Eurotunnel > Reviews (12)

So you want to go to France using the Eurotunnel...?

Recently I spotted a cheap deal on the Internet to take a car to France on the Eurotunnel; it cost me £29, for the car and two passengers. I thought this price sounded rather good and decided I would book it there and then. That's the real reason I wanted to try out the Eurotunnel, I'm always a sucker for a bargain!

Let me tell you about it...

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE CHANNEL TUNNEL AND THE EUROTUNNEL °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

I was a little confused because the Channel Tunnel and the Eurotunnel sound like much the same thing to me. Hopefully this will make things clearer for you...
The Channel Tunnel is the tunnel itself that connects the UK to France.
Eurotunnel is the operator of the high speed traintransport system which links the UK and France through the Channel Tunnel, and it runs between Folkestone which is near to Dover, Kent in the UK and Calais which is in France.

Le Shuttle is the name of the train service between Folkestone and Calais.
The EuroStar is the name of the train service between London and Paris-Brussels (note this op is not about the EuroStar).

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° HISTORY °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

The Channel Tunnel is ten years old now, opening back in 1994. The Eurotunnel system is made up of 3 tunnels - two main tunnels for trains and one tunnel which acts as a central service area. Each tunnel is 31 miles long, and runs approximately 40 metres deep under the seabed. It is actually the longest undersea rail tunnel in the world, which is pretty impressive.
The tunnels are in operation all year round, all day and all night long. Around 400 trains pass through the tunnel each day.

The shuttles travel at an average 87 miles per hour (140km/h if you are European!) and the whole journey takes around 35 minutes, which seems really crazy. It takes me that long to get a bus to Camden which is 5 miles from my house and in that time I could have popped on LeShuttle and been sampling some authentic French cuisine!

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° THINGS YOU SHOULD DO IN ADVANCE °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

If you are taking your car to France, you need to ensure you get a green card from your car insurer. This means that you are covered on your insurance policy for any accidents that may occur outside of the UK. This is reasonably priced - it cost us only £9 for the day but you need to contact your insurer a month in advance of your trip.

Your car will need a GB sticker, these are readily available in places like Halfords from about £1.50 for a magnetic one. However you don't need one if you have a numberplate that already displays the GB Euro logo.

You also need to apply headlamp adjusters to your car headlamps. If you don't apply these you will dazzle oncoming drivers with your lights as British cars are set up for driving on the left and they drive on the opposite side of the road on the continent. Again these are easily purchased in Halfords and they cost around £5.

It is recommended your car carry a warning triangle in case of breakdown.

Also a First Aid Kit and Fire Extinguisher are desirable but not essential. Again Halfords stock all these items.

If you have Pets with a 'Pet Passport' taking your dog or cat (or even bunny rabbit) is easy with Eurotunnel; your pet stays with you in your car and the journey is smooth and quick so hopefully your pet would be less distressed than say it would on a boat or a plane. You do have to buy a ticket for your pet to travel, which costs £30 (Guide dogs travel free however). Getting the Passport takes time so you need to think about this well in advance. For more information on getting a Pet Passport go to http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quaranti​ne/index.htm

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° HOW TO GET THERE (from the UK) °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

The Eurotunnel exit is situated at junction 11a just off the M20 motorway, we followed the road-signs towards Folkestone as it is situated just North of Folkestone. It is approximately 45 minutes drive from the M25 and junction 11a is a dedicated slip road for the Eurotunnel and is clearly signposted.

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE EUROTUNNEL CHECK-IN °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

I would suggest arriving at the very least, 30 minutes before your departure time on your booking form. You may miss your shuttle if you are any later than this. You can I believe get the next available shuttle with spaces, but this may not be for sometime - 2 hours or more and you may also have to pay an additional fee if your ticket decrees. Get there early, there is plenty to do (more about that later).

As you come off Junction 11a you will arrive at some booths that look rather like the tollbooths you get at the Dartford Tunnel Crossing. This is the Check-In point for your trip. Show the person in the booth your ticket or quote your booking reference number. They will hand you a card that you hang from your car's rear-view mirror, this will display a letter that applies to your particular shuttle crossing. Once you have this hanger, you can park your car at the Passenger Terminal Building (there are plenty of spaces for parking) and either wait inside it or go into the Terminal building (it's rather like a motorway service station).

