Tell me about using the Eurotunnel

In 11 years of annual holidays on the continent, I have always gone via ferry. The only exceptions have been a couple of train journeys to Paris.

That said, I have never used the Tunnel as part of my car journey.

What is it like? Do you stay seated in your car? How long is the crossing? What is embarkation like? Do you queue up like you do at the ferry?

Any information/descriptions of the whole experience would be much appreciated!

You will die of asphyxiation when you go under the channel.

There be dragons, and monsters and scary tannoy announcements.
🙄

Its better in every respect than the ferry.

There is a queueing system but if you arrive early (or late) the let you on the next train there is space. And the trains are like every 20 mins or something. You sit in your car or walk around the carriage, but it is over so quickly its hardly an issue.

Its basically brilliant. Just costs more.

It’s like driving onto the ferry but you drive onto a train and stay in/around your car. Only takes half an hours though.

It was bloody expensive when compared to any ferry, especially with bike and boats on the car. 😕

When you arrive you are lined up in lanes like the ferry where you wait for the next train. When it comes to embarking simply drive onto the back of the train and through it as it fills up from the front. You’ll be stopped by a train bloke then all the internal doors will close. You barely notice the train setting off but once underway you can get out and use the toilets or walk around the carriage, not that you can walk far.
Disembarking is the same with you driving inside the train until your out on the road again and straight onto the motorways towards Paris.
It all feels a bit surreal at first but I wouldn’t go any other way now. it’s never taken me more than an hour to arrive at Folkestone to getting off at Calais with around 30 mins on the train it self.

There is a queueing system but if you arrive early (or late) the let you on the next train there is space. And the trains are like every 20 mins or something. You sit in your car or walk around the carriage, but it is over so quickly its hardly an issue.

This. They tend to email you a few weeks beforehand to let you know if it’s a particularly busy travel day in which case, it’s almost pointless to turn up early. You can also book flexi-fares which allow you lots of latitude in terms of arriving early or late, but these are much pricier IME.

Way better than the ferry IMO, especially at the other end where you’re on the motorway pretty much off the train. YOu can either sit inside your car or get out and lean against it. 🙂

If you just want to get going on your journey it is a lot better – we only live half an hour away but we get kids in car in pjs and then on the train they get changed and we have breakfast and by the time that is done it is time to get of, no hanging around. But I can imagine that if you had a long drive home afterwards you might want to relax on the ferry.

But as all travel delays are not unknown but they do try and get you on the next available train and if early you can often get on the earlier train. Plus no chance of sea sickness.

I am a confirmed ferryist, just like the idea of sailing, and alwys spend a few hours at the MX track at Dunkirk. Used the Chunnel for the first time 2 years ago, holy cow it was easy and fast. If time is of the essence then train every time. You can get some deals if you look around but it is always more expensive that the ferry.

Tesco vouchers can be redeemed at 3x or 4x value, makes it cheaper/free. Bikes on the roof didn’t add anything to the ticket price – you just get stuck in with the lorries / vw T5s.

So much better than the ferry and not affected by strong winds, but the view out the windows is a bit rubbish

especially with bike and boats on the car

Cant speak for boats but pretty sure you dont pay extra for bikes on the car, you just have to have book a high space slot rather than the standard one and there are fewer of these.

It’s easy, quick and not too expensive. If you turn up early you can take an earlier crossing if there’s space.

Easy, quick, no seasickness, no risk of sinking

Its better in every respect than the ferry.

It’s not so good for people-watching…

Price, book well in advance. It’s more expensive if it’s a last minute thing. Likewise unsociable hours can be cheaper. Popular more expensive.

Pick the non flexible option for cheaper also. Unless you need it to be more flexible such as being able to turn up at any time or flexible return day.

Day trip is much cheaper also.

Don’t thing anybody has mentioned what happens when they have broken down trains…..

….pray this never happens…..

