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You can drive to France from the UK by ferry or on LeShuttle, the Eurotunnel car train. LeShuttle from Folkestone to Calais is quickest, at 35 minutes; Dover to Calais is the quickest ferry, at about 90 minutes; and the western ferries from Newhaven, Portsmouth and Plymouth land you much closer to Normandy, Brittany and the west. Below, every crossing is compared, with a planner that works out your drive, and everything you need for the trip.
Every way to cross the Channel by car
| Crossing | Operator | Crossing time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Folkestone to Calais (LeShuttle) | LeShuttle (Eurotunnel) car train | 35 minutes, up to 4 departures an hour | Speed from London and the south-east; the north, Paris, the east and the Alps |
| Dover to Calais | P&O Ferries, DFDS, Irish Ferries | 1 hr 30 to 1 hr 40 | The quickest ferry, with many sailings a day |
| Dover to Dunkirk | DFDS | About 2 hrs | Belgium, the north-east and the east |
| Newhaven to Dieppe | DFDS | About 4 hrs | Paris, Normandy and the shortest drive to the south-east |
| Portsmouth to Caen | Brittany Ferries | About 6 hrs by day, 7 to 8 hrs overnight | Normandy, the Loire and the west |
| Portsmouth to Cherbourg | Brittany Ferries | About 7 hrs 45 to 8 hrs 30, overnight | The Cotentin, western Normandy and Brittany |
| Portsmouth to St Malo | Brittany Ferries | About 11 hrs 30, overnight | Brittany, the Vendée, the Atlantic coast and the south-west |
| Plymouth to Roscoff | Brittany Ferries | About 5 hrs 15 by day, 9 to 10 hrs overnight | The West Country to Brittany and the south-west. Seasonal: late March to early November |
- Dover to Calais 1 hr 30 to 1 hr 40
- Folkestone to Calais by LeShuttle 35 minutes
- Dover to Dunkirk About 2 hrs
- Newhaven to Dieppe About 4 hrs
- Portsmouth to Caen About 6 hrs by day, 7 to 8 hrs overnight
- Portsmouth to Cherbourg About 7 hrs 45 to 8 hrs 30, overnight
- Portsmouth to St Malo About 11 hrs 30, overnight
- Plymouth to Roscoff About 5 hrs 15 by day, 9 to 10 hrs overnight
Crossing lines are a guide, not the exact route. Coastlines: Natural Earth.
Crossing times from the ferry companies and LeShuttle, checked October 2026. Timetables change, so check the sailing you want when you book.
Plan your drive: which crossing is quickest?
Choose where you’re going, and your UK starting point if you like, to compare all eight crossings: the drive in the UK, the crossing, the drive in France and your fuel cost.
Driving times and distances are road-routing estimates from OpenStreetMap data (calculated 6 October 2026), from the French terminal to the city centre, without traffic, stops or check-in. Crossing times are from the ferry companies and LeShuttle, checked October 2026. Tolls aren't included. Checked 10 October 2026.
How to choose your crossing
From London and the south-east, LeShuttle or Dover to Calais is almost always quickest on the clock, wherever you’re going. But the western ferries can save hundreds of miles of driving in France: Bordeaux is about 543 miles from Calais but 329 miles from St Malo, and Nantes is 373 miles from Calais but 110 from St Malo. The overnight sailings from Portsmouth to St Malo and Cherbourg let you sleep in a cabin and start the drive fresh.
From the West Country, Plymouth to Roscoff is often quickest overall to Brittany, the west coast and the south-west. Heading east, to Strasbourg, Lyon or the Alps, Calais, Dunkirk and LeShuttle are the natural choice. More detail and every city in the France route planner.
