Channel Tunnel to France: Fun Family Travel via Chunnel
What to Know About the World’s Longest Undersea Tunnel
“Mr. President, the sheer scale of the Channel Tunnel project has daunted many of our predecessors over the last 200 years. Too often in the past pioneering spirits, men of vision and imagination, have been foiled by bureaucracy, narrow minds or plain fear of the unknown.”
“Eurotunnel Class 9 9804” by Getlink CC BY-SA 4.0.
Imagine you’re cruising down the motorway in England, ready for an epic family road trip. The kids are strapped in, excitement buzzing in the car. Then, just like magic, you drive onto a train, sit back, and 35 minutes later, you’re in France! No airport security lines, no airline luggage restrictions, no "Are we there yet?" echoing for hours.
Welcome to the Eurotunnel, one of the most fascinating ways to travel between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. If you're looking for a speedy escape route from the bustling streets of Central London to the serenity of the French coast then this is your ticket!
What is the Channel Tunnel?
The two longest undersea tunnels in the world are Japan's Seikan Tunnel and the Eurotunnel. When the Seikan Tunnel was completed in 1988, it gained the title of world's longest undersea tunnel thanks to the measurement of its entire length. When the Eurotunnel opened in 1994, it became the tunnel with the longest undersea section in the world.
Nicknamed the "Chunnel," this engineering marvel runs 31.5 miles between Folkestone, England and Calais, France. With 23.5 miles of that journey deep beneath the English Channel, it connects both sides of the Strait of Dover. The Channel Tunnel rail link is a testament to human ingenuity, allowing both LeShuttle vehicle transport services and high-speed Eurostar passenger train services (not to mention various freight services) to operate seamlessly via separate tunnels.
The terminal in Folkestone is located just a short drive away from The White Cliffs of Dover, Shakespeare Cliff, and Abbot’s Cliff Sound Mirror. On the French side, the Coquelles terminal is located about a 30–40 minute drive from Central Calais where you can find several parks, museums, and historical monuments.
Click on photo to enlarge and see descriptions.
LeShuttle (also known as Eurotunnel LeShuttle or just Eurotunnel) is the real game-changer for families. The train is over half a mile long, allowing many vehicles to make the crossing at once. Load up your motorcycle, car, or minivan and drive onto one of the double-deck carriages of the train. Want to take your camper van? No problem! The LeShuttle train can accommodate larger vehicles, up to and including coaches. In just over half an hour, your expedition through the railway tunnels will have you rolling out the other side, ready to hit the French roads.
Eurostar is the high-speed train that shuttles passengers, without vehicles, through the tunnel. The high-speed trains operate at a speed of 186mph but slow that down to 100mph while traveling through the tunnel. Thanks to its incredible speeds, passengers can make the journey from London to Paris in just a little over two hours (20 of which are in the tunnel)!
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History of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link
The idea for a tunnel under the English Channel to connect Great Britain to continental Europe was first proposed in the early 1800s by Albert Mathieu, a French mining engineer who dreamed of horse-drawn carriages making the journey. His design included a man-made island halfway across, allowing for the changing of horses. Even Napoleon Bonaparte had dreams of making it happen!
For much of the next two centuries, leaders in both France and England debated the idea of a tunnel beneath the English Channel. The first real attempt, however, came in 1880 when construction actually began—only to be abandoned due to technical difficulties and lingering fears. The British, in particular, worried about two major threats: the return of rabies, which had been eradicated from the UK, and the possibility of a French invasion.
The idea resurfaced multiple times. In 1919, David Lloyd George proposed it at the Paris Peace Conference. In 1936, Winston Churchill wrote an article in the Daily Mail titled "Why Not a Channel Tunnel?" A Franco-British treaty was even signed in 1973 to move forward with construction, but the plan was scrapped just two years later.
Despite the repeated interest, no one was willing to fully commit—until 1986. That year, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher gave the green light for the Channel Tunnel Project. Thanks to the red tape and preliminary work needed, construction of the channel tunnel didn't begin until December 1987.
Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterand ceremonially opened the tunnel on May 6, 1994 by being the first passengers to make the journey through the train tunnel. It took 192 years, but the dream of Mathieu was finally realized! To date, more than 100 million vehicles and 500 million people have made the journey through the tunnel, which provides easy access between the United Kingdom and mainland Europe via shuttle trains and high-speed trains.
