Drive onto the Le Shuttle train at Folkestone, stay in your car for 35 minutes, drive off in Coquelles near Calais. The complete first-timer’s walk-through.
Pick your travel date, time, vehicle type and ticket tier on leshuttle.com. Add pets if needed. Save the confirmation email.
M20 Junction 11A. Postcode CT18 8XX for sat-nav. Free parking is available if you are running early. Filling up with petrol is cheaper at Folkestone services than at the terminal.
Drive through the camera arch at the entrance. Cameras read your number plate, the screen shows your booking and allocates a departure time and lane number.
UK exit and French entry checks are both done at Folkestone (you do them on the UK side). Have passports ready, expect to roll down all windows. Border force may scan, very rarely search.
Follow the lane number shown at check-in to your boarding zone. When called, drive directly into the carriage. Marshalls direct you to your spot. Apply handbrake, switch off engine, leave car in neutral.
Train moves at up to 160 km/h, smoothly. You can stand by the car, use toilets at the end of every second carriage. No mobile signal. When the train arrives in Coquelles, marshalls signal to start engines and drive off.
Day Trip, Short Stay Saver, Standard and FlexiPlus side by side.
Nine specific tactics to land the cheapest fare for your dates.
How Pet Reception works, paperwork checklist, walking-area locations.
What is in the lounge and when the £100+ premium is worth it.
Your rights when Le Shuttle cancels, when you miss the train, travel insurance gaps.
Estimate your fare before you book.