How to Book Ferry Travel England to France

If you are in England and wish to go to France, you must cross the English Channel. You could fly in a plane, you could take a train such as the Eurostar, or you could travel by ferry. If you are looking to take your car on the journey with you, the ferry is truly the way to go. So how do you book your ferry travel from England to France and make this all a reality? Read on to find out.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Internet access and computer
• Luggage meeting requirements if traveling by foot
• Passport
• Approval of rental car company to take car to France from England or your own car
• If no car, you can travel by foot
• Health insurance
• Optional: ability to speak French or a French-English translation book or guidebook

How to Find a Ferry Company and Book Your Travel

1. First you will need to find a ferry company that travels from England to France. One such worldwide company is A Ferry To, listed in the Resources section below. A local England/France company is SeaFrance.
2. Go to the website of one of these companies.
3. Now you will determine your departure point and arrival point. SeaFrance departs from Dover and arrives in Calais. A Ferry To has some other options including Dover to Dunkirque. With A Ferry To you can purchase SeaFrance or P&0 Ferry tickets.
4. On the website, choose your departure and arrival points and put them into the booking. Choose date and time of travel, and round trip or one way purchase.
5. Decide on the type of ticket. A nonrefundable ticket costs less than a fully refundable one. A partially refundable ticket allows you to cancel, but with a slight charge.
6. Do you want a meal at the on-board restaurant? Meals can be prepaid with your booking. Often, the meal is set ahead of time, with limited choices if you use the prepay option. However, you can save money buying the meal up front.
7. Confirm your booking and pay with a credit card.

How to Ride the Ferry

8. Make sure you prepare in advance for your travel. Arrive early enough for the ferry departure, usually at least half an hour in advance. Have your passport and all luggage you wish to take on your trip. Make sure to have an international driver's license or one that works in France.
9. If you're a foot passenger, there are luggage restrictions. Extra weight or extra bags incur additional charges. Generally you can have two pieces of luggage with SeaFrance. For a daytrip (in which you return to England the same day) you are allowed only the luggage needed for a day.
10. You may be required to hold a health insurance card if you are an England resident. You must have this with you. The car might also have certain requirements, like headlight beam converters and a car warning triangle in the event of a breakdown or accident.
11. Waterway across from Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Board the ferry and enjoy! Watch the water, watch the landscape, or eat a meal in the restaurant while having a few drinks. You'll be to France before you know it!

Tips & Warnings

• You will need a passport to travel from England to France. There is no way around this.
• You don't have to book your ferry ticket in advance. You can walk up and pay. Most likely the fare will be much higher, though, and you risk tickets being sold out.
• You can call the company directly to book, but this means making an international call. Check with your phone company to set up international calling with a discount.
• If you are on vacation in Europe and wish to take your rental car on the ferry, make sure your rental car company approves it. Some companies don't allow their cars to go on ferries. Or, they may charge an additional fee.
• Interestingly enough, many rental companies allow you to rent in England and go to France or Germany (and thus ride the ferry), but very few companies allow you to travel from, say, Germany to England.
• Realize that you will be driving on the left side of the road in England and the other side once in France. This means that a rental car won't usually be able to be a one-way rent if you plan to rent in England and drop off the car in France. You'll probably have to return the car to England where the steering wheel is on the right hand side!
• You can obtain an international driver's license at most AAA locations, even if you aren't a member. It does cost extra if you aren't a member.
• The Sea France ferries have different tickets with different policies. One ticket allows you to cancel your reservation in advance and be charged a cancellation fee but you get the rest of your money refunded.
• One limitation on traveling by foot on the ferry is that you are limited in the amount of luggage you can take without having to pay extra money for excess baggage.
• Make sure you understand the policies on your ticket. Some ferry tickets will allow you to travel on another ferry that same day if you miss your ferry, but you have to check what type of ticket you have and if it allows for this.