The Eurotunnel, also known as the Channel Tunnel, is a 50km tunnel connecting the UK and France beneath the English Channel. Taking less than 40 minutes, it’s a great option for those venturing to mainland Europe and it’s how we entered France earlier this year in our campervan from the UK.

Due to the UK leaving the EU, a few things have changed when travelling using the Eurotunnel. There is a comprehensive list of the post-Brexit Eurotunnel changes available here although we still found the experience to be straight forward and stress free.

5 Eurotunnel Facts

• It took approximately 6 years and over 13,000 workers to build the impressive tunnel and it was finally completed in 1994

• Around 50,000 people travel via the Eurotunnel each day

• Over 26 million red roses are transported to the UK via the Eurotunnel for Valentine’s Day every year

• Over 3 million dogs and cats have travelled on the Eurotunnel since 2000

• Each year, over £12 billion worth of fruit and vegetables are transported via the Eurotunnel

Covid-19 Requirements

We travelled to France from the UK in April 2022 and below are the regulations on the French government website we had to follow at that specific time.

• Fully vaccinated travellers aged 12+ from the UK must show proof of vaccination

• The first option for unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated travellers aged 12+ from the UK is to provide a negative PCR test result within 72 hours of pre-departure. The second option is to provide a negative antigen test result taken within 48 hours of pre-departure

• Children under the age of 12 are exempt from any Covid-19 travel restrictions

• Transiting through France is accepted in line with regulations set out by French authorities. These are subject to change, so be sure to check for any updated travel restrictions prior to departure from the UK

Travel requirements are often changing due to Covid-19 so it’s important to check the latest regulations of the country you are travelling to.

Travelling with pets

Pets are able to travel on the Eurotunnel and with 24 hour pet check-in available at Folkestone and Calais, it’s a straight forward process. For up to date information about travelling with pets on the Eurotunnel, you can check the extensive list provided on the Eurotunnel website here.

Our experience

We previously crossed over to France by ferry from Dover to Calais in late summer 2020, so experiencing the Eurotunnel was a first for us! The first checkpoint at the Eurotunnel was a number plate recognition system (ANPR) that checked-in our vehicle. Our passports were then stamped at border control and after a quick check by a member of staff that our gas was turned off, we were ready to board! Passports are now stamped when entering a country within the Schengen Zone, so be sure to keep an eye on your 90 day Schengen allowance if you are travelling on a UK passport.

If you’re heading to mainland Europe, we would recommend the Eurotunnel for a stress free, quick and affordable way to travel. We originally booked our Eurotunnel crossing for the early hours of the morning as these times tend to be considerably cheaper and much quieter. In true hippy bus style, however, our plans changed the day before we were due to travel on the Eurotunnel as we managed to finish all our final bits of preparation early. For a £72 fee we were able to bring our booking forward and board the next available shuttle.

Throughout the entirety of our Eurotunnel experience, the topic of Covid-19 didn’t come up at any point and we weren’t asked for vaccination status, vaccination passports, negative tests or a sworn statement.

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