Eurostar Travelling with Pets: Is Eurostar Pet Friendly?

Many travellers who live in the UK and have a pet often wonder whether or not Eurostar is pet friendly and want to know if they can travel on the Eurostar with their furry friend. This article will address all your questions about travelling on the Eurostar with pets, and help you make an informed decision about what is best for you and your four legged friend!

What is the Eurostar?

The Eurostar is a high speed train service that runs between London and Paris. It also connects to other major cities in Europe such as Brussels, Lille, Calais, etc. The Eurostar was created with the aim of making it easier for people travelling from one city in Europe to another by reducing travel time drastically while still providing comfort and convenience.

The Eurostar has been running since 1994, when it first started its operations between London and Paris after an agreement was made in 1989 to establish a high speed passenger rail link through the Channel Tunnel. Now there are also Eurostar's that operate from Brussels to Lille, Calais and Marne-la-Vallie for Disneyland Paris.

The Eurostar is a very convenient means of transport in Europe if you are travelling from one city to another - even between countries which might be geographically far apart, but at the same time close enough so that they can be linked by high speed railways like London and Brussels.

Is the Eurostar Dog Friendly?

Unfortunately, Eurostar is not pet friendly and does not allow dogs or cats on their trains. The exception to this rule is guide dogs, however the Pet Industry Federation reports that only one of over 500 guides dog owners surveyed actually uses a guide dog because they cannot travel with ease by any other means.

The Eurostar's policy forbids all pets on their trains, as well as on the platforms and in stations. This can be a big inconvenience to those who own pets or travel with them frequently throughout Europe! Despite the inconvenience there are still many other options to get from the UK to Europe and back again which we will discuss further on.

Did you know: PetsPyjamas.com were campaigning for Eurostar’s policy regarding pet carriage to change so that they are allowed to take your furry friend with you when travelling?

If Eurostar were pet friendly imagine how quick we could get from the UK to Europe with our pets and vice versa! To get from London to Paris on the Eurostar it takes only 2 hours and 15 minutes, whereas by car (or ferry) it can take up to seven hours!

Can I Travel with a Cat on the Eurostar?

Travelling with cats is prohibited. We know that travelling with cats is just as amazing as travelling with dogs. Catventurers are joining in on the fun everywhere. Unfortunately the same standards apply and they are not allowed on the Eurostar.

The Eurostar's policy forbids cats as well as dogs on their trains and this includes them joining you on the platforms and inside the stations. Once again if you are a Catventurer there are options so don't right off the opportunity of them purring in Paris just yet!

When writing this I did suddenly wonder if guide cats exist and do the same guide dog principles apply, surely not. Looking into this further we found cats cannot be guide animals. It seems obvious but it had me run a quick Google check to be sure and I would have definitely asked the audience on 'Who wants to be a millionaire'.

Can a cat be a service animal? The short answer is no. In fact, cats cannot become any kind of service or assistance animal so they cannot find any way of joining you on the Eurostar ride.

When Will Pets be able to Travel on the Eurostar?

An increasing number of people are choosing to take their pets with them when they go travelling. This is one main reason why the Eurostar have had so many requests and petitions regarding pets on their trains, but unfortunately it seems that there will still be no change in this policy anytime soon.

Eurostar Travelling with Pets - Potential?

The most recent attempt to get the Eurostar train company to change their policy and allow pets on their trains was in June 2014. Pet Pyjamas, a UK dog-friendly holiday provider launched a campaign petitioning for designated pet carriages that would be safe and comfortable for both human and animal passengers alike.

Why are Rules in Place to Stop Pets Travelling on the Eurostar?

Playing devils advocate here: Apparently, the strict import regulations do not allow travel on Eurostar because there are no check points to check all the paperwork for our pets. The Eurostar can keep going and going from one country to another without checks in place for pets whereas the Eurotunnel as a different example has only one check-point where your pets documents are checked over. That particular checkpoint has a pet area for documentation checks and has over 600 cameras scanning the 650 hectares of the Eurotunnel’s Calais site. Eurostar could argue that they are preventing certain diseases from passing through to protect livestock in different countries. I, like many others would argue that some simple processes are put in place to enable us to travel with our pets.

Are Pets Allowed on the Eurotunnel?

