[Andy198712]

Hi,

Looking to do a weekend in Paris in Feb, and driving from Cornwall.

the ferry is £80 return

train is £170 return

Ferry is 90 mins
Train is about 35?

i think the the ferry you need to arrive an hr before and train is 30mins.

What do people recommend? any pros and cons of either? the train seems to have a fair few delays?

the speed of the train is nice as its 6hrs to dover and another 3 out the other end ish....

Cheers
Andy

[Chappers 71]

Personally I'd do & have done the ferry, you can have a bite to eat wander around & smell the sea air, makes it more of an outing. On the other hand if your in a rush then 35 mins or so sat in your car, inside a metal box moving at 170mph or however fast it goes inside a steel & concrete pipe with the entire English Channel trying to get inside & drown you is probably going to be ok if you just wanna get to France in a hurry

The Eurostar is great if your a foot passenger you can have a few beers or a few glasses of red but I never fancied taking the car on it.

[Andy198712]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

Personally I'd do & have done the ferry, you can have a bite to eat wander around & smell the sea air, makes it more of an outing. On the other hand if your in a rush then 35 mins or so sat in your car, inside a metal box moving at 170mph or however fast it goes inside a steel & concrete pipe with the entire English Channel trying to get inside & drown you is probably going to be ok if you just wanna get to France in a hurry

The Eurostar is great if your a foot passenger you can have a few beers or a few glasses of red but I never fancied taking the car on it.

and its a smooth and easy getting on the ship? i'm swinging that way as its more then half the price too and will give a nice break from driving as its 6hrs to the ferry, arrive an hr before, 1.5hrs travel, then back for another 3hrs drive to Paris...

[Chappers 71]

As with most things if you arrive when it's not to busy it's a breeze, follow the signs park up where you're directed to & wait until they are ready to load you aboard. Once aboard you guys can relax & enjoy the crossing.
Just keep the windows up & the doors locked at least until you're clear of the port & local area & on the way back be sure no ones hidden away in or under your car i

[Andy198712]

And they’re okay it’s a diesel yh?

[RajB]

I've done both plenty of times. We actually did a long weekend in Paris in October halfterm. I chose the Ferry as for one it was way cheaper and two it was a better break up of the whole journey and gave the kids time to properly stretch their legs and go out on deck etc.

Eurotunnel is good/quick but you literally are just sat in the car or stood next to it in the carriage.

Both are easy to drive through and onto/off. Just follow the signs and both are straight forward.

[225_AB]

If you have Tesco clubcard vouchers you can use them for eurotunnel. I think you get x3 the rate ie £10 clubcard vouchers gets £30 eurotunnel spend.
When I have used eurotunnel I have always booked the overheight carriage as it doesn't have annoying "kerbs" that can damage your alloys. You can get up and walk around, use the toilet. If speed was important then tunnel.
If I wanted a longer break then ferry. You can also pay for priority boarding, disembarking and for the club lounge if you want a bit of peace and quiet.

[The0pportunist]

I've done both and prefer taking the train.

Yes the ferry is cheaper but you will get bored and end up buying stuff in the duty free, having a starbucks coffee when your not even a big coffee fan etc... The cost difference is made up by the time you reach France and your down 1.5 hours

With the train though try to go for the wider lorry train (I think its same price) otherwise you will almost certainly curb your wheels!

[Andy198712]

the over 6ft car tickets are sold out in my times, to be honest its looking a lot more like the ferry.

more of a break will be nice after a 6hr drive too.

i looked into the london to paris train.... £330 for two!

its a last minute get away so not really saved for it so with ferry and airbnb its £286 then £140 of fuel ish as should do it on two tanks if i'm sensible........ 560miles each way.

thats £426 before food and sight seeing, so if i can ovoid another £90 by taking the ferry i will i think.

expensive weekend!

[Chappers 71]

Originally Posted by Andy198712

And they’re okay it’s a diesel yh?

Yep diesel estates are permissible

[Chappers 71]

Have you considered other destinations in France? The missus & I went to St Malo from Portsmouth a few years ago it was rather nice there although I think it was a 8 or so hour crossing but as we'd left the car in Portsmouth it didn't matter & we both enjoyed a drink or three

[Andy198712]

That’s a ferry destination right? I’ll look into it, kinda set of Paris at the min and maybe try some others later in the year.
Hopefully getting my dirty coal burner remapped soon, 600nm torque isn’t bad for a steam ship

[ed330D]

I've used both facilities many times - I live in France and visit UK several times each year.

