Living about 20 minutes away from the channel tunnel and Dover, we tend to get the Dover-Calais ferry but Eurotunnel is also super easy with the dogs.
Travelling with dogs from UK to France and beyond-they need a rabies jab at least three weeks before you go. Then you get an animal health certificate (they vary in cost so call around the vets) Don't get mugged here, you can put up to 5 dogs on the same AHC... You cannot get a UK pet passport for European travel any more. If you are a frequent traveller then a European Union issued pet passport is a good option but both the rabies jab and the passport have to be administered in the Europe union. French vets are not as easy about this as some of the other European countries. It was a big exciting moment when we got our dogs' passports. it keeps the cost of travel down quite considerably.
There are little dog toilets and exercise areas at the ports/eurotunnel. Ours just look at us like we are mad "you really expect us to pee where they all pee?" Our dogs are really happy in the car so they are happy on the ferry, I worry about car alarms going off on the car deck but they don't seem bothered. P&O have a pet lounge where you pay per dog and they sit with you during the journey. The other calais ferries sometimes allow dogs on outside decks if weather is OK otherwise they stay in the car. Eurotunnel your dog stays in the car with you.
We take the A roads via Le Havre and highly recommend Air de Service de La Baie de Somme. This has a few fields and ditches to sniff around, plenty of rabbits to investigate and a decent Starbucks and shop (and toilets with plastic toilet seats!) for the humans. It's about an hour out of Calais which is good timing for us. That is usually the only stop for us unless one of the girls needs the toilet.. There are aires every 20 miles or so and toilets at tolls. The rest of the journey is about three hours. The roads are always pretty clear and the tolls are quick- card, Apple Pay or coins. There are a few high bridges this way, which you can avoid by going through Rouen. There is a clean air charge in for Rouen that has to be paid, you can do it online, but it did cause a small 'discussion' the time we went that way....
On the way back to the UK- between 1 and 5 days before we travel to Calais (24 to 120 hours) we visit a French vet. They check the dogs are both healthy to travel, administer a worming tablet and sign the passports/AHC. We drive 20 miles because there is a vet near Mayenne who is super with our Cockapoo who doesn't seem to like vets following an eye infection (we have the scars to prove it!) However for normal dogs there are local vets who do a good job, one in Mortain (speaks English) and one in Lonlay L'abbeye and one in Sourdeval. All of these are recommended and cost around €80 for two dogs.
If you ferry on the Dover-Calais and you go in school holidays, allow 2 hours to get through Calais controls. Although they will allow you to get a later ferry, the queues can be quite long. Luckily it's always a little breezy there which keeps the dogs and kids cool in the summer. That said, when we travelled last week, we cruised through all the Dover controls in 15 minutes and on the way home, all the Calais controls in 25 minutes, and that included the extra dog checks. Which is a microchip scan and a good check of the passports. This is done by the ferry operatives. Human passport control and customs couldn't be less interested in the dogs- although they usually like to stroke the dogs through the windows much to the delight of the dogs (and the queue behind!)
Other ports- all our Norman neighbours look at us like we are strange when we say we travel from Kent. There are several other routes which are perfect for Normandy holidays. New Haven to Dieppe is an option. Dieppe is about 3 hours from des Violettes. Sailings are every 12ish hours. The closest port to the house is Caen which is an hour away and sailings go from Portsmouth. Ferries also go from Portsmouth to Le Havre (2 hours from the house). There are also ferries to Cherbourg from Poole, your drive would then go within a stone's throw of lovely beaches and landscapes. It's just shy of two hours drive from Cherbourg to the house.
We love travelling around France. We love the quiet, smooth roads. We love the ferry crossing and we love being able to take the dogs. Most of all the dogs love the views of French countryside rolling past.
Unless they're both asleep.....
Our beautiful 10 person Gite is situated in the heart of Normandie countryside, a quick hop across from England. We welcome two dogs automatically, and you may convince me to welcome more if you contact us. We ask dogs are not left alone in the house. Le Gite des Violettes is listed as a place to stay on www.bringfido.co.uk as well as #airbnb #vrbo #booking.com. Hopefully those who travel with dogs, will read this and feel reassured it's actually quite easy. #bringfido #holidaywithdogs #frenchholidays #normandietourisme #gites #france
Also, we leave our horse at home, and think you should probably do the same, travelling horses is a little more hassle!!
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