Odin

The car service used to be called Le Shuttle as far as I remember, now it's called Eurotunnel. And the ferry can be significantly cheaper however we find that we end up spending money in the shops and restaurants onboard. We normally just book the cheapest, sometimes its Eurotunnel, sometimes not.

annhig

Odin - that's a reasonable exercise, if you've got a car, as we used to have when we were doing day trips from our then home in Kent to northern France, where we spent several happy wedding anniversary and birthday lunches having a meal that was twice as good as we could have got in England for half the price. [those were the days!]

i suspect that the OP is talking about being foot passengers.

Odin

They are, and I don't recommend taking the ferry as a foot passenger, as I said in my first post. Eurostar is definitely the way to go, esp in business class.

But the ferries have improved, for those who remember the awful crossing of years ago.

Christina

Just want to say that I've taken the ferry a couple times in the past and did not like it at all, so I think you are romanticizing it. What's to like, anyway? It's a long trip on a boat. There isn't any way they can improve that, I don't know what you think they can improve. The time is the time it takes, and the water is still there. I've taken many ferries in many places, they are what they are. There's nothing exciting about looking out at the water nor if it is rough, that isn't pleasant. And of course in bad weather, you have to stay inside, anyway (and I wouldn't want to take ferries in bad weather).

I did take the hovercraft in former years, also, and that was better because it at least cut the time down a lot.

PalenQ

<The Chunnel is actually the English nickname for The Channel"

One of the many times that "Wiki" is incorrect>

yes it should have said is the American English nickname for The Channel Tunnel, not the Channel.

And since most posters here are American I will continue to use the word for Channel Tunnel most familiar with them - Chunnel and Man in Seat 61 also says this is true - explaining why RailEurope would use the word Chunnel because that is what Americans Googling will most likely put in.

Chunnel is the word Americans most likely use for the Channel Tunnel, like it or no.

and as for ferries being rough - that was never my experience except on a few locations in taking a much longer ferry ride - Dover to Zeebrugge several times a year for years - unlikely to be rough and in Dover to Calais case a much shorter ride.

Hydrofoils or their newer supplant catamarans or whatever they call them can be more rough IME than the heavy car ferries.

flanneruk

"What's to like, anyway?"

The view of the White Cliffs as you approach England from France. For most of the past 500 years, the world's most important, and visually stunning, frontier between accountable government and free thought on the one side, and unaccountable tyranny on the other.

If any of us were as ignorantly offensive about that ugly Statue of Liberty, we'd get the American ranters round our necks for years.

But it's obviously just fine for the Yanks to denigrate a symbol people have given their lives to defend.

xyz123

I've done the road/sea from London to Paris (or Amsterdam or Brussels) a few times the last couple of years albeit on a tour which to a degree cuts down on any hassles in transferring...the tour leaves London travels to Dover you walk onto the ferry as a foot passenger (they handle baggage), have a pleasant hour and a half crossing (I usually have breakfast or lunch) arrive in Calais get on the coach and off to wherever. Is it unpleasant? No. London to Paris is 9 hours. You can also take Eurobus I believe although I never have.

However, it is nowhere, repeat nowhere, as comfortable as getting on the train at St. Pancras and 2 hours and 15 minutes later stepping off the train at Gare du nord. The train is absolutely comfortable even when travelling at 300 km./hr even in second class. Fares purchased in advance are very reasonable and easy to purchase on line. Assuming you are from the USA, you can compare fares on the rail Europe web site and on the Eurostar web site, although when going via the Eurosdtar website, on the first screen put in your are in the UK not the USA as in the past (this may have changed recently) they put a cookie into your computer directing you, even if you try to access eurostar.com, into the Rail Europe web site which may or may not have the best fares.

annhig

flanner - I don't think anyone was denigrating anything, and come to that, lots of yanks gave their lives too. if Christina doesn't like ferries that's ok, I'm not that fond of them either, but will admit that they can be quite fun in nice weather.

but the main point is that for the OP the rail/ferry route is quite impractical and there is a much better option.

xyz - you're right about them re-directing you to rail-europe if you put anything other than UK or France in the box. if you go onto SNCF, they'll redirect you if you put in anything but France. I didn't bother to compare prices but i would not expect the best prices to be on rail-europe.

