Ferry vs Eurotunnel: Crossing the English Channel with a Dog (and a European Car)

What are your options for crossing the English Channel if you’re travelling with a car and a dog? You can either take the ferry or the Eurotunnel (LeShuttle). I did both, and I can now tell you exactly what each experience is like and which one I would choose for my next crossing over the Channel. 

I crossed the Channel by Eurotunnel to explore the best places in Pembrokeshire (Wales), then took the ferry back to Europe after I finished exploring Scotland.

Let’s talk about both these options to help you choose the best one for your trip.

The two ways to cross the English Channel with a car

If you are planning a trip that involves crossing the English Channel with a car, then you have 2 options: the ferry or the Eurotunnel train. 

The ferry goes from Dover (UK) to Calais (France), and the Eurotunnel connects Folkestone (UK) to Calais (France). 

Depending on your itinerary, there are other ports in the south of England that connect to the northern part of France, but this post is specifically about the English Channel, the shortest distance between the mainland and the UK. 

The ferries are operated by a few different companies, but the main ones are P&O Ferries, DFDS, and Irish Ferries. They operate many times per day, so if you miss one, you can get the next one (if your ticket allows it). Tickets can be bought in advance or at the terminal, and the journey takes about 1.5 hours. 

The Eurotunnel, which is now called LeShuttle, is an underground train where you drive on with your car, and it takes you to the other side in about 35 minutes, but this doesn’t take into account the pre-boarding time spent at customs, check-in, and actual boarding time. So it can take longer. 

After trying out both of these options to cross the English Channel this summer, with a car and a dog, I can now tell you exactly what each one is like and what you should expect. 

The LeShuttle (Eurotunnel) experience

Let’s start with the Eurotunnel booking. I booked the LeShuttle train 1 month before, and it was 178 EUR (£152) for 2 adults, a car and a dog. 

LeShuttle is the rebranded name of the famous Eurotunnel, which is the train tunnel that travels under the sea. Unlike what we like to imagine, the tunnel isn’t like a trip to the aquarium, but rather an actual train tunnel and looks just like when it was first opened to transport passengers (which was in 1994). 

The value proposition for the Eurotunnel by car is that it takes you through the 50 km Channel Tunnel in just 35 minutes.

And the ads for it are also focusing on the dog-friendly side of the trip. Since you are not leaving your car during the trip, you can stay in the car with your pet for the duration of the trip, which is rather short. 

I made the trip from Calais (France) to Folkestone (UK) with my car from Romania, with Romanian passports and a small dog with an EU passport. 

This was part of a longer drive from Romania to the UK, which you can read about here: Romania to the UK itinerary across Europe with a dog.

However, in my experience, this marketing version of the trip is a bit twisted to make it sound good and present it as a better alternative to the good old ferry trip across the channel. 

When travelling with a dog, owners must do a pet check-in before anything else and be there at least 1 hour before the departure time.

So this means that you will spend at least 1.5 hours in total (at the terminal + the trip itself), if everything goes to plan. But I found out on my own time that things might not always go according to the schedule with LeShuttle, and there’s nothing you can do about it. This also means that the dog is confined in the car for more than 1 hour, because he can’t go out while waiting to board either.

Because I was there so early for the pet check-in (which was indeed fast and smooth), the machine at check-in for the car offered an earlier departure time. I skipped the stop at the duty-free and only made a quick stop at the pet relief area in the parking. 

As I continued to customs, we were checked first by the French customs and then the British customs. The Brits took a special interest in us and pulled us aside, and we had to wait an extra 15 minutes to be granted entry to the UK.  

However, when we queued to board the train, the wait was much longer than expected. The queues were only getting larger, and we missed the earlier departure time that we were offered (through no fault of our own).

We were directed to board the train at the time of our original departure time. At this point, we were already tired and needed to use some facilities but couldn’t because we were confined in our car. 

My personal experience was definitely not the optimal one, as it was not without issues. 

After boarding the train very slowly, we waited for a very long time on the train without moving and in the end we were told the train was having some technical issues and that we needed to disembark and board a different train. 

The entire trip took us 4.5 hours, from the pet check-in to the moment I was driving in the UK. Obviously, this was an anomaly and not a regular thing. But the trains are old, and after reading other reviews, it seems this kind of issue happens every now and then and can delay your trip a lot. 