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° THE PASSENGER TERMINAL BUILDING °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

The Passenger Terminal Building has a few places to get snacks and refreshments. There is a Burger King, a Little Chef Express, Prêt a Manger, and a Coffee Shop, plus a WHSmith and Whistlestop (small snack shop).

There are a couple of fairly large seating areas if you have purchased food and wish to eat inside the building (rather than in your car). I did find the seating area a little untidy when I went.

You can buy newspapers and books in WHSmith to amuse you on your journey, or
There is a bureau de change (Travelex) where you can change sterling into Euros, they do charge a fee but it's not too bad I was charged £3 for changing £130 into Euros.

There is also an AA shop which sells maps and items for use whilst driving on the continent (you can get the GB magnets here if you have forgotten them at Halfords!

)

An information/helpdesk sits in the centre of the building, with plenty of staff available to help you with any enquiries.

There are toilet facilities available that were clean, although not particularly fresh smelling when I went (nothing to do with me I hasten to add! Hopefully it will be better for you.

There are a couple of duty free shops selling watches, perfume and alcohol, which are good for a browse around.

Finally on the walls are TV monitors (rather like you get at an airport or train station) which keep you informed of your impending departure. Just look out for your departure number (that was on your hangar) on the screens. There is a tannoy system that announces your departure also. This is useful if you are waiting in your car in the car park. You can hear it clearly but I wouldn't advise having your car stereo on as you may miss it.

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° WHAT TO DO ONCE YOUR DEPARTURE LETTER HAS BEEN CALLED °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

Once your departure letter has been announced or you have seen it displayed on the monitors, you need to rejoin your vehicle (if you are not in it already) and proceed to the boarding area. Follow signs in the car park which say FRANCE. Both French and British customs and passport controls are located before you board, there are no checks on arrival, obviously have your passports to hand to show the officials. You will then join a queuing system that seemed very well organised to me. There are stewards on hand to guide you to the right place. We waited for around five minutes until it was time for our departure and then we drove around a corner to the area where LeShuttle was waiting for us.

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° ALL ABOARD °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

The trains are huge, they look like large metal containers. You drive on to the train at the designated entrance and then drive right down the middle of the train until you are told to stop (or the car in front stops first!) The trains actually have two decks for cars, so you could be sent up a ramp on to the top deck. They are easy to manoeuvre through, you have enough room to drive in a straight line down the centre of the carriages.

You are advised of certain things over a public address system on the train. Once you engine is switched off, firstly apply your car's handbrake, secondly leave the car in first gear or park (if it's automatic). You are also asked to open all your cars windows about half way, I am not sure why they do this, maybe so you can hear any announcements that are being made. A siren is played which tells you the sound that would be made if an emergency occurs (God forbid).
Once everyone is on board safely, the train doors close and it begins to pull away very gently. You hardly notice you are moving. You are able to tune your car radio into two 2 designated radio stations (1 for kids and 1 for the adults), these radio stations work throughout your entire journey (marvellous). Then all you need to do is just sit back and relax.

Should you need a toilet on your journey, there are some situated every few carriages along.

To reach the toilets, just follow the walkway that runs beside you car. You cannot walk between the cars, you must stay on the designated walkway.

There are small windows on the train but you cannot see anything as you are in a tunnel, so don't expect a scenic journey.

Before you know it, in fact 35 minutes after departure you arrive the other side of the Channel.

ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º° BIENVENUE °º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø

Once the train arrives and the doors open, you can start your engine and leave the train at the relevant exit, you will be guided by a steward, but if in doubt follow the car ahead! You leave the Eurotunnel without having to stop at customs (as mentioned earlier).

A Total petrol station with toilet facilities and mini-supermarket is located on the exit road.
There are very clear signposts directing you onto to the motorway or into the centre of Calais and also towards Cite Europe which is a large shopping centre, where many people go for cheap booze (worth a visit if you can stand the crowds).

And that my friends is my version of how to get to France using the Eurotunnel. I hope you enjoyed it and make a trip on it soon, I would highly recommend it.
Bon voyage!