sitting area, and every meal. There is no cheaper class, because there is only one standard of passenger cabin on a working ship.

Against a flight it looks expensive. Against a cruise of the same length it rarely does, and almost nothing is extra once you are aboard — bar drinks and the occasional port fee, and that is the list. Fares from Charleston move with the route and the season, so ask for a current figure for the sailing you want.

Getting to Charleston

The nearest airport is Charleston International. From there, Charleston, Amtrak Silver Service. Plan to be in Charleston the evening before your sailing date: cargo ships bring their departure forward as readily as they delay it, and a ship that finishes loading early will sail early.

Who can travel

There is a doctor on very few freighters, so most lines set an upper age limit around 79 and ask for a fitness-to-travel certificate above about 65. Deviation insurance is required — it covers the cost of putting the ship off its route in an emergency, and no line will board you without it. Children are accepted by some lines and not others.

Questions people ask about Charleston

Can you travel by cargo ship from Charleston?

Yes — Charleston handles containers, cars and project cargo, and some of the lines calling here carry a small number of passengers. Berths are limited to a handful per sailing and are usually booked months ahead, so availability rather than price is the real constraint.

How much does freighter travel from Charleston cost?

A freighter berth is priced by the day rather than by the voyage, and it is full board: a private cabin, every meal, and no second class. Fares move with the route and the season, so ask for a current figure for the sailing you want rather than working from a published table.

What is a freighter cabin like?

Larger than a cruise cabin and plainer. You get a private room with a window or porthole, a desk, a bathroom and usually a separate sitting area. There is no entertainment programme, no pool attendant and no wifi worth the name — which is the point for most people who choose it.

How do I get to the port?

Fly in to Charleston International, then continue to the quay — Charleston, Amtrak Silver Service. Lines normally ask you to be in the port city the night before sailing, because a ship that finishes loading early will sail early and it will not wait.

Read next

• Freighter travel from Montreal — the other North America option on the same trades.
• Freighter travel from Baltimore — the other North America option on the same trades.
• Freighter travel from Houston — the other North America option on the same trades.
• North America freighter routes — how Charleston fits the wider picture.
• Read about the largest ports in the world.
• Read about how long an Atlantic crossing takes.

Ask us what is sailing from Charleston — tell us your month and we will tell you what has a berth.