Drive times from the French ports
| To | From Calais | From Dieppe | From Caen | From Cherbourg | From St Malo | From Roscoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | 3h 10m 180 miles | 2h 30m 123 miles | 2h 55m 153 miles | 4h 15m 223 miles | 4h 35m 250 miles | 6h 30m 349 miles |
| Disneyland Paris | 3h 15m 188 miles | 3h 00m 152 miles | 3h 25m 182 miles | 4h 45m 252 miles | 5h 00m 279 miles | 6h 45m 369 miles |
| Lille | 1h 20m 70 miles | 2h 55m 150 miles | 4h 20m 249 miles | 5h 40m 319 miles | 5h 55m 346 miles | 8h 05m 454 miles |
| Rouen | 2h 20m 134 miles | 0h 55m 42 miles | 1h 35m 86 miles | 3h 00m 157 miles | 3h 15m 184 miles | 5h 25m 291 miles |
| Rennes | 5h 35m 329 miles | 4h 00m 231 miles | 2h 15m 124 miles | 2h 45m 146 miles | 0h 55m 43 miles | 2h 40m 132 miles |
| Nantes | 6h 25m 373 miles | 4h 50m 277 miles | 3h 30m 190 miles | 4h 00m 213 miles | 2h 15m 110 miles | 3h 55m 196 miles |
| La Rochelle | 7h 35m 432 miles | 6h 05m 337 miles | 5h 05m 276 miles | 5h 50m 302 miles | 4h 00m 198 miles | 5h 45m 285 miles |
| Bordeaux | 9h 00m 543 miles | 7h 25m 445 miles | 6h 25m 384 miles | 7h 35m 432 miles | 5h 45m 329 miles | 7h 30m 416 miles |
| Sarlat (Dordogne) | 8h 45m 509 miles | 7h 50m 434 miles | 7h 35m 396 miles | 8h 55m 464 miles | 7h 50m 432 miles | 9h 30m 519 miles |
| Toulouse | 10h 05m 601 miles | 9h 10m 526 miles | 8h 50m 532 miles | 10h 00m 580 miles | 8h 10m 477 miles | 9h 50m 563 miles |
| Montpellier | 10h 40m 657 miles | 9h 55m 571 miles | 9h 50m 582 miles | 11h 05m 649 miles | 10h 20m 601 miles | 12h 00m 688 miles |
| Marseille | 10h 50m 664 miles | 10h 15m 599 miles | 10h 40m 629 miles | 12h 00m 700 miles | 11h 40m 683 miles | 13h 25m 769 miles |
| Nice | 12h 30m 763 miles | 11h 55m 698 miles | 12h 15m 728 miles | 13h 40m 798 miles | 13h 20m 781 miles | 15h 05m 868 miles |
| Lyon | 7h 35m 473 miles | 7h 05m 408 miles | 7h 25m 438 miles | 8h 45m 509 miles | 8h 30m 492 miles | 10h 15m 579 miles |
| Annecy | 8h 25m 512 miles | 8h 05m 457 miles | 8h 25m 487 miles | 9h 45m 557 miles | 9h 45m 568 miles | 11h 30m 638 miles |
| Strasbourg (Alsace) | 6h 15m 388 miles | 6h 40m 388 miles | 7h 45m 462 miles | 9h 05m 533 miles | 9h 20m 559 miles | 11h 10m 649 miles |
What you need
Documents
- Your UK photocard driving licence (no international driving permit needed)
- A passport for everyone in the car
- The car’s V5C log book (or VE103 for a hired or leased car)
- Your insurance certificate
In the car
- A hi-vis vest for each person, kept in the cabin
- A warning triangle
- The UK identifier on your number plate, or a UK sticker
- Headlamp beam deflectors, or your car’s own setting
- A Crit’Air sticker if you’ll drive into a low-emission zone
Full details, and a trip checklist you can print, in what you need to drive in France. Towing? Caravans and trailers over 750kg now need DVLA registration: see caravans and motorhomes.
At the port: border checks
At Dover and at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, French passport checks happen in the UK, before you board. At the other ports you may go through checks on arrival in France. The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) records your fingerprints and a photo instead of stamping your passport. On your first visit you may need to register at a booth; children aged 11 or younger have their photo taken but not their fingerprints. Your record lasts three years, and you can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Allow extra time at the border, especially on your first trip and in the school holidays.