I see that many people search for “delays on Eurotunnel”, as this is now a known thing and travellers want to know what to expect. You cannot forecast delays for the Eurotunnel crossing, but I’d advise you to arrive early at the Eurotunnel terminal, regardless of the direction you’re travelling.

I wrote a very detailed guide about this entire crossing on the Eurotunnel (LeShuttle) with a dog, if you want to know all the issues that happened that day and know what can happen. 

After this trip, the first place visited in southern England was a memorable dog-friendly hotel in Eastbourne.

Then we drove all the way to southern Wales, where we stayed for 1 month to explore Pembrokeshire.

The P&O Ferry Dover to Calais experience

I booked the P&O ferry from Dover to Calais just 1 week before the crossing, and it was £151 (175 EUR). But I got a special promo for travelling for free in the pet lounge, so I only paid  £133 (155 EUR) for 2 adults, a car, a dog and access to the pet lounge. 

The main reason people were taking the train instead of the ferry was the pet restriction. Up until the summer of 2026, pets travelling on this route were only allowed in cars, and not on the passenger deck inside the ferry. But that changed this summer, and that’s why I booked the ferry on the Dover to Calais route, on my way back to mainland Europe. 

I arrived 2 hours early for the ferry (given the experience I had last time with the train), as I didn’t know what to expect. 

In Dover, follow the signs for the port, and take the cars lane (not the trucks). The first stop was at the French customs booth. We all have EU passports, so it only took 1 minute to pass. Then it’s the British customs booth, which was closed, so they didn’t check anything. 

The routes in the port are pretty scrambled, so you always have to follow the signs carefully, as you will be driving around it from one side to another. 

After customs, there was one staff member on the side of the road, picking cars randomly for additional searches. Of course, we were chosen (and we were the only car chosen while the others were registered in the UK or France). 

The search is in a harbour, where 2 staff members look around and under the car with a mirror, ask the driver to get out and open the boot, and visually check the inside of the car. We were asked what we were carrying, and they were interested in contraband items and fuel. I said my car was full mainly of clothes, so we were out of there in 3 minutes. 

Then we continued driving to reach the ferry check-in booths. All companies have their booths lined up in the same spot, so I chose the P&O track. The staff asked for our passports. 

Since I already had tickets, the car number was registered in the account, and they found us using the car plate and our passports. He didn’t ask anything about the dog.

In fact, nobody asked anything about our dog, but I think that’s because we have EU passports, so they assumed the dog we had in the back was the same one we had when we entered the country (but nobody bothered to check, so who knows?!). 

We were given the ferry boarding tag to hang on the rearview mirror. On that card is printed the number of the queue you need to drive to. 

For dog owners with pet lounge access, it also has the tickets attached to it, already perforated, but you need to take it with you when you get on the ferry. 

Our queue was really far away, so we basically drove all across the ferry terminal to reach it. 

We arrived at the ferry terminal at 13:13. All the checks and stops were done really fast, and at 13:20 we were the first car in the queue, waiting to board the ferry.

I had booked the 15:05 ferry, but because we were early, we were processed immediately, and the boarding card was for the next ferry, which was just boarding the last cars as we arrived there.

So the staff asked us to drive on the ferry immediately with no wait, and at 13:21 I was parked on the ferry on the car deck. This isn’t the regular experience either, and you are normally not offered an earlier departure if there is no space left. 

The Ferry trip was smooth, and the pet lounge on the P&O ferry looked good and new. Only dog owners and their dogs are allowed inside; spots are limited, and you must pay for a ticket to enter.

The pet lounge has an exclusive outside area where pets can go for a walk and a relief area with a hose. The inside is really nice, with free coffee and tea for owners and a machine for dog snacks (you have to pay for those). 

At 15:17, I was driving off the ferry in France. It took a total of almost 2 hours for the entire trip from the UK to France, and it was very enjoyable. We were lucky with the weather and enjoyed the views from inside the pet lounge. 

Ferry vs Eurotunnel (LeShuttle): Travelling with a dog

Ok, now that I’ve told you all about the general experience with each of these means of transport over the English Channel, let’s talk about the dog specifically. 

Where the dog can stay

Inside the train on the Eurotunnel (LeShuttle), the dog stays in the car the entire time. While on the train, passengers can sit outside the car and use the bathroom; dogs are not allowed outside the car. 

