Ferry or Chunnel to France from Southampton,UK

You aren't specific about driving your rented English car in France, but I don't think I'd be brave enough for that. The right side of the road, the wrong side of the car!

(I'm generally a bold driver, and fine driving in UK/Ireland.)

You definitely need to switch cars between England and France. You can take the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre or Caen or Cherbourg as a foot passenger and rent a car at the other end. Going the long way round via the Channel Tunnel (nobody calls it the Chunnel on this side of the ocean, FYI) is much longer and more expensive.

Yes, you are all quite right about the car.
I just don't want the inconvenience of renting a car twice.
I was thinking I could just take the car with me??
Thank you!!

You could take the car. But:
- you end up driving a right-hand-drive car on the right side of the road, which is bad for visibility and makes any overtaking manoeuver hazardous. Plenty of British tourists do so, but they're used to it and don't have a choice.
- you need adapters for the car's headlights, so as not to blind oncoming traffic once in France.
- taking a car on the ferry costs extra

The hire company is unlikely to permit you to take their car to France and if they do, the cost and insurance is likely to be astronomical.

I take my car over to France every year and it’s definitely easier driving with a left hand drive car then a British right hand drive vehicle. You need a car registration to book your Eurotunnel ticket, so you wouldn’t be able to book this until you hired your car - an expensive last minute option. Most people in the U.K. wouldn’t have any idea what you were talking about if you used the phrase “Chunnel”.

Taking the ferry from Portsmouth would be much easier than driving 3 hours to Folkestone then driving south for hours in France, particularly with fuel prices approaching £2 a litre. You need to hire another car in France.

Thanks for all your help.
We will take the ferry and rent a car in France.

IF the rental company allows you to take the car to France I guess you can do it, but it is a really bad idea. You would then be sitting on the wrong side of the car, and would have to book a last minute ticket. You would also need to get reflective jackets and adjust the headlights or add deflector stickers. And pay extra for the car to cross the channel. There is also the maths skills involved in knowing how fast you are driving if the speedometer shows miles per hour but the speed limits are in kilometres per hour.

So yes, rent a French car for use in France. But on the other hand, don't rent a car in the UK. It's much easier, as well as a lot cheaper, to take the train or coach from Heathrow to Southampton. From Southampton it is a short train ride to Portsmouth to catch the ferry to France.

Thank you for the information:)

There is a ferry that goes from Portsmouth to Ouistreham (Near Caen). And there are several rental companies in Caen. It may be less of a hassle to rent two cars if you want to take a ferry. Def cheaper given the car ferry fees. Also, if you take the Eurotunnel (its proper name), you are better off taking it from London at St. Pancras Station. I don't think it stops anywhere near Portsmouth. But someone please correct me if I'm wrong. There are also ferries from South England to Cherbourg, from where you can rent cars, or take a train to either Bayeux or Caen.

To clarify the above, the car transporter train from Folkestone to Coquelles near Calais which the OP had originally considered is the Eurotunnel or its product Le Shuttle. The passenger train from the UK to France and beyond is the Eurostar, and it originates in London at St Pancras International Station. Both of these travel under the Channel in the Channel Tunnel - almost never referred to as the chunnel here anymore, and certainly never as the chunnel train.

Portsmouth has ferries to the Continent as mentioned; to use the Eurostar you'd need a train into London and then cross London to St Pancras International.

Just for clarification, and the avoidance of confusion...

Thank you!

You might think, at first, that this isn't really about your issues, but you might find this discussion useful:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/london-to-wwii-beaches

I haven't rented in England in many years, but it's quite common for car rental contracts (in general) to prohibit any "ferry". You have to be careful about whether the ferry you are targeting actually permits pedestrians, if that is your plan. As the linked discussion suggests, ferries are a declining product. You should consider what your actual plans in France are, and how to make the most of your time.

I agree with 'drop the car in England, take the ferry and rent in France'. I have drivern a UK van in France and it's a pain. And taking the tunnel is so meh. Did it last trip. No different than a metro or tube ride. But a channel ferry... that feels like an adventure! ;^)

Thank you for the advice.
We are going to take the ferry and rent a car in France.
Now if I can decide where to stay on the Normandy coast.
Any suggestions?

If I am already in Southampton , or Portsmouth for that matter, I would take the ferry. Portsmouth to St. Malo was one of routes crossing the Channel in 1944 after D-Day had taken place.

I agree with Fred, if your daughter lives in Southampton seems the most logical way to get to Normandy is to take the ferry.

new development which may impact on you - your decision seems wise - P&O Ferries just cancelled all its services and instructed all its ferries to remain in port pending a financial announcement later today.

But there are other ferry companies apart from P&O as well.

But there are other ferry companies apart from P&O as well.

Agreed, but those displaced cars and trucks have to go somewhere so there may well be displacement issues was my point, as well as complimenting the decision to go from Portsmouth, which wouldn't be P&O.

That's a great point. I just wanted to point out that it is not the only ferry company.

I have decided on Brittany Ferries out of Portsmouth in May.
Hopefully, they will be fine.