‘Self-drive’ prices
‘Self-drive’ prices apply when you take your car across the Channel and include a return crossing between Dover and Calais with P&O Ferries for your party (minimum 2 adults) and one car (no on-board accommodation is included). The crossing takes 90 minutes and during peak periods there are departures every 45-50 minutes. A supplement of up to £35 per car per single journey applies on this route for weekend travel from 1 to 10 June 2012 and from 20 July to 2 September 2012 inclusive, depending on time and direction of travel. (‘Weekend’ is defined as Friday and Saturday for outward travel, and Saturday and Sunday for the return crossing.)
Upgrade to P&O Ferries’ Club Plus service on the Dover to Calais route for just £12 per person plus £6 per car each way and you can benefit from: priority boarding and disembarkation, plus access to the exclusive Club Lounge with complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks, newspapers, waiter service and snack menu.
Self-drive prices for short breaks are based on a 4-night maximum stay.
On hotel-to-hotel walking and cycling holidays, a transfer back to the first hotel to pick up your car is included where necessary.
Other routes and operators
You can travel on alternative routes to the continent with another operator, providing you travel out and back with the same company. We are able to offer a number of alternatives at supplements to our self-drive price (please contact us for full details, timings and prices):
Eurotunnel offers the quickest method of taking your car across the Channel, with a crossing time of only 35 minutes from Folkestone and Calais. Its convenient service operates 365 days a year with a choice of up to 3 departures an hour during peak periods.
Upgrade to Flexiplus and you benefit from a dedicated check-in, exclusive lounge serving complimentary non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, and priority boarding. Please let us know at the time of booking if your car and any roof loads are over 1.85 metres high. Eurotunnel is unable to carry LPG/dual-powered cars.
Brittany Ferries enjoys an excellent reputation for the quality of its ships and on-board service.
To France: you may choose to travel on the high-speed services from Portsmouth and Poole to Cherbourg, or on a combination of high-speed and traditional ferries from Portsmouth to Caen. A traditional ferry also runs between Portsmouth and St Malo.
To northern Spain: make the journey a memorable part of your holiday to northern Spain. There are now 5 return crossings a week on luxurious cruise ferries travelling from Portsmouth to Santander and Bilbao, and from Plymouth to Santander, with most journeys taking just 24 hours.
If you are travelling from northern England, we highly recommend P&O Ferries’ overnight service from Hull to Zeebrugge. These large, comfortable cruise ships leave every evening at 1830 (1900 on the return), and they arrive the following morning at 0845 (0815 on the return leg). From Zeebrugge, you have easy access to the French motorway system, or you can head east to Switzerland, Austria, Italy and beyond.
Important cross-Channel information
Ferry and Eurotunnel reservations are made for fixed time departures; please arrive in plenty of time to check in.
On-board accommodation is obligatory on all night sailings and must be reserved in advance.
Statutory legislation obliges all cross-Channel operators to hold the names, ages and gender of all passengers and whether any special assistance is required on board. Please provide these details at the time of booking to prevent hold-ups at port.
Furthermore, the UK government continues to implement its requirement for everyone travelling internationally into and out of the UK to submit Advance Passenger Information (API) to their travel provider (including airlines and rail and ferry operators). This information includes full given names as shown on the passport, date of birth, nationality, passport number, plus issue and expiry dates. Where we have made travel arrangements on your behalf, we will request the required information from you and submit it to your travel provider.
There is a maximum overall height for cars (including any roof loads) of 3 metres and a maximum length of 6 metres. Charges may apply to cars over 1.5 metres high (including roof loads) or over 5 metres in length, according to each operator’s normal conditions of carriage. Please inform us of the length and height of your car at the time of booking and let us know if cycles are to be carried on the rear of your car.
Breakdown insurance?
Breakdowns can ruin a holiday, so it is sensible to purchase vehicle assistance cover. Inntravel are able to offer you European Breakdown Insurance cover, including emergency roadside assistance and temporary vehicle replacement. Please contact us for details of the policy and for premiums, which start from £30 (inclusive of 6% IPT). The Insurers of the European Motor Breakdown policy is Union Reiseversicherung AG (URV).