On the ferry, you can book different types of tickets. You can choose “pet in car”, which means the dog will remain in the car for the duration of the trip, but passengers are not allowed on the car deck during the trip, so this means that the dog will be alone for almost 2 hours. 

If you book the pet lounge on the ferry, then you can take your dog out of the car and relax in the pet lounge, which is a closed lounge where only pet owners and their pets are allowed. 

The area is very nice and relaxing; it has an outdoor area where the pets can relieve themselves during the trip. Water bowls are available for free in the lounge to be used during the trip on board the ferry. 

If you have a reactive dog who doesn’t do well when seeing other dogs, then the pet lounge is not for you. 

Comfort level

Both trips can be comfortable, but it depends on what comfort means to you. 

The train (LeShuttle) doesn’t offer any lounge or areas to relax during the trip, so you will be in the comfort of your own car. You should bring all the snacks, water bowl and things you need for you and your dog. The dog cannot go out for a walk. 

We felt bored and a bit stressed by the entire experience with LeShuttle, as there is nothing to do. And in case of a technical issue, as was the case with our train, we have to disembark and then wait to be boarded onto another train. At that point, I wanted to use the bathroom too, so I can only imagine what my poor dog felt like. 

The pet lounge on the ferry is very comfortable for both human passengers and dogs. 

The seats are padded; there is free coffee and tea for dog owners, and you can buy snacks for your pet. You get great views from inside the lounge and from the outdoor area. 

To access the pet lounge, you’ll need to pay extra (all passengers pay for access, owners and dogs), but you do get a lot for the ticket price. And this is the only way to bring your dog inside the ferry and not leave it inside the car.  

For me, comfort when travelling is more important now, so I would choose the ferry for this reason. 

Stress level for the dog

The train (LeShuttle) isn’t stressful at all, especially if you have a smooth trip and everything goes according to schedule. The dog can sleep inside the car, in a familiar environment, and you, as the owner, can sit in the car with your dog.

There is no contact with any other people or dogs, except for the pet check-in area, which is the first thing you have to do before checking in for the LeShuttle. 

On the ferry, the dog will have to get out of the car and go through the ferry, on the stairs or lift, to reach the deck with the pet lounge. The dog can get stressed by seeing so many people and other animals, hearing strange noises, or getting scared of the unfamiliar space. 

Our dog has been on many ferries before, so he is quite comfortable with all this, and he is also a small dog that I can carry from the car to the lounge. There are many steps involved and a bit of a walk that gets him alert and stressed, but he calms down immediately when we sit in the lounge. I also bring his own blanket along so he can sit on it. And he has his own water bowl, snacks and food, so everything is familiar. 

Paperwork and logistics

The paperwork for your pet depends on the direction you’re travelling (France to the UK or the UK to France) and your citizenship. 

If you are travelling from France with a European Union passport, you will need an EU passport for your pet. The UK is a tapeworm-free country, so you will also need to administer a tapeworm treatment up to 5 days before the crossing. This treatment applies to everyone, even to UK citizens returning home to the UK with their pets. 

Remember that non-UK residents need to apply for an ETA before travelling to the UK. 

If you are travelling from the UK to France with a European Union passport, you will not need anything else for your pet except for the EU passport, which the dog already has (assuming it’s the same dog you took with you when crossing the Channel the first time). 

If you are a UK citizen, your pet needs an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) because EU pet passports no longer apply to UK citizens’ pets. 

Please check my complete guide to travelling with a dog in Europe for all details.

Pet areas

LeShuttle will not have any pet areas on board. 

From the moment you arrive at the LeShuttle terminal, there isn’t anywhere to stop and walk your dog except for the duty-free area, where you will find a few small, enclosed pet areas in the parking lot. That is the only place where you can walk your dog, and I recommend that you do. 

After that are customs, and then the endless queue to the train, and there is absolutely no place to walk the dog there. 

If you choose the ferry option, you can maybe walk the dog in the port, after parking the car and while waiting for the ferry, but it’s not great as it’s basically a huge parking space with cars and trucks. 

Inside the pet area, you will get access to an outside area where dogs can relieve themselves, and there’s even a designated area for that and a hose to wash the area. Bins and poop bags are available, along with a sink and a sitting area. And you have great views while walking your dog on the deck. 

