Eurotunnel Driving Tips

It was 25 years ago this year that the Queen became a trailblazer for tens of thousands of holidaying Brits.

Her Majesty made herself comfortable, settled back for a 32-minute train ride, and crossed the channel beneath the waves by car.  

And while she didn’t have to book, queue up or do the driving, a principle had been set – if the tunnel’s good enough for the Queen, it’s good enough for us.

Eurotunnel went on to launch its rail service for paying customers and we’ve been “le shuttling” to and from Europe in our cars ever since.

But even now the prospect of parking our vehicles on a train heading under the channel can be daunting.

So, what do Eurotunnel newbies need to know? Probably the first thing to note is Eurotunnel’s pledge to maintain visa free services this year and the next, with or without Brexit.

The journey takes about 35 minutes but it’s still a substantially quicker crossing than by ferry from Folkestone, which is roughly 90 minutes to Calais.

Incidentally, the pros and cons of travelling by Eurotunnel or ferry are debatable. For instance, on Eurotunnel it’s Folkestone-Calais/Calais Folkstone, job done.

By contrast, ferries provide you with departure point flexibility and destinations which may be more convenient for your onward drive. And they can be cheaper.

If you’ve chosen Eurotunnel, you’ll need to factor in a check in period of at least 45 minutes but no longer than two hours.

Bear in mind your route uses the M20 which has a reputation for delays at busy times so make sure you plan ahead.

Exiting the motorway at junction 11a, you will go to the check in booths. At this point you may be able to spot the newcomers from the old hands.

Experienced travellers will have their booking reference number ready along with the card they used at the time of booking. The less well-versed may be scrabbling around in wallets and handbags and having their first “frank discussion” of the holiday.

Incidentally, day trip and overnight prices start from £30 each way, to £219 each way for complete travel flexibility and stays of any duration.

At the time of booking you’ll have submitted your number plate details because the whole process is speeded up by a camera recognition system.

Anyway, you follow the on-screen instructions at the check in booths (it really is quite simple) and you get a ‘departure hanger’ for your windscreen.

At which point it’s off to the passenger terminal to wait for your departure time – there are shops and eateries – and then on to passport control. Boarding starts around 25 minutes before the service leaves.

It’s then a case of using the green arrows to point you to the correct departure lane and once on board you can sit in your car for the entire crossing or get out to stretch your legs.

And it’s that simple. More than 2.5m cars are now piggybacking Eurotunnel le Shuttle every year, so the system plainly has something going for it. I wonder if Her Majesty knows what she started?