Crossing the channel Dover/Calais: The ferry takes at least 2hours 40 minutes - arrive 60 minutes before sailing, 90 minutes crossing, anything from 10 to 40 minutes to disembark; the tunnel 1hour 10min - 30 minute queue maximum, 35 minutes tunnel, 5 minutes to exit.

OK, you can scuff your wheels on the train, but on the ferry someone can ding your car (at busy periods they pack them tight).

On both sides of the channel the train depots are on the motorway, so no finding your way through town (although that's not difficult) is needed.

There are the odd occasions when train service is interrupted, but I'm guessing the weather creates more problems with the ferry. And talking of weather you do know Paris has had (and might still have) serious flooding along the river.

Alternate crossings can be relatively expensive, although you would save a lot of time and fuel if you sailed from Poole or Portsmouth. Plymouth is no good unless you're going to Brittany. And although it is more expensive, it's the route I use because it carves 300 miles of my route in each direction. You should see what the difference is for yourself.

[Andy198712]

I’ll look again at alternate route but I recall them being a fair whack more cost wise....
Thanks for you help lots to consider, need to book soon, but also need to get the day of work first....

[BMW Steve]

Ferry for me,,, I value the side lip of my alloy wheels, the rut you drive up and in to on the train is not wide enough if you running nice wheels and low profile tyres...

[Andy198712]

watched it on youtube a few times now and it looks like my worst nightmare lol i'm sure the E91 will fit fine ect but.....

the time is a nice thing about the train, but ferry is £100 cheaper....

These floods seem pretty serious though! not going till the 9th so will keep an eye on it

Thanks for all the help guys

[Andy198712]

Well.... I’ve booked the train, In the end it comes down to time, I just not eat for the last few days of this month

It’s next Friday so hopefully the water level drops a tad

[The0pportunist]

If your driving in central Paris you will need a critair sticker. From memory you apply online and send a photo of your logbook at a cost of under £5.

Have fun on your trip

[Andy198712]

I’ve not booked accommodation yet, that’s probably tonight tomorrow’s job so once that’s done I’ll see if I fall within that zone
So many little snags to trip up and get fined for! Just preparing all my paper work to take with me, v5, mot, insurance ect then the jacket, triangle, sticker and breathalyser.

All this just to buy some French bangers!

[ed330D]

Originally Posted by The0pportunist

If your driving in central Paris you will need a critair sticker. From memory you apply online and send a photo of your logbook at a cost of under £5.

Have fun on your trip

Woops, forgot about that.

There are several sites that look official and charge a fortune. The official site is:
https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/

It's in English. Some details from the site.

"It costs €3.70 plus postage. For shipments in the European Union and Switzerland, this amounts to € 4.8.

Your registration certificate must be up-to-date, and be sent as an attachment.

The attachment must be in .pdf, .png or .jpeg format and must not exceed 400kB.

It is possible to add a second attachment.

The Air Quality Certificate will be sent to the address you indicate, after verification of the atachment."

If you haven't already applied do it NOW! Should you be caught without one the fine is eye watering.

[The0pportunist]

Originally Posted by Andy198712

I’ve not booked accommodation yet, that’s probably tonight tomorrow’s job so once that’s done I’ll see if I fall within that zone
So many little snags to trip up and get fined for! Just preparing all my paper work to take with me, v5, mot, insurance ect then the jacket, triangle, sticker and breathalyser.

All this just to buy some French bangers!

Must say carrying around your v5 is an utter joke. What if the car is stolen with it inside. What if your mugged when you get out of the car with the v5 on your persons.

I was really worried about that, to think someone could steal it, write a fake receipt and claim i sold them the car is terrifying. I really wish they would change this to a photocopy.

[Andy198712]

Originally Posted by The0pportunist

Must say carrying around your v5 is an utter joke. What if the car is stolen with it inside. What if your mugged when you get out of the car with the v5 on your persons.

I was really worried about that, to think someone could steal it, write a fake receipt and claim i sold them the car is terrifying. I really wish they would change this to a photocopy.

i know!