Clearing Up Confusion About the Railway Tunnels
While researching the Chunnel’s history and features, I realized that I wasn’t the only one who was a bit confused over the transport options through the tunnel. We hope to clear that up a little bit for you. We’ve provided both a description and a visual to help you better understand.
Channel Tunnel Project
The Channel Tunnel (or as the French refer to it, “Tunnel sous la Manche”) is the name of the grouping of three separate single-track tunnels through which the trains travel, beneath the English Channel, from England to France or vice versa. Two of the rail tunnels are used for trains providing freight services and passenger services while the third rail tunnel is a service tunnel.
The Channel Tunnel is owned by Getlink, a European public company based in Paris. The French company manages and operates the infrastructure of the Channel Tunnel between northern France and south east England. During normal operations, between 350 and 400 trains pass through the tunnel link every day!
LeShuttle Service
LeShuttle is the name of the Channel Tunnel trains (also owned by Getlink) which make their way through the Channel Tunnel. Much of the confusion results from this vehicle transport train and the tunnel system, as a whole, all being referred to as “Eurotunnel” in the past. Over time, LeShuttle has gone from being referred to as “Eurotunnel,” to “Eurotunnel Le Shuttle,” to just “LeShuttle.”
No matter what you call it, it is the train system that transports road vehicles through the tunnel. These include individual motorcycles, cars, minivans, campers, and even buses or coaches. Passengers of LeShuttle embark with their vehicle at Folkestone terminal in south Kent, England or at Coquelles terminal just outside Calais, France (often referred to as Calais terminal).
If you would like to experience the Channel Tunnel first hand, a rental car would provide a fantastic experience, and you wouldn’t even have to drive in the Tunnel! We highly recommend using AutoEurope. We first started using AutoEurope during our 3-month trip to France in 2021.
Why do we use it? It is an online service for booking cars in over 180 countries worldwide, and we can find and book a car in three steps. The best part is that you can compare prices from different service providers, such as Herz, Sixt, and Europcar, and choose the best price (also check rental policies).
Eurostar Passenger Train Services
Eurostar, owned by Eurostar Group (a customer of Eurotunnel) is the name of the trains providing high-speed passenger services. They are allowed to run their trains through the tunnel, transporting passengers without a vehicle.
For passengers, the experience is much like a typical Eurostar ride, it just happens to go through the longest undersea tunnel in the world on this particular journey. These foot passengers board their Eurostar passenger train at London St Pancras International for destinations in Paris, Brussels, or other European cities.
The tunnel was designed to accommodate rail traffic speeds of up to 200km/hr (120mph), however, for safety reasons, trains are limited to a high speed of only 160km/hour (100mph).
Differences between LeShuttle & Eurostar.
Safety & Security of the Rail Tunnels
You may be asking “is it really safe to travel underwater?” We are pleased to report that Eurotunnel takes safety and security very seriously! Here are some of the precautions they take to provide a high level of protection for passengers and employees:
The Safety Authority in charge of maintaining the Channel Tunnel, and its transport methods, is made up of independent experts. The tunnel itself includes some of the safest infrastructure in the world!
Freight carriers, including coaches, are inspected to keep illegal substances or explosives from being transported.
Passengers are vetted by both British and French governments to make sure they are not leaving or entering a country illegally or without the proper paperwork.
Armed police, perimeter fencing, infrared detectors, hundreds of CCTV cameras, drones, and other top secret security measures are all utilized to keep the borders and the tunnel safe.
The Eurotunnel has a massive sprinkler and fire suppression system called Safe, which was installed after damaging fires in 1996, 2006, and 2008. The system is designed to keep trains cool and put fires out quickly. In the event of a fire, it quenches the flames and cools the train. That water then evaporates which absorbs even more heat energy as it turns to steam.
Multiple fire-safe doors on each carriage are designed to ensure that the entire train can be sealed off, allowing for the safe and speedy evacuation of passengers in the event of a fire.
What to Expect When Using the Eurotunnel
Let’s set expectations: This isn’t like any other train experience and it's not your typical road tunnel. Our first time was a bit of a surprise as we had no idea what to truly expect. We simply thought that our bus would drive through the tunnel. Instead, our entire bus drove onto a long train for the ride from England to France. When traveling on LeShuttle, you can get out of your car to stretch or use the bathroom, but there’s nowhere exciting to go. Most people stay in their vehicle for the short duration of the trip through the tunnel.
