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Driving from Paris to London - with a dog!

Hello all-

We're relocating to London in January, flying by way of Paris with our assistance dog (she can't fly in the cabin into the UK, hence Paris arrival). We have two options, but neither is ideal. My husband (who will already be in London) could rent a car and drive over to get us,but that is difficult with his work schedule and a british drive car might be challenging in Paris. We could also use a taxi service, but it is quite costly (410 pounds plus 75 pounds for the crossing). I heard that Hertz had a program for one way rentals between Paris and London, but can't find the information online. Ideally, we would do the one way rental and explore France en route to London. Any thoughts or help would be much appreciated, happy holidays!

Elizabeth

Posted by
484 posts

Not sure how to help you with this. Is it possible to take the dog on the train? If it's a service dog - you should be able to get on a train. Try the Eurostar. Good Luck!

Posted by
2443 posts

Have not done this but maybe a ferry from France to UK? It might be another option.

Posted by
521 posts

Elizabeth, take a look at this page on The Man in Seat 61 website for lots of information about travelling between France and the UK with a dog. Many people take their pets back and forth across the channel all the time. It's easy with your own car, which you either take on a ferry or on the EuroTunnel (see this page), but The Man in Seat 61 also talks about other options.

For people with guide dogs (which is the British name for what I think you might call "seeing eye dogs") the Eurostar is a good option. You would need to make enquiries with Eurostar to check whether they would regard your service dog as a guide dog, and thus permitted on their trains.

Posted by
9371 posts

Any one-way rental will be costly. There is a huge drop-off for renting in one country and returning in another.

Posted by
5448 posts

Assistance dogs with recognised accreditation records can travel in the cabin to/from/in the UK. Not clear if you have checked out this possibility.

Posted by
21 posts

Thanks for the information y'all! Flying into London requires pre clearance, which can take up to two months, and I've not received a response from the folks at Heathrow who would do the processing. Rental fees are exorbitant ($2019 one way!), and we'll have a ton of luggage as well, so it look like we'll do the taxi service. Man in seat 61 website has great ideas, thanks again!

Posted by
8293 posts

Cunard's QM2 allows dogs in a special kennel on the top deck and has transatlantic sailings from NYC to Southampton. On a recent Holland America cruise I took there was a woman with a service dog which seemed to accompany her everywhere except to the dining room. Cunard may have a similar policy for service dogs and your "ton of luggage" would be more easily accommodated as well.

Posted by
11294 posts

Here's a New York Times article written by someone else who relocated to London with a dog. It mentions that kennel space on the Queen Mary is booked up a year in advance: article link

Posted by
7995 posts

I assume you are aware that taking any animal into Britain, regardless of mode of transport, involves a lengthy process and paperwork that needs to filled out well in advance of the Trip? You will also need to pass through passport control/immigration on entry to the UK wether you arrive by Air, Train, or Car/Ferry.