London to Paris by road. One car and one chauffeur, door to door, and you never unload.
The shuttle takes thirty five minutes under the Channel and you never leave the car. For a family, a group with luggage, or anyone who wants their own vehicle in France for a week, this beats every faster option.
The route
At a glance
- Total timeAbout 7 to 8 hours door to doorLondon to Folkestone, the terminal, the crossing, then Calais to Paris. Longer at the busiest crossing times.
- The crossing35 minutes, platform to platformYou stay in the car on the shuttle. Allow around an hour and a half to two hours from arriving at the terminal to being on the French road.
- Calais to ParisAbout 180 miles, just under 3 hoursThe A26 and A1 by Arras and Compiegne is the quick way; the A16 by the coast is ten to fifteen minutes longer and prettier.
- ComparedEurostar takes about 2 hours 20St Pancras to Gare du Nord. For one or two people with light bags, that is the better answer and we will say so.
Why anyone would drive it
Because the car is the point
Eurostar is quicker and it is not close. If you are one or two people going from central London to central Paris with a laptop and an overnight bag, take the train and let us put a car at each end. We say that first because it is true.
The reason this page exists is that a great many trips are not that trip. A family of five with a fortnight of luggage. A group going on to Champagne or the Loire once they have been to Paris. A dog. Ski or golf equipment. Art, instruments, or production kit that should not go through a station. A client who wants their own car and their own chauffeur in France for a week rather than a series of arranged transfers. In every one of those the road wins.
The chauffeur is ours, from London, and stays with you for the whole journey. That is the difference between this and a transfer chain: one car, one driver, one person who knows what is in the boot and where you are going next.
How the day runs
London to Paris, step by step
- 01
Collection and the M20
The car comes to your door. From central London the run to Folkestone is about an hour and a half in decent conditions, and we build the departure around the shuttle we are booked on.
- 02
Terminal and border checks
French border formalities happen on the British side before you board. Allow an hour and a half to two hours at the terminal at busy times, and less when it is quiet.
- 03
Thirty five minutes underneath
The car drives onto the shuttle and you stay in it. No cabin, no deck, no unloading.
- 04
Calais to Paris
Just under three hours on the A26 and A1, with one stop if you want one. We arrive at the address rather than at a station, with the bags still in the car.
Compared
Road, Eurostar or a flight
| Door to door | Good for | Less good for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Road, with the car on the shuttle | About 7 to 8 hours | Families, groups, serious luggage, pets, equipment, and anyone who wants their own car and chauffeur in France for the days afterwards | A single traveller going to a meeting in central Paris and back |
| Eurostar | About 3 hours 30 all in | Exactly that traveller. Around two hours twenty St Pancras to Gare du Nord, with our car at both ends | Heavy luggage, a dog, or a destination outside Paris |
| Private flight | About 3 hours 30 | A tight diary, an onward leg, or a day that starts somewhere other than London. Paris Le Bourget is fifteen to thirty minutes from the centre | A family journey with a lot of bags, where the aircraft is another thing to load |
Door to door figures are realistic estimates including the road at both ends, not published timings.
Planning it well
Things worth knowing
Driving into France is straightforward and there are a few details that make the difference between an easy day and an irritating one.
- European border arrangements at the Channel crossings have been changing through 2026 as the new entry and exit system is introduced, and the position for car passengers has moved more than once. We check what applies on your travel date and build the time into the plan. Every passenger needs their own travel documents in order, so tell us who is travelling when you enquire rather than on the morning
- Paris has low emission zones and a vehicle entering them needs the French clean air sticker, foreign plates included. The cars we take over carry one, and the French motorways we use are tolled
- Pets can travel in the car on the shuttle, which is the single strongest argument for this route. The paperwork must be arranged in advance, so tell us early
- Luggage decides the vehicle, not the number of seats: the S-Class for two or three with normal bags, the V-Class for a family, a group or equipment
- For a longer French trip, this is really a car delivery with passengers. Champagne, Normandy, the Loire, Geneva and the Alps all follow easily: see multi-day tours and dedicated chauffeur
Around the trip
Related pages
Request a quote
Tell us the whole trip
Who is travelling, how much luggage, whether there is a dog, and what happens after Paris. If Eurostar is the better answer we will say so and quote for the cars at both ends instead. If the road is right, we will plan the shuttle, the route and the return together. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About this journey
Do we get out of the car on the crossing?
No. The car drives onto the shuttle and you stay in it for the thirty five minutes under the Channel. It is the quietest part of the day.
How long is it really, door to door?
Seven to eight hours for most trips: about an hour and a half to Folkestone, an hour and a half to two hours at the terminal and on the shuttle, and just under three hours from Calais to Paris.
Would we not be quicker on Eurostar?
Yes, by several hours, and for one or two people with light luggage that is our advice. This page is for the trips where the car itself is the reason: luggage, a family, a dog, equipment, or a week in France afterwards.
Can the dog come?
Yes, in the car, on the shuttle. The paperwork has to be arranged in advance and the requirements change, so tell us as early as you can and we will confirm what applies on your dates.
What about the border checks?
French formalities are completed on the British side before boarding. The European entry and exit arrangements have been changing through 2026, so we check the current position for your travel date and allow for it in the timings.
