Pet owners cannot bring their dog or cat on the Eurostar. The Eurotunnel does allow pets. The Eurotunnel is a train service where cars and trucks cross the English Channel. If you don’t have a car, that’s where Le Pet Express can help! Taking the Eurotunnel and using the Le Pet Express shuttle. Channel crossing is affordable with Le Pet Express.
Whether you’re relocating, taking your dog or cat to France with your holiday or bringing a new pet home, Le Pet Express can help.
Options when traveling without a car
Dog and cat friendly travel services options vary from the Le Pet Express shuttle, private taxis, a ferry and transporting companies.
Le Pet Express shuttle–we pick you and your pet up at the rail station at a set time in France and drop you off in the UK at the rail station. We cross the English Channel using the Eurotunnel Pets can travel on trains for free in the UK. UK train travel information on dogs, cats and luggage can be found at nationalrail.
With the Le Pet Express van, pet owners travel alongside their dog or cat through the Eurotunnel to both the UK and France. You stay with your pet the whole journey. I own my own dog and had to relocate my pets from the US to the UK. I set up Le Pet Express to be affordable and take the worry out of crossing the English Chanel when you don’t have a car. I love my pets and am happy to help other pet owners travel with theirs in a safe fashion.
Le Pet Express Shuttle Price: £165
Train from Paris to Calais, Frethun: varies £30 to £70. Please note some trains from Gare du Nord split at Arras or Dunkirk. That means one half of the train goes to Calais Frethun and the other either terminates at the destination (Arras) or carries on to Dunkirk. Ensure you are on the part of the train going all the way to Calais Frethun!
https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/ from Ashford International to London
In Europe raileurope or thetrainline
Train from Ashford International Rail to London: varies £25 to £60
Private taxi–will take you door-to-door when bringing your pet from Europe to the UK. Prices vary based on distance. Price: £400 to £2000
Foot passenger ferries:
Holland to UK: https://www.stenaline.nl/en-GB-nl/england
France to UK: https://www.dfds.com/en-gb/passenger-ferries/passenger-information/pet-travel
Pet Transportation–you travel separately to your destination and the transportation company brings your dog or cat to the UK or Europe for you.
Price: varies based on distance. Typical costs are £400 +
Pet friendly ferries from Sicily to Italy, Sardinia to Italy, Morocco to Europe, Albania to Italy and Tunisia to Italy. N.b. There are multiple arrival ports from Morocco, Sicily, Sardinia and Tunisia. Below are intial links to get you started.
https://www.gnv.it/en/ferries-destinations/sicily
https://www.gnv.it/en/ferries-destinations/sardinia
https://www.gnv.it/en/ferries-destinations/morocco
https://www.gnv.it/en/ferries-destinations/albania
https://www.gnv.it/en/ferries-destinations/tunisia
Canary Islands: Pet friendly foot passenger and car ferry: https://www.fredolsen.es/en/travel-with-pets
European Pet Friendly bus for dogs 4kg or less. Please read Can I travel with my dog for further information: https://www.sindbad.pl/en/customerservice/faq
Pet friendly trains in Spain: https://www.renfe.com/es/en/viajar/informacion-util/pets/trenes
https://www.ouigo.com/es/en/frequently-asked-questions?question=can-i-bring-my-pet-board
Eurotunnel and Le Pet Express’ Travel Service
Le Pet Express offers a shuttle bus service for you and your pet across the English Channel from the UK to France and vice versa. Our day starts when we collect you from the rail station in Ashford, UK on our van. We drop you off at Calais Frethun rail station in France which has direct links to Paris and beyond. On the French side, we collect you and take you and your pet back through the Eurotunnel to Ashford International Rail Station where the journey to London is slightly over an hour.
Our vans are fitted with cages on one side and seats on the other. We can accommodate up to 5 pets and 6 people on each journey. You sit directly across from you pet while we do the driving. Cages are required per EU regulations and we take every effort to be compliant and offer you a safe journey. Our cages are large enough for Great Danes so any size dog can fit. We keep dogs and cats separated and pets cannot see through to the adjacent cage. They can only see forward and see you!
Our prices are a set fee and can be booked online or over the phone.
Pet Documentation Assistance
As part of Le Pet Express’ product offering, we answer customer’s questions about EU pet passports, the UK Animal Certificate and other Health Certificates if you’re traveling into France from a country outside the EU. We firmly believe in equipping you with all the latest information possible to take the stress away, assist you to get the documentation right and get you on your journey.
Find out more
What you need to know
Our vehicles
We transport you in our very large van. It has enough room for up to 5 cats or dogs, your luggage and 6 people. Our vans are licensed with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner in the UK and DEFRA for animal transportation.
Where do you collect our pets?
UK to France: 10:00 a.m. We collect you from Ashford International Rail Station, Ashford, UK
France to UK: 16:00 We collect you at Calais Frethun Rail Station
How long is the journey?
Journey times vary depending on Eurotunnel delays. Typically a journey is about 3 hours. We have timed our arrivals to coincide with the train schedules allowing you to travel to London once you arrive from France and time to travel to Paris, etc from Calais Frethun.
How do I book the service?
Our booking is online and over the phone. We have a UK and US phone number. Our UK: (+44) 03301139527
US: (415) 874-1255