A guide outlining the travel options available to Paris and north-east France
Paris, of course, is well supplied with transport options, as befits the capital city. From here you can also gain access to the north-east of the country. It is possible to access these areas of France using a ferry crossing to begin your journey as the northern ferry ports are not too far distant.
The ferry companies serving the north and north-east are:
Speed Ferries: Dover - Boulogne
P & O Ferries: Dover - Calais
Sea France: Dover - Calais
Norfolkline: Dover - Dunkerque
The advantage of having Paris in this area means that there is a great choice of both airline and destination.
The airlines serving Paris and north-east France are:
Air France
British Airways
easyJet
Jet2
flybe
Thomsonfly
Ryanair
Lydd Air
The airports used are:
Paris Charles de Gaulle
Paris Beauvais
Strasbourg
Basel-Mulhouse
Le Touquet
Many people enjoy rail travel, and these days reaching their favoured French destinations by rail has been made possible by the Eurostar service and extended TGV lines throughout France. The Eurostar train will take you to Paris, Lille, Disneyland Paris or Calais from London or Kent. The excellent rail network in France can then transport you to your destination.
To get to Paris and north-east France, the Eurotunnel will take you to Calais, whilst the Eurostar will give you the choice of arriving in Paris or Lille. The TGV will take you to Reims, Metz, Nancy or Strasbourg from Paris.
A great many people choose to drive to their French destination, making use of the cross channel car ferries or the channel tunnel car train service. The Eurotunnel car train leaves from Folkestone and arrives at Calais after a remarkably quick journey spent in the comfort of your own car. This can be an important consideration for those carrying live animals as you can remain with them at all times. (Be warned, though, if you have an LPG car you cannot take it on the Eurotunnel train.)
From Calais take the A16 towards Lille, or the A26 towards Reims and Troyes. From Paris take the A4 towards Reims, Metz and Strasbourg.
The French motorway system consists of both toll roads (auto routes) and corresponding non toll roads (Routes Nationales). Both are excellent and almost always much less crowded than British roads. You will find, however, that the auto routes are significantly faster than the Routes Nationales.
You may also find the following article interesting: French Connections.
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