Overall, I found the ferry option to cross the English Channel more comfortable for my dog, as he was not confined in the car and could walk and go out for a pee if he needed to. He felt more relaxed on the ferry than he did in the car, where it was dark and he was confused about what was happening. 

Ferry vs Eurotunnel: Cost comparison

I drive a petrol normal-size car, and these prices were for the car, 2 passengers and a dog. For each option, I chose the standard price (the cheapest option), but both the ferry and the Eurotunnel offer two other tiers of flexible tickets, which are more expensive. 

The pet fee for the Eurotunnel (LeShuttle) is 29€ (£24).

The pet fee for the ferry is £15, plus £6 per dog for pet lounge access and £6 per adult accompanying the dog in the pet lounge. However, you can also choose for the pet to stay in the car, and it costs £0. 

Both travel options allow up to 5 pets to travel in your vehicle. 

In my case, when I chose the Eurotunnel by car option, I paid 178 EUR for Eurotunnel (LeShuttle), Calais to Folkestone, versus 175 EUR for the P&O ferry, Dover to Calais. 

My Eurotunnel departure time was 09:54 in the morning, and the ferry departure time was 15:05. 

But for the ferry, you can get a discount if you follow the company and check their website for promotions. 

I got a small discount of 20 EUR, which meant access to the pet lounge was free. 

So while the prices are the same, you can pay less for the ferry, especially if you don’t book the pet lounge (but miss out on the best option for your dog) or get a discounted price due to a promotion. 

Both the ferry and the train get more crowded during summer, which is the peak tourist season. That’s why it is recommended that you book in advance to make sure the desired departure time is available.

Prices vary a bit according to the departure time, and the most expensive ones are midday, while the cheapest crossings are during the night or very early morning. 

I paid a bit more because I crossed late morning and around noon. But I also crossed in early June and the beginning of September, so it wasn’t too crowded. During national holidays, it can get very crazy, and the queues often get talked about on TV. 

So avoid bank holidays in the UK for crossing during summer. 

I booked LeShuttle almost 1 month in advance, for the beginning of June, and it was not that crowded.

I booked the P&O ferry less than 1 week in advance for the beginning of September, and it was very relaxed; the pet lounge was pretty empty, with a total of 8 dogs. 

Ferry vs Eurotunnel: Which should you choose?

Each dog owner must make their own decision based on the personality of the dog, the timeline of the trip and the needed level of comfort. 

After doing both options, I feel more inclined to choose the ferry for crossing the English Channel with a dog. I loved the comfort offered by the P&O pet lounge; it was easier to navigate the port area, and the entire experience was more pleasant for someone travelling on a holiday, with no set time deadline to reach a place. 

But my dog likes ferries, isn’t afraid to walk outside on the sun deck, and he isn’t reactive to other dogs. 

The Eurotunnel (LeShuttle) gives the mirage of a faster trip, but if you add all the time you waste at all the checkpoints and waiting for the train inside the car, the time spent on this trip ends up being the same, or in some cases longer, as the train can also break down. 

After reading more recent reviews of LeShuttle and the customs point in Calais, I realised that many people, regardless of their nationalities, have issues at that border point, and that often delays the travel time.

The train is old and breaks down more often than the company wants to admit. There are no facilities on the train except for a tiny bathroom for passengers, but dogs must stay in the car, so no pee breaks for your pet. 

The price is the same, but I enjoy a trip with views, amenities, and some entertainment, which the ferry provides plenty of. There is a duty-free shop, restaurant, snack bar, playground for kids, games area for adults and more on board the ferry. 

If you get lucky with the ferry, as we did, you can board the ferry as soon as you get there in your lane, and you will arrive on the other side of the channel in less than 2 hours. 

However, know that this was a very lucky situation, as I had arrived 90 minutes before my scheduled departure, and the staff at the check-in simply gave us the boarding card; there was no queue, and we boarded the ferry immediately, and it left shortly after we got on.

Usually, you are asked to be at the ferry terminal 90 minutes before the trip to have time for the entire process, which might get delayed if it gets busy. 

LeShuttle tends to be faster (but not always, and complications regularly occur) and fine for a calm dog who doesn’t mind 35 minutes in a car, but if your dog is older, anxious, or you want a more comfortable crossing, the P&O ferry pet lounge is now a genuine game changer (and the time frame might end up the same if you’re lucky).