….twice I’ve been caught out by this….hell on Earth….and I wasn’t even on a train.

mates came back from a recent Belgian race for their designated tunnel slot and were told it was at least an 11 hour wait. They sacked it and got a ferry.

Brilliant 99% of the time when it works, but when it goes wrong there is no plan “b”.

mates came back from a recent Belgian race for their designated tunnel slot and were told it was at least an 11 hour wait. They sacked it and got a ferry.

Passengers were stuck on a ferry recently for a similar length of time because the ramp got stuck, and I remember my parents waiting for hours for the sea to calm down enough for the ferry to get into Roscoff harbour. I’m not sure ferries are any more resilient when stuff goes wrong…

Love it – and would take some convincing to go any other way now.
the fact there is a train every 20 mins, and they’ll always put you on an earlier one if they have space is the best part.

Last summer we had a really good run back to Calais from Mont St Michel, and arrived 2 hours early.
they put us on the next available train, and we were home in Bromley before the train we’d actually booked had left Calais.

However, as others have said – if/when it goes wrong… it goes really wrong.

I like the ferries,wind in my hair,steely glint in my eye as I look to the horizon,Arrrr.

Are you allowed to let your dog out on the train? i.e. stretch their legs and have a bit of a sniff around

PS – I like the idea of kids going in PJs and get changed while on the train

It’s a pretty good way of taking a dog. They’ve got a special bit where you take it to be scanned on the way back. Also, your dog gets to stay with you in the car instead of you having to leave it where there are tons of other dogs barking and car alarms going off. 🙂 There’s a little take-the-dog-for-play-and-a-shit park UK side. Can’t remember but I think your dog has to stay inside the car on the train over. But it’s only 40ish mins till you’re out the other side.

I disagree with molgrips. It depends where you live.
Twice, we’ve driven down from the north west, battled the M6 and M25, waited yonks at the Dartford Crossing, stayed in the travelodge at Ashford, with its rubbishy mattresses. and finally, used the Eurotunnel to get to France.
Compare that with last year, when we had a much, much shorter, easier drive to Hull, an overnight ferry crossing with beautiful sunsets and an exciting night in a bunk, arriving at Zeebrugge, which is no further away from our destination in France than Calais is.

Fair point about location. But how expensive are those long ferry crossings?

When you take into account the petrol, Travelodge, and Eurotennel tickets it’s not that much different. Plus, avoiding a day queuing on the M6 and M25 has got to be worth money 🙂

Plus, I was so excited about sleeping on the boat that I felt our holiday started as soon as we arrived in Hull!

Plus, I felt our holiday started as soon as we arrived in Hull!

That’s quite possibly the first time anyone has ever said that!

We’ve found that it’s not that much different in price to the ferries – the ferry price is one thing, but then you have to add a £6 per person per trip fuel surcharge each way, whatever you spend on food and drink in the restaurant etc.

Much better than a ferry for a short trip (weekend / long weekend) in terms of time saved but we have used a ferry when we’ve been going over for a week as the extra couple of hours journey time makes little difference in that case.

Coming from Wales the longer ferries have always seemed terribly expensive, with a caravan.

Both of those things are your fault and no-one else’s.

when it goes wrong there is no plan “b”.

What’s the plan B for when the ferry goes wrong?

A different ferry? A different ferry company? There’s only 1 tunnel, there isn’t only 1 boat sailing between England and the continent. Yes the entire port (s) can be shut by extreme weather, but usually you have more options.

I’m pro tunnel, just highlighting one of the few drawbacks which others here have experienced.

You can’t play Time Crisis on the train.

Molgrips, have you tried booking a ferry though camping and caravan club? My comes have done this and found the cost ended up not much more than car only booking through ferry company direct.

Mrs North doesn’t do boats, so we’ve used it lots over the years.

The biggest pain is British traffic getting to Folkestone, esp. travelling from the North West – it’s then you realise you have to go via the M25 to get south of London.

Will take another look the brick, ta.

CountZero 😀