Yesterday we booked our November stay!! Eeek! We are staying at SL and I can't wait for the Christmassy atmosphere!! On previous trips we have flown from Manchester, but this time we are going to drive. We have decided to drive from york and go via the ferry at Dover. On the way back however we are going to come back via the euro tunnel as it's a lot quicker then possibly stay over night in Kent to split up the journey. Can anyone recommend any driving tips/need to knows and also any decent hotels for on the way back!!? Thank u in advance! 😃
Bare in mind that you'll very likely have to pay road tax in France.
I don't know the fees off hand (I'm sure you can calculate them online somewhere if you google for it).
You'll be able to pay that cash or by credit card at the payment toll booth :)
hi there...
we always drive from Warrington , we used to drive straight to dlp ,leave ours at 6 pm one stop at Coventry then straight to Dover on the ferry and be at dlp for 6 am , then in parks for emh....
then one time hubby had hurt his leg and had to break up the journey so stopped at premier inn and now do that every time so much better and feel allot more refreshed...
like i say we stay at the premier inn at Dover not the one at port but about five mins away and has always been great and if you book early or when offer is on usually get it for £29/£39 for the night also we do the same on the way home , get the late ferry back so can have a full or near full day in the park and are then are refreshed for journey home
if you have never drove in France before you need thing a kit for your car have a look on aa / halfords website they tell you what you need but are expensive so i got all mine from ebay for alot less but just the same ...
think the tolls in France last year when we went were 21.40 e each way
Quote from: HildeKitten on March 29, 2015, 09:48:04 AM
Bare in mind that you'll very likely have to pay road tax in France.
I don't know the fees off hand (I'm sure you can calculate them online somewhere if you google for it).
You'll be able to pay that cash or by credit card at the payment toll booth :)
Many toll booths in France still aren't set up to accept non-French credit and debit cards so make sure you have euro cash with you.
It's mandatory when driving in France to have a yellow luminous jacket, a first aid kit, and two breathalysers in the car (and not in the boot). Halfords and the like will sell all of these.
French Toll costs
http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/routes.htm?itiFrom=62100+Calais%2C+France&itiTo=77777+Disneyland+Resort+Paris%2C+France (http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/routes.htm?itiFrom=62100+Calais%2C+France&itiTo=77777+Disneyland+Resort+Paris%2C+France)
Info for driving in France from the RAC
http://www.rac.co.uk/travel/driving-abroad/countries/france (http://www.rac.co.uk/travel/driving-abroad/countries/france)
On the tolls we used we were able to use our debit card... We used a sat nav which took us on the loop road around Paris and rush hour. Worst 2 hours of my life to move about 3 miles...
We have driven twice before, if you haven't already booked I would rethink the ferry, we did it both ways first time and were delayed both ways by hours...about 3/4 going and 2/3 coming back. When we drive last year we did the euro tunnel each way which was only a little bit more expensive...but on time.
We split the drive by staying over about an hour from DLP to arrive early on the first day which worked well. The tolls are about 30 euros each way if I remember rightly, although I think someone put a link on.
It's an easy drive though. HTH.
Thanks guys - thanks for the tips!! Think I may reconsider the ferry and just go for the tunnel both ways! 😃
We always drive over to Europe! We went last September and think the tolls were about €22 each way. We paid using our credit card on the way there and used up our spare euros on the way back (sure the drivers behind, really loved us!! Haha) the year before we drove all the way up to Switzerland had had no problem whatsoever using our MasterCard at the tolls so I honestly don't think it's a problem as Stifle suggests? Make sure you have a triangle, first aid kit, 2 high vis jackets (to be easily reached from inside the car) 2 breatheliser kits, GB sticker and headlamp converters if your car doesn't have the facility to change them..
We are staying at the Dover Premier inn on the Thursday evening so we can get up and get straight to the ferry and be in DLP for around lunch time x
We only use the tunnel now and enjoy it far more. We either stay at Travelodge or Holiday Inn express at Folkestone. We found it was just as cheap to do tunnel both ways as it was on the ferry.
Can I ask a daft question about the tunnel? After you've driven your car in the hold, do you just stay sat in it or is there somewhere you can go to get a drink?
You just stay in your car, unless you need the loo! It's only about 30 mins or something.
Ferry every time for me, it's not that much slower than the tunnel and you can use it to break the journey and get something to eat or shopping and still be moving! The ferry is part of the holiday for us, love watching us leave Dover.
The tunnel with a car is as dull as dish water compared to the ferry. Now don't get me wrong I like the tunnel when using the euro star direct to the park just not as a car passenger who wants to sit in there car in a garage for 40 mins!
Paul
Thank you!! Think I will price up both and them make a decision!! 😃
I'm at the park as we speak having done the euro tunnel today. I can confirm that the toll fees cost €18.50. I went E26, A1, A3 and then A4. I know the directions tell you to do E26 all the way to A4 but I think it does that to get yu to avoid the Paris ring road. I can't stand ferries, I'm rather impatient and find the 75 minute crossing laborious, whereas the tunnel is a nice quick 35 minute journey, off the train and on the motorway within minutes of arriving in France. So much easier and less hassle (IMO)
I can highly recommend the Premier Inn on Ashford Eureka Park (just 15 minutes from the tunnel terminal), lovely clean comfortable beds and good breakfast.
We're staying in the SL as well in a Golden Forest Room. Top floor. Lovely and quiet (so far).
Premier Inn at Ashford or the one by the tunnel itself are great. Don't forget if you have Tesco Clubcard vouchers you can exchange them towards the cost of eurotunnel journeys.
Hi, we've just got back today we have driven twice from North yorkshire once via Dover and once via hull to zebrugge, cost wise about the same but much better for the driver, takes 3 1/2 hours from zebrugge to Disney then a quick 1 1/2 hours home. Hubby refuses to go via Dover these days due to the drive back, 6 hours is a killer. We had no problem using cards on the tolls was about €20.