What is customs like going through the chunnel? Do they simply stamp your passport, or do they inspect your vehicle and luggage?

Inquiring minds and all that!

I've only travelled on the Eurostar which is the train going through the tunnel, haven't taken a car through. On the train they x-ray all luggage as well as going through immigration. You go through British and French immigration, one after the other, before boarding the train. Then when you arrive in the other country, you just walk off the train and out into Paris/London.

I think they would definitely inspect what is in your car, due to people illegally entering the UK.

Kay

I've never taken a car through the Channel Tunnel either, but I'm pretty sure they would want to inspect the trunk (boot) of the car, both for human beings and possible explosive devices.

By the way, and this is meant in a kind way, no one calls it the Chunnel. It's the Channel Tunnel.

Kay

You whole car passes through various scanners on the way down the ramps.

"Chunnel" died before the thing ever opened

Thanks for the info....Grin about the "chunnel"....didn't know that....See, we learn something new every day!

Everywhere else, customs inspections tend to be focussed on what might look suspicious, or whatever prior intelligence has pointed them to. A bit of googling produces these firsthand reports:

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/transport-in...unnel/1065693/

Down the bottom of this page:
http://www.lionelbeck.net/italy2.htm

I too was told several times (emphatically) that "Chunnel" was inappropriate...but I still say it anyway. Apparently folks in Europe and the U.K. don't realize that everyone in America still calls it the Chunnel.

We took a car to and from England via the Chunnel. Our situation was a little unusual because we were Americans driving a private German-plated car (we were living in Germany at the time). They checked passports, asked us our business in the U.K., and why we were living in Germany. They did not search our car (a sedan), but of course they can if they want to.

Not everyoe in the US calls it the Chunnel. I have never heard anyone say that - although many of my friends/co-workers have been through it.

Perhaps this is some sort of local terminology - like parts of the country where people say pop instead of soda or coney island instead of hot dog - or whatever.

There are no customs checks for personal travellers with ordinary amounts of luggage, unless someone suspects that your are carrying drugs or something else illicit.

There is minimal checking of people travelling on European Economic Area passports (E.U. + Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, etc). Those travelling on U.S. and other passports will have the usual Schengen or U.K. checks, and have to fill in landing cards.

We have taken our car through the tunnel several times. You drive over cameras which check the underside of the car, and once we were subject to a more thorough check where we had to get out of the car. It was all very friendly, and we appear to have been picked at random.

Travelling through the Channel Tunnel is really abit of a non-event.

"Not everyoe in the US calls it the Chunnel."

Not everyone but plenty on travel forums do.

I call it the Chunnel. I'm a brit. I'm probably the "id..t" referred to above.

you call it what you like.

Ah, but Ann, you live in Cornwall, rather than England. There are all sorts of fuuny words they use in Cornwall.

"Apparently folks in Europe and the U.K. don't realize that everyone in America still calls it the Chunnel. "

Er and why would we?

Ah, but Ann, you live in Cornwall, rather than England. There are all sorts of fuuny words they use in Cornwall.>>

right'on, Chartley, me 'ansom.

though i used to call it the Chunnel when I lived in Kent.

I'll be taking the "Channel Tunnel" from London to Calais in late July. I didn't realize that you have to go through customs before you board. I already have my ticket. How far in advance should I arrive at the train station to allow time to go thru customs and get settled on the train?

If you use the proper name Eurostar and do a search on the web you shall come across the site www.eurostar.com and there find the answer to your question under Check In. You would not be successful if you keep on using "Channel Tunnel".

Check-in is recommended for 45 min in advance...at least it was in May when we traveled on the [Insert Your Obligatory Designation Here!]. But you can get away with less time if you're running late.

SS

PS - Don't ever call San Francisco "Frisco" or you'll end up in a much more violent flame war.

I have 2 kids me n hubby...kids are used to comfort of car travel ...and I need to plan going from lhr to Paris and back...anyone share their experience of car travel on this route?

Actually train travel is more comfortable than travel by car. You're not strapped in, there's more space and you can move around. The toilet's at the end of the car. You can't get lost and traffic's mostly not an issue. The only shortcoming is carrying your luggage. How old are the kids? Can they carry their own small backpacks?