Decide on your location of departure. Ferries crossing the Channel leave from the south coast of England, from Portsmouth, Dover, Yarmouth, Poole and Brighton. Each ferry line tends to have its own departure port. The Eurotunnel port is in Folkestone.
Decide on the location for your arrival. Different ferry companies offer differing routes, depending on which part of France you’d like to travel to. Your ultimate destination may also have a bearing on which part of France you’d like to reach. Ferry ports in France include Dieppe, Calais, Le Havre, Caen, Cherbourg, St Malo and Roscoff.
Work out whether you’d like to travel by ferry or on the Channel Tunnel. Travelling by ferry means you will be parking your car on a car deck of the ferry and spending your time on the passenger decks. A ferry crossing of the Channel can take approximately an hour and a half. Making the crossing on the Channel Tunnel means you’ll be driving onto a shuttle train. This crossing can take around 35 minutes.
Book your tickets with your chosen ferry line or Eurotunnel. The easiest way to do this is through the company’s website. Prices are worked out on the number of passengers and the width and height of your vehicle. Large vehicles, ones with roof racks and ones towing caravans will cost more to transport. Choose your ticket based on the arrival time at the end of your journey rather than the departure time if you need to reach your destination by a certain point.
Make your car road worthy for driving in France. In France there are different driving laws and different speed limits, so you need to be aware of these before you set off. Traffic offences such as speeding are subject to on-the-spot fines in France and it’s compulsory to have a warning triangle in your car.
Turn up at your appointed port by at least the time stated on your ticket, not at the time of departure. This will allow time for on loading all cars and for any delays.
Be aware of the flow of traffic when you arrive at your destination. People drive on the right side of the road in France, so this means you need to give way to traffic at roundabouts to your left.
