Travel to France Summer holidays

[Jana13]

Hello, any advice on times to take a ferry to France with 2 kids during summer?

Or is it advisable to go Via euro tunnel instead?

It's our first time doing this journey by car.

Thanks in advance
J

Depends very much on where you're going in France and where you live in the UK!

We like the ferry just because we like the fresh air, going on deck after being in the car for so long etc. That said we usually stay in Calais so getting the tunnel wouldn't make much difference.

We drive from the NE so we drive down to Dover, get the ferry and then stop in Calais for the night then drive to the South West the next day. We do similar on the way home and stay in Calais before an early ferry than drive home.

I love the train because I don’t like boats and once you get on the train you’re in France in half an hour.

Where are you planning on getting the ferry from? How far is the drive from your house to the port you’re sailing from and then how much further on is it that you’re travelling into France? Very difficult to give advice without this info!

Oh and we tend to go early in the morning to make the most of the holiday!

Agree it depends on where you are going. France is a big country and traffic can be busy in august.

We have been to La Rochelle area many times with 2 small children and tend to get an overnight ferry to st Marlo with a 3/4 hour drive the other end (depending on traffic).

My DC love the ferry, our holiday starts then, we enjoy a few drinks and the sights on deck as the sun sets. Go to bed and wake up in France!

We did euro tunnel once when we only had DC1 and drove all the way in one stretch with short frequent stops - never again!

The ferry can be an expensive option so budget could also be a deciding factor. We are camping this year and our crossing was more than double the campsite cost!

We like the ferry because we drive from the north west then get a couple of hours break on the ferry before driving in France. If we did the tunnel, we wouldn't drive as far in France as we wouldn't have had a proper switch off.

We are driving from south east Londo to Dover and from Calais we are going to a place near La Rochelle. Thanks

Personally I would do Newhaven to Dieppe: Gets you closer to La Rochelle, Newhaven is a small port, it's not busy, Dieppe is the same, much less stressful than Calais to Dover. The boats are not posh but there is some stuff for kids

The ferry prices are insane this year. Portsmouth - Cherbourg is the best for La Rochelle, you'll be in Cherbourg at 11am and that will give you time to get to La Rochelle in time for tea. But it is £900.

We are getting the tunnel a day early, staying somewhere en route and it is still going to cost less than the ferry.

I would def consider new haven - dieppe or a port that’s not Dover anyway as there’s often eg strikes/ delays etc for different reasons

Getting the overnight ferry is the best way to do it if going to La Rochelle, IMO, in terms of driving, although also very pricey. You arrive in the mornimg and can be in Charente by lunchtime. St Malo requires the least driving but is the most expensive and cabins for summer likely sold out by now. It also has the easiest timings - leaves at 8pm, arrived at 8am so good for kids. You can also overnight from Portsmouth to Cherbourg (further to drive as it's up the peninsula), Caen (ferry arrives at 5.45am) or Le Havre (cheaper but longer drive). All of the above are Brittany Ferries. DFDS do the Newhaven-Dieppe crossing, which also has an overnight option.

My kids love the overnight ferry as it's part of the holiday but Dover to Calais ferry would be the cheapest option. I wouldn't go to La Rochelle in one day with DC and would do a stopover en route but it depends how close you are to Dover and what time you need to be at your accommodation.