Ferry Dover to Calais

It is possible but not easy. P and O are the only company to take foot passengers, and then only on the 0945, 1340 and 1640 sailings.
The 1640 has no same day connection to Paris.
At Calais you have to take the Baladin bus from the port to the station.
At Dover you HAVE to check in 90 minutes before sailing for French border formalities, so 0815 and 1210.
The first train from Canterbury arrives at Dover at 0707, then a bus to the port at 0720 from the station.
But if the train is late you are then scrambling for a taxi.
There is a bus every 20 minutes from Canterbury, the first is at 0655, arrives Dover Pencester Road at 0731, then taxi or a speed walk down the sea front.
The 1340 ferry gets you into Paris at 1908 if the connections work, more likely 2121.

So yes you can do it, but I wouldn't want to be on the early ferry in case of unforeseen events and the second ferry is a full day.

Hi Jane, it's very doable by ferry and train, and I have also done it myself! For the boat from Dover to Calais we used ferry hopper's blog to decide on the ferry we would take (because we also had our dog with us), here. Then from Calais we just took the train (less than 3 hours) to Paris-Nord (this is from the SNCF site, a random date just to show you what we did). If you wish, you could split it in 2 days, but I thinks it can be done in 1 day as well (depends on where you need to be in Paris). I hope that helps :)

I’m thinking of doing the same in September, but looking at the hassle vs the experience…? I’d like to see the cliffs from the channel and the short crossing could be fun, but…. Then having to take a train from Calais when I could easily return to London and end up at Gare du Nord…. Is there anything worthwhile to see or do in Calais?

Is there anything worthwhile to see or do in Calais?

yes, and no.

I drive past without a glance several times a year and have no interest in the city. If I stay nearby it is in Coquelles, never Calais.

There is the upside down city hall for 5 seconds amusement. It comes with a Rodin sculpture. You could go to the area where the ferries come and go and watch them ... wait wait - you'll be there anyway. The ferry port is some distance from the town by the way.

Another reason I avoid it, speaking frankly, is the safety of my car and us occupants. The area in the vicinity of Calais has 10s of thousands of asylum seekers and their small boat gang masters trying to get to England. Mostly they stay in large encampments in the dunes outside the towns but they cross the autoroute on foot presenting grave danger to themselves and the cars and trucks. They have been known to drag obstacles onto the roads to stop traffic and force their way into vehicles. Sometimes they use one tactic, sometimes another... and my long time goal is to not get involved with trouble so I avoid the area.

I am not saying you would necessarily run into trouble, and you probably wouldn't unless in a vehicle, on the beaches, or near the encampments, and if there were seriously cool things to see and do I would say.

Peoples' experiences can differ - that's mine.

You should be aware that taking the ferry as a foot passenger is not a slam dunk. Of the three main companies running ferries between Dover and Calais, DFDS, Irish and P&O, only P&O accepts foot passengers, and only on a few of their many crossings. There is a fair bit of song and dance because the stations are not convenient to the ferry ports on either side, there is a huge amount of heavy truck traffic, and foot passengers are an inconvenience to the ferries.

One way around that is to take a Flixbus from London to Lille or Paris, some of which will use the ferry and some will use the tunnel. They will tell you... I haven't checked and don't know if those buses stop in Canterbury or if you have to get to Ashford or London.

Good luck - after all this I hope you get good weather and sunshine for the crossing (about 90 minutes underway on the Channel)

At Dover there is the new hourly #66 bus from Dover Priory railway station direct to the Docks, and at Calais there is the Balad'in bus every 12 minutes from the port to Calais Ville station. On the last passenger sailing of the night, after the B'aladin has stopped running P and O run a special charter bus from the port to the railway station.

And another view of Calais, which is more the city I knew before Eurostar made the journey too easy (there are things to do there, at least as a half day or day destination)- https://maryannesfrance.com/regions/nord-pas-de-calais/guide-to-calais-a-great-city/

In addition to the check-in time at Dover, there is apparently a wait to disembark in Calais. This is because there is no ramp or walkway for foot passengers, who must wait for the cars to disembark and then board a bus to get off the ferry.
Of course, there is a check-in time for Eurostar, as well, so it might be a wash, time-wise.
The fastest way across might be by taxi or hired driver, either on the ferry or from Folkestone via the tunnel. Also, likely the most expensive.

I think you all have talked me out of it. I was making a pro/con list that was already heavily weighted to “no”. My travel style is starting to lean towards the path of least resistance. A return to London and the Eurostar to Gare du Nord fits the bill.