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Eurotunnel good for cheap day-trips!


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Just booking to take a French friend and her dog over to Calais (she doesn't drive, and tunnel or ferry seems to be the only way to get the dog to France), and have been checking around the day-trip field a bit.

I was really surprised to discover that you can have a day return with Eurotunnel for £27 each way.  In fact if you are prepared to travel more unsocial hours, you can do it for as little as £22 each way. 
So I am taking them across, putting them on the train from Calais-Ville to Paris (sadly, not direct from Calais Frethun, as Eurostar doesn't take dogs! She'll have to change in Lille.), having a welcome half day in northern France, and back home to bed, for just £54.  Seemingly Eurotunnel make no charge for a dog on the UK to France leg (it would be £15 for France-to-UK).

I checked P&O as well and, though it looks cheap at £15 each way, they then add £6 each way fuel surcharge, and wanted £15 more for the dog, which would have come to £55.  Plus, during the voyage the dog  has to be left on his own in my car, which he doesn't know, so not nearly such a desirable scenario.

So I just thought I'd share that good bit of news in case anyone needs to do a pre-Christmas shopping trip!

Angela

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[quote user="Loiseau"]

So I just thought I'd share that good bit of news in case anyone needs to do a pre-Christmas shopping trip!
Angela

[/quote]

I agree this is good value for a day trip, in fact I did this yesterday. The downside is that you need to choose your crossing times carefully and allow extra time for checking. I posted earlier today some comments about my Eurotunnel experience and would now only consider travelling this way outside busy periods such as Bank and School holiday periods, Christmas booze trip days etc.

http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/769072/ShowPost.aspx

Baz

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You can actually benefit from these prices for a 2 day trip as well, as long as you only spend one night in france or england.

I have used this service 3 times recently for short return trips to the UK, it is cheaper and faster than the ferries but I have been delayed on some 50% of the crossings.

I usually pay 30 euros each way although the first time may french account was debited with significantly less than the amount on the booking confirmation they have failed to make this mistake again!

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It's actually £30 for a dog on Eurotunnel, and an absolute rip-off considering it takes 1 minute to check the dog's passport - you even have to do the micro-chip check yourself! What a moneyspinner, too, for French vets - our local one in Hesdin charges £48 a time, takes 1 minute & the actual cost of the drugs is E14!  And all totally unnecessary  - a once-yearly treatment against tics etc would be quite enough, and as for rabies, how long since the last outbreak in France - 20 years?

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[quote user="Eskenazi"]It's actually £30 for a dog on Eurotunnel, ...[/quote]

 

That's odd.  Eurotunnel defnitely told me £15, and only for the inward journey towards the UK.  And they don't ask the size of the dog at all, so it can't be based on that.
And they definitely charged nothing for the *outward* journey to France, 'cos I have just done it today!  Nobody wanted to look at the dog's passport at check-in, and we weren't given a "pets on board" sticker or anything.

However, I wonder if it's doing the booking online and ticking "dog" that makes the £15 plus £15 kick in? 
I was dealing with a one-way situation, and I indeed found the on-line booking wanted to charge me twice.  So I rang and discussed it with the booking staff, and then made the booking *without* mentioning the dog at all.  And then we presented him at the check-in when we arrived.  No problem.  Maybe that's a better way to do it, and you can save £15 per return crossing!

Angela.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

You might be able to get a day return for £44, but don't ever try to go just one way, as we had to last Monday when the wind stopped Transmanche from sailing, and Sea France were on strike. P&O didn't know which way up they were either.

Eurotunnel only wanted £161 for the single trip, at 10.00 in the evening. Talk about profiteering!

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To be fair to Eurotunnel - all the companies are a rip-off if you don't book in advance.  Back in the days of the Hovercraft, when one was cancelled, we went P&O at the last minute and they were a rip-off too.

The Eurotunnel pacakge of £390.00 for 10 single tripsa year is quite good if you use it a lot.  I have have 2 major hold ups in 70-odd trips which is not too bad.  Also, as has been said, better for pets and those like me who get sea-sick!

 

Amended post.  See below.  Sorry for any confusion caused.

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  • 5 weeks later...

It is definitely £30 for the France to UK leg.  You are paying defra (not the carrier) this amount for five minutes work and as Eskanazi says you have to do the scanning yourself.  We have three dogs - so very expensive. 

Suey

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