If you’re not boarding one of the Eurotunnel shuttles via coach like we did, then you’ll want to book your ticket in advance online via LeShuttle’s website as they will require “Advance Passenger Information” (API).
On the day of travel, aim to arrive about one to two hours before your scheduled departure. Follow signs along the main road to the check-in booths, many of which are automated. Don’t worry, though! If you’d rather deal with a human, there are check-in booths where you can do so.
You will be assigned a letter and number combo which will be printed onto a paper hanger for you to put on your rear-view mirror. If you’re running a bit behind and your undersea train is due to depart soon, staff will simply wave you on past the terminals. Otherwise, you can park and wait in the parking lot or the terminal where there are large screens to help you know when it’s your turn to begin moving forward. When it’s time, a crew member will scan your vehicle hanger, safety announcements will play, and before you know it—you’ll be in France!
While not exactly glamorous, the tunnel is definitely your quickest option for making the journey between England and France. It’s also very simple and efficient to use. We loved our ride with FlixBus and we highly recommend coach bookings as the carrier takes care of so many of the details, allowing you to just enjoy the ride. We can’t personally vouch for transportation via Eurostar services, but here’s what you can expect when going by bus.
Our Channel Tunnel Experience By Bus on LeShuttle Train
Our family boarded an overnight FlixBus at Victoria Coach Station, which was just a couple of blocks from the DoubleTree by Hilton London - Victoria where we stayed. It was the perfect location for us, despite the fact that we had to have two separate rooms. From a delicious breakfast, comfy beds, and great service, we loved everything about our stay at this Hilton location in Central London!
For stays in London, we highly recommend checking out Booking.com, as we use this platform for most of our travels outside the United States. Staying in family-friendly hotels is necessary when booking a ride through the Channel Tunnel.
Look at the curated list of hotels we recommend booking through Booking.com in London for stays before or after your Eurotunnel adventure. These are some of the best prices of the year!
Our driver checked our tickets and our passports before we were able to load our luggage and board the bus. Traveling on a bus was a new experience for us, add to that the overnight booking and Sophie, in particular was having some anxiety about it.
Things were going rather smoothly as we made our way to where we would board LeShuttle for our trip through the tunnel. First, we had to make our way through both British and French border controls. This would stamp us out of England and then grant us access to France. Our first border security point went well. We, along with our entire busload of passengers, made it through without any delays.
Then, we proceeded to French border control (to be preemptively allowed into France). Nearly the entire busload had made it through and had re-boarded before we noticed any problem.
After a short while, our bus driver and a border agent came on board with one of our passengers. Remember how we mentioned that they take safety and security very seriously? Well, that includes denying entry to illegal immigrants of any kind. Apparently, this individual was being denied entry to France (likely due to improper or incomplete documentation) and that meant that our entire bus was being sent away.
The next few minutes were a bit confusing for everyone because our driver made no announcement. He just got behind the wheel and turned us back toward Central London. We drove for several miles before pulling into the parking lot of a 24-hour convenience store where the passenger apologized, grabbed their baggage, and got off the bus. I think we all said a little silent “thank you” that we weren’t in that passenger’s shoes.
Our bus then returned and went through the entire process again. This time, however, we were all required to take our luggage out and bring it with us through the French border crossing. As none of our luggage was opened we can only assume this was to check luggage compartments under the bus, ensuring that the passenger in question had not simply been stowed away. By the time we re-boarded the bus, it was two in the morning and Sophie’s anxieties, combined with exhaustion, made her a not-so-happy traveler. Thankfully, we made it through border control this time and were on our way.
This is when the real excitement began. We proceeded to our line where we would wait to be directed onto the train. There was another bus directly in front of us so it was a little difficult to see much at any one time. We watched that bus take a hard left turn and then a right to be loaded onto the train. We continued to pull forward until we were stopped and we watched one of the fire safe doors come down.
Once we were locked and loaded, our bus driver could leave his seat for a bit and let the train do its job of transporting us through the tunnel. There was nothing left for us to see or do but take a nap. I was awake through much of the tunnel journey and could feel a little bit of swaying which I tried not to think about too much. Overall, it was an uneventful journey, which is exactly what we were hoping for. Before we knew it, we were out of the tunnel and making our way toward Belgium.
