Just looking at the pros and cons of holidaying in France.
How much should I expect to pay for Dover to Calais return in the height of summer with a car and caravan.
Thanks in advance.
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I am guessing £150 up to £200 return, keep an eye out for the P&0 "Early Bird" offer, I spotted that in January, and booked for a July crossing this year, which saved me £50 against the closest price from DFDS.
To be fair though, DFDS has in the past always given me the best price, albeit for the Dover-Dunkerque crossing.
Book early, the prices creep up relentlessly as you get nearer summer. Not sure about with a caravan but we paid about £120 return with a car at the end of July with DFDS Dover-Calais (booked around February if I remember rightly).
If you collect Tesco clubcard points you can use their clubcard boost offer to get 3x face value on P&O and DFDS (and indeed the eurotunnel). P&O only allow it on certain crossing times, DFDS let you pick any of their crossings.
Priority boarding (about £12 per crossing) is well worth it - you'll be one of the first onto the ferry and therefore beat the queues at the restaurants (it can be a bit of a mad rush otherwise), and also gets you off the ferry and onto the open road quickly. We were literally the first car off at Calais, what a great feeling that was!
Much will depend on where you live and which are the best crossings for you. It could also depend on where in France you intend to go, assuming you plan to book ahead - most of us don't bother outside the high season. Once you have decided which route(s) you want to go, then hunt around for the best prices. Time of day is usually a factor - it is cheaper to travel at unsociable hours! People on this forum often have codes they can share to facilitate discounts, so keep watching this space.
Tesco tokens can also be used towards a tunnel crossing. We have found this a good option when taking dogs, but it is not a cheap way of getting there unless your tokens can cover all, or almost all, of the cost. Animals are not covered by this scheme and must be paid for separately.
------------- Freedom is a light caravan and an open road.
we always use clubcard tokens to pay for our tunnel crossing. We have a dog and I don't want to leave her in the car below deck....she'd find and then eat all the cheese we bring home :D
Our car, caravan and dog is around £300 return for peak holiday period at reasonable crossing times.
Post last edited on 31/08/2018 13:21:13
------------- Doing whatever the rice krispies tell me to.
Don't forget to leave a review of the French and other European campsites you have visited!
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Ferry price
