England to France - Channel Tunnel > Reviews > All aboard Le Shuttle!!

Author's product rating:   

Frequency of trains	Good
Reliability of trains	Mostly on time
Comfort of trains	Comfortable
On-board facilities	Satisfactory

Advantages:	Faster than the ferries and no sea sickness !  !
Disadvantages:	Can be expensive during school holidays, long waits normally on the french side

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Having travelled on the Shuttle quite a few times now, i would highly recommend it, especially if you want a short, sharp trip over to France to do some shopping. I can't stand Ferries very much, i tend to get sea sick, even if the sea is still as still can be!!

Living in Kent, is an advantage to Le Shuttle travellers, it is quicker for me to go to France than it is to travel to London sometimes!!

The check in at Folkstone is quick and efficient, i tend to purchase a flexi ticket, which although may cost a little more, works out better as you can always get on the next available train without having to pay extra most of the time.

They tend to have a wide range of cheap day fares, which is ok if you just want to shop and come back.
It can be an expensive mode of travel for longer trips though, as i found out when holidaying in Paris this year.

Although the trip is short, it can seem quite long, as there is nothing to do, but then it is only half an hour or so, so it's not too bad. They also have toilets on board!! A must if you travel with children.

If you are travelling from much further afield than the south east of england, then i would recommend you take the Shuttle if you intend to buy a large amount of shopping and make a day of it.

On the negative side, i have always found the check in service and passport control on the French side a little bit disorganised, and end up having to wait a long time to board.

For longer trips, i would recommend the ferries or EasyJet!!