LeShuttle asks you to arrive at the terminal 1 to 2 hours before your departure. Ferry companies set their own check-in times: they’re on your booking.
Taking your dog or cat
According to GOV.UK, to take a dog or cat from Great Britain to France your pet needs:
- a microchip, fitted before or at the same time as the rabies vaccination
- a rabies vaccination, given when they’re at least 12 weeks old, at least 21 days before you travel
- an animal health certificate from your vet, valid for 10 days to enter the EU, and needed for every trip
Pet passports issued in England, Scotland or Wales can’t be used to enter the EU. Ferry companies and LeShuttle have their own rules for pets on board, so check when you book.
Food in the car
Strict rules apply to meat and dairy crossing the border. Since 12 April 2025, travellers can’t bring beef, lamb, goat or pork, or dairy products, from the EU into Great Britain for personal use. Check the current rules before packing a picnic for the journey in either direction.
What it costs
- The crossing: LeShuttle fares start from £59 each way for a car and up to nine people, on a Day Trip & Overnight ticket booked as a return within two days (Standard tickets from £124, checked October 2026). Ferry fares vary by route, season and time: compare them on our sister site.
- Fuel: the route planner above estimates it from your car’s mpg.
- Tolls: most autoroutes charge tolls. See French toll roads for how to work out your route’s cost.
- Breakdown cover: European cover is strongly recommended. See insurance and breakdown cover.
When you land
France is an hour ahead of the UK all year, so set your watch and clock. Then take a moment before you drive off.
Take your time when you leave the ferry port or Eurotunnel. Most errors are made within the first few miles.
For the rest of the drive, our 25 tips for driving in France cover junctions, autoroutes, tolls and fuel. Driving further? See driving to the south of France and driving through France to Spain.
Driving to France from the UK: crossings, routes and what you need FAQs
What is the quickest way to drive to France from the UK?
LeShuttle (Eurotunnel) from Folkestone to Calais: the crossing takes 35 minutes, with up to four departures an hour, though LeShuttle asks you to arrive 1 to 2 hours before departure. The quickest ferry is Dover to Calais, at about 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 40.
Is the ferry or Eurotunnel better for driving to France?
Eurotunnel is quicker and runs more often; ferries let you stretch your legs, eat on board and, on the western routes, sleep in a cabin and land much closer to Brittany, the west and the south-west. The best choice depends on where you live and where you're going: our route planner compares all eight crossings for your journey.
How long does it take to drive from the UK to the south of France?
From London via LeShuttle, about 13 hours to Montpellier and 15 hours to Nice, without stops, traffic or check-in, using road-routing estimates. With breaks every two hours, most people split it over two days or take an overnight ferry.
What do I need to drive to France from the UK?
Your UK photocard licence, passport, V5C and insurance certificate; a hi-vis vest for each person and a warning triangle; the UK identifier on your number plate or a UK sticker; and headlamp beam adjustment. A Crit'Air sticker if you'll drive into a low-emission zone.
Do I need an international driving permit to drive in France?
No, not with a UK photocard licence. GOV.UK says you might need one with an old paper licence or a licence issued in Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man.
What happens at the border when driving to France?
At Dover and at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, French border checks happen in the UK before you leave. The EU's Entry/Exit System records your fingerprints and photo on your first visit instead of stamping your passport, so allow extra time.
Can I take my dog to France in the car?
Yes. Your dog needs a microchip, a rabies vaccination at least 21 days before travel, and an animal health certificate from your vet, valid for 10 days to enter the EU. Pet passports issued in Great Britain can't be used to enter the EU.
Is France an hour ahead of the UK?
Yes, all year round. Ferry timetables show local times, so a ferry leaving Dover at 10:00 arrives in Calais at about 12:35 French time.