Something to note here is that the Eurostar and the Eurotunnel are two very different modes of transport. For a start, one is by foot and the other is by vehicle and one is pet friendly and the other is not.

A Comparison of the Eurostar vs the Eurotunnel

Here is a table showing the difference between the two and which one you can travel with pets on. 

Why are the Same Rules not in Place for the Eurotunnel?

The Eurostar operates differently to the Eurotunnel. The Eurotunnel goes from point A to point B whereas the Eurostar has several routes and countries if operates through which lack pet check points.

The Eurotunnel has a pet area for documentation checks and has over 600 cameras scanning the 650 hectares of the Eurotunnel’s Calais site. Once pets are checked over i.e. documentation and vaccines all up to date, Eurotunnel can guarantee that pets who are travelling to that country are not going to pass any animal diseases over.

Can Assistance Dogs Travel Onboard the Eurostar?

Eurostar say they take the safety and comfort of passengers seriously. This includes working with a number of organisations to ensure that assistance dogs travelling onboard are able to continue their journey in the same safe and comfortable manner as all other passengers. Currently any guide or assistance dog - including hearing dogs for deaf people have access rights on Eurostar. Assistance dogs must be clearly identified and Eurostar recommends that they wear a coat or jacket with the Eurostar logo on it. Guide & assistance dog owners travelling through Eurostar checkpoints are required to provide:

A valid (national or international) 'dog pass' for their guide/assistance dog, issued by an authority in charge of working animals

What Other Options for Travelling with Pets Between the UK and Europe do I have?

After researching, it seems that there are not many alternatives for travelling with pets between the UK and Europe besides driving or flying. The Eurotunnel does allow foot passengers to bring their pet but they require proof of vaccination history as well as an up-to-date EU Pet Passport to travel through them.

You could also choose another form of transport to travel with your pet and the other option is a holiday cattery. A cabin on board a ferry or cruise ship could be an alternative for travelling with pets between UK and Europe that do not seem too expensive either.

Here are four options which will require some research and a dash of effort for travelling with your bundle of fur.

Option 1 - London to Hoek van Holland with Stena Line

A Summary but you will need to investigate the details due to changes happening all the time.

On the train from London to Harwich your dog travels free. On the ferry, you must reserve a kennel during the online booking process for an extra £17 each way. On the Dutch domestic trains between Hoek van Holland, Rotterdam & Amsterdam or Utrecht, small dogs or cats in containers on your lap travel free of charge, but if you have a larger dog you'll need to buy a dog day-ticket (Dagkaart Hond) for €30.

Option 2 - London to Paris by Train

A Summary but you will need to investigate the details due to changes happening all the time.

Get a taxi or dog friendly Uber from Folkestone to Calais via the Eurotunnel shuttle. You may pay between £100 to £200 but they can take up to three of you and it keeps you all together for the journey. It will certainly be an interesting conversation in the taxi whilst sat on the shuttle. Make sure he flicks the air conditioning on to really cool the car down before you get on otherwise you and your dog may feel a little warm on there. You can then hop on more dog friendly trains through France until you get to Paris.

Option 3 - London to Paris via the Newhaven-Dieppe Ferry

A Summary but you will need to investigate the details due to changes happening all the time.

The Newhaven-Dieppe ferry is a French car and passenger service which operates between the two ports of Dieppe in France and Newhaven in England. The crossing takes around 90 minutes, depending on weather conditions (the ship will not sail if it’s too rough). Once at the Newhaven you can then take an DFDS ferry across the Channel from Newhaven to Dieppe (www.dfds.com), and then a domestic pet friendly French train to Paris.

Option 4 - Hull-Rotterdam or you can choose Newcastle-Amsterdam by Ferry

A Summary but you will need to investigate the details due to changes happening all the time.

Phone them to book you and your pets on as foot passengers, don't just book online or you may get a surprise when you arrive and not be allowed to take your pets. Grab yourself a pet cabin to ensure you can travel together in comfort.

Conclusion

If you’re at all interested in travelling with your pet without issue, be sure to do some research before booking any train tickets. The Eurostar is one of the only trains that doesn’t allow pets on board for reasons unknown - but if it were up to us, we would have our little furry friends join us! We know there are a lot of great products out there that can help make other train journeys happen without issue - so if you're looking for dog travel gear or cat travel gear, check out what's available here at Travfurler. Shop Now.