Can Caravans Go On The Eurotunnel?

One of mankind’s greatest transport system achievements is the Eurotunnel. It stretches approx. 31 miles (50.5km) with 23 miles of it lying below the English channel (the longest underwater section of a tunnel on the planet) and is, at its deepest point, 377 feet below sea level. The ‘chunnel’ (as it’s sometimes referred to) took six years to construct and was opened in 1994, connecting England to France. It has made holidays across Europe that much more accessible for English travellers, who can now take their own vehicles through.

However, you are not permitted to drive through the Channel Tunnel. The way the system works is that you have to drive onto the Le Shuttle train, which boards at the Eurotunnel terminals in Folkestone (the UK) and Calais (France). These trains are also capable of accommodating cars towing caravans – so there, in a nutshell, is the answer to the question we have posed. An affirmative.

There are other things that are worth knowing about the Channel Tunnel, and here they are:

Other Channel Tunnel information

How Much Does It Cost To Cross?

It’s not as expensive as perhaps you thought.

• A short stay saver (perfect if you are taking a break in Paris or having a long weekend away) starts at £87 per vehicle. There is a Flexiplus option to this particular method, which includes bonus features for an increased cost.
• The standard fare, if you are going one way or staying for six days or more, starts at £109 per vehicle. The refundable version of this method is a little more expensive, but you can confidently book with the peace of mind that you will receive your money back should you need to cancel the journey for any reason.

Please bear in mind that you will have to pay fees higher than this for the extra space your caravan will take up on the shuttle. You will also be allocated to the single storey section of the shuttle to ensure you can load and unload easily.

Reservation

It’s not always necessary to make a reservation to travel in advance, but to eliminate the risk of not being able to go through the tunnel when you want to, it’s strongly advisable. You can buy a ticket to travel when you arrive, but this facility is sometimes restricted at peak times or when there is degraded service or disruption.

Size

So that the right amount of space can be allocated on the train for caravan, Eurotunnel will need to know the overall size. When specifying the length of the item being towed, your measurement must also include things like bumpers, tow bars, bikes and any overhanging loads.

Restrictions

It is extremely important to note that when you take a caravan on the Eurotunnel any gas containers used for its domestic services cannot be taken across. This is for reasons of safety and, therefore, if your caravan relies on these you must sort the issue out once you have crossed. There are several prohibited items which, if you are crossing from the UK into Europe, you can check up on the French website which carries a thorough list of them all.

Whether your caravan is a new or a pre-owned caravan doesn’t matter, either. The same things apply for each when it comes to crossing the English channel via the Eurotunnel. Here at Spinney we have plenty of customers who have travelled via this method so that they can reach foreign shores and embrace our European cousins and the continental lifestyle.

We’re very happy that we’ve been able to supply them with the vehicles to make those trips through the Channel Tunnel. You can see what we have on offer, from new caravans to used motorhomes by browsing our website, and if there’s anything you would like to know more about then simply ask us. We’ll be more than happy to help.