By the time we arrived in Bruges, it was early morning and we were dropped off outside the train/bus terminal building. We had a little less than 2 hours before we would board our bus to Paris. We were all still a little sleepy—and maybe a bit hangry. Overall, the Channel Tunnel experience was a positive one. Even Sophie is much more willing to consider doing it again someday down the road. Our overnight adventure even allowed us to avoid peak times and crowded stations.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Channel Tunnel
Does the Channel Tunnel Leak?
Yes, it does! The Channel Tunnel project was designed to allow some water in. The water, which consists of both groundwater and seawater is then collected via six drainage sites along the train tunnel and pumped out.
How Big is the Chunnel?
It’s bigger than you think. The “tunnel” is actually three tunnels—two for freight trains and passenger trains and one that serves as a smaller service tunnel for maintenance operations.
How Much Did the Channel Tunnel Project Cost?
The project was estimated to cost about £5.5 billion in 1985, making it the most expensive construction project ever proposed (at the time). The final cost amounted to about £9 billion (equivalent to about £27 billion today). That’s a full 80% more than originally planned!
How was the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Built?
Construction took six years, beginning in 1988 and ending in 1994. Each side tunneled through tons and tons of Chalk Marl via boring machine to meet in the middle. The English actually began construction in south east England in December of 1987. The French began construction in northern France in February of 1988. By the time they met in December of 1990, England had tunneled a little farther than the middle.
What was Done with All the Chalk Marl?
The millions of cubic feet of Chalk Marl (called spoil) dug up via boring machine during construction needed to be repurposed on both sides of the channel. On the British side, Samphire Hoe was created. Located in south Kent, the 73-acre nature reserve is now home to rare wildflowers and wildlife. On the French side of the channel, the Chalk Marl, made into a slurry, was pumped into the Fond Pignon valley near Sangatte, which had been dammed for the purpose. It allowed the sites of the cross-Channel guns (built by the Germans to attack Britain during WWII) to be buried.
Does the Eurotunnel Actually Travel Underwater?
Yes, it does! However, it is also built below the sea bed itself. In fact, it is, on average, 40 meters (131 feet) below the sea bed. This means that even if there were windows in the tunnel, you still wouldn’t see water because you’re actually traveling under the water! At its lowest point, the Channel Tunnel reaches 75 meters (246 feet) below sea level.
How Long Does it Take to Go Through the Channel Tunnel?
If traveling via LeShuttle, you can expect to move at a speed of about 140km/h (87mph). As a result, the journey time will be about 35 minutes. High-speed passenger services via Eurostar complete the underwater portion in a journey time of just 20 minutes! Within the tunnel, Eurostar trains are limited to only 160km/hour (100mph). Once out of the tunnel, Eurostar trains increase their speed to 186mph, allowing passengers to make the 305 mile journey from Central London to Paris in as little as 2 hours and 15 minutes (depending on time of day).
What are Some of the Most Notable Passages Through the Chunnel?
On May 6, 1994, Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterand ceremonially opened the tunnel by serving as the first passengers to make the journey through the train tunnel. In 2009, racing legend John Surtees drove a Ginetta G50EV electric sports car prototype through the smaller service tunnel, though he was only allowed to a max speed of 31mph. In 2012, the Olympic Torch traveled through the Channel Tunnel from Eurotunnel’s Folkestone terminal to Samphire Hoe, at the foot of Shakespeare Cliff, en route to the Olympic Games in London. In 2014, Tour de France champion Chris Froome cycled through the smaller service tunnel, completing the 32 mile trek with a journey time of 55 minutes. In 2024, the Paralympic Torch traveled the full length of the Channel Tunnel, from Folkestone terminal to Coquelles terminal, en route to the Paralympic Games in Paris. It was carried by 24 British torchbearers who then handed it off at the halfway point of the tunnel link to 24 French torchbearers.
Give the Channel Tunnel Link a Try!
For families looking to maximize travel time, reduce stress, and keep kids happy (and strapped into their own familiar car seats), the Eurotunnel is a perfect option. No turbulence, just a smooth, easy ride on an undersea train.
Are you ready to take your next European road trip to the next level? If you’ve taken the Eurotunnel, we’d love to hear about your experience! Drop a comment below. Let’s make adventure happen—one epic journey at a time!
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