PalenQ

I didn't bother to compare prices but i would not expect the best prices to be on rail-europe.>

You may be surprised as lately RE, owned by the French Railways, SNCF with a minority chunk owned by the Swiss Federal Railways, has began at times matching the discounted tickets at www.voyages-sncf.com - that said it seems to be pretty easy to book thru sncf.com so whatever is cheaper - RailEurope would charge a mailing fee for orders under $400 I believe so that is a factor but they are IME more and more reflecting prices on www.voyages-sncf.com.

PalenQ

What's to like, anyway? It's a long trip on a boat.>

I agree with flanneruk - seeing the Cliffs of Dover from the water is so so nostalgic - thinking of how thru the ages mariners and passengers have passed by this iconic cliff when return to Britain and the associations with WW2 -'the White Cliffs of Dover'

To experience crossing the Channel by boat is a tremendous experience for me and always will be.

annhig

it may match, pal, but does it ever better them?

if not, what's the point?

PalenQ

it may match, pal, but does it ever better them?

if not, what's the point?>

The point is that many people have posted frustrations with using sncf.com to book tickets - not always that easy and folks may spend literally hours... some want to take the easy way out and if the price is in the ballpark why not - that is the point. And dealing with an entity in your home country, as you a barrister may understand is always better than dealing with an entity in a foreign country in case problems do pop or or refunds come into play, etc.

Best is not always judged by price along for some folks anyway.

janisj

"<i>And since most posters here are American I will continue to use the word for Channel Tunnel most familiar with them - Chunnel</i>"

That makes sense how? You're American and use Chunnel. I'm American and use Eurostar. So? As you say, the majority of Fodors posters are American, and MOST of them use 'Eurostar'.

thursdaysd

"as for ferries being rough - that was never my experience"

Lucky for you. My one ferry crossing of the Channel, way back in 1970, it was so rough the ferry went round in circles outside Dover for hours waiting to enter. That's how I learned I'm not subject to motion sickness, as so many other passengers were throwing up. I quickly get bored on boats, so am grateful for the train.

xyz123

I've never had any problems on the Eurostar web sote, you can print your tickets at home. The only criticism is they surcharge credit card purchases and debit card purchases but les less than a credit card.

Rail Europe in general, charges a processing fee and you're dependent on UPS....much prefer to simply print my own tickets and have never had any difficulty with Eurostar.com.

xyz123

Anybody remember the hydrofoils crossing the Channel?

annhig

Anybody remember the hydrofoils crossing the Channel?>>

vividly. we took one from Dover to Ostende, and on the way back it was so rough we could hear the engine straining; the man in the seat in front of us had a panic attack and kept saying we were going to die which added to the fun.

on another [ferry] trip back from Santander to Plymouth, [across the notorious Bay of Biscay] it was so rough that they tied the cars down on the vehicle decks.

and i do get sea-sick very quickly, so every time DH says he wants to get a ferry to France, I take it as a personal insult. we still go though.

PalenQ

As you say, the majority of Fodors posters are American, and MOST of them use 'Eurostar'.

Not true - more use Channel - we are not talking about you Fodorgarchs but first-timers or casual posters who typically use Chunnel.

janis - why do you think RailEurope uses Chunnel tickets - that should tell you something, right. Most Americans use Chunnel and they is IMO nothing wrong with that and I do not know why folks gets their undies all twisted when they here that word, which is kind of cute IMO.

For me it's Chunnel because I'm an American and have always dalled it that and will continue to and you can call it what you want as well.

Much ado bout nothing IMO - not even worth remarking or harping about.

mrubio0806

This discourse has certainly been enlightening to say the least. Relatively new to Fodors and have never heard the reference to Chunnel. Nevertheless, thank you again and EUROSTAR it is.
P.S. I am an American from Florida (no relation to Marco Rubio)

xyz123

The train service that goes through the tunnel under the English channel is run by a company called Eurostar, right? On the train, they will announce thank you for using eurostar.

But if you are driving from England to France or vice versa, your car is loaded onto a train and you go through what we refer to mistakenly or not the chunnel (the channel tunnel)....of course that doesn't mean that many don't call the train service through the chunnel just that...

It's the fast train to Paris.

Same difference.