DFDS Dog-Friendly Ferry From UK to France as Foot Passenger

The DFDS ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe is a fantastic way to enter France as a foot passenger with a dog. The entire process is pretty straightforward and a great dog-friendly way to cross the English Channel.

Travelling with the dog without a car to Europe has limited options. Finding a dog-friendly route is slightly more tricky. My favoured route into Europe from the UK is the Harwich to Hook of Holland night ferry. Purely because of convenient timing and the bonus of everyone sleeping as we travel. However, we fancied a visit to France, so on researching, we found the DFDS ferry.

Booking a DFDS Ferry With Foot Passengers and a Dog.

DFDS has a great website for booking if you travel normally as a foot passenger or are in a vehicle. However, there is no way to book online for foot passengers with a dog. After a brief Twitter exchange with @dfds_uk, it became clear we needed to call to book. Armed with this information, I waited until a few days before our departure date to allow enough time to go wrong when travelling to France.

Booking was a rather simple process: calling 0330 5878787. The phone lines are open from 8 am until 4 pm Monday to Friday. The call handler was French; however, they spoke great English and dealt with my enquiry smoothly.

They needed names, email addresses, phone numbers and booking details on the call. Then they gave me a price for the ticket. This then led to payment over the phone; all good. They gave me a booking reference in case email confirmation failed.

Within seconds, I received the booking confirmation and receipt. They require further action from this email; you need to fill in more details for each traveller, including passport, and so on. The email also contained other useful information regarding the trip and travelling in France.

They also have an app you can use on the phone to manage the booking.

Ferry Times from Newhaven UK to Dieppe in France

There are three ferries on this route per day, leaving at

• 9:00 am
• 17:30 pm
• 11:00 pm

Check-in closes 90 minutes before departure, and the journey takes 5 hours, plus crossing the border.

Hoops to Jump Through

Before Brexit, travelling to the EU was pretty simple with the pet passport that cost £120 and was valid for 3 years of travel. Since the withdrawal agreement, travellers from the UK need to see a vet and get an “Animal Health Certificate”. This needs to be issued within 10 days of travel and is valid to return to the UK within 4 months. This set us back £160 from a vet in Gloucester. You need to do this procedure for every trip out of the country, meaning travel with pets from the UK has gotten more expensive.

A new hurdle for us on this route was that they need the dog to be in a carrier when getting on and off the ferry. This rule only applies to foot passengers. Car passengers can drive straight on. This led to a mission to the Pets at Home shop with the dog to find one he can fit in, and that is in stock. I opted for the RAC carrier in size medium, as it was the only foldable one in stock. This set me back £40, and I will have to give it away after exiting France.

Getting to Newhaven From Gloucestershire

Getting to the Newhaven area is pretty straightforward but time-consuming. The first step was to depart from Stroud to London Paddington. This is a 1.5-hour journey on a comfortable GWR train. The dog even had a nap, as there were no distractions.

Once in Paddington Station, we had to switch to the London Underground. The most painless option is to join the Circle line train that heads towards Victoria. This is 7 stops along, and then we arrived in the rabbit warren that is Victoria station.

The dog needed a walk and to be emptied here, so we consulted Google Maps and headed to the nearby Grosvenor Gardens outside the station. This is a rather pleasant place with a few statues and works of art. Grosvenor Park was fit for purpose, and I sorted the dog out.

The next leg of the trip, after a beer and lunch in the station, was to head south to Lewes. This was an hour’s journey on a rather full train.

Stay Near Newhaven

Working out timings to arrive in Dieppe and check-in times in accommodation in Dieppe, the only viable time for us was the 9 am ferry. This meant we had to stay the night nearby to make this possible. There are places in Newhaven and nearby that are dog-friendly and near the train station.

We opted for the cheapest available that is near a train station on the Newhaven line. The White Hart in Lewes fits the bill. The hotel was rather nice and had a spa, and the town was rather pretty, too.

Morning Train: Lewes to Newhaven Ferry Port

A 9 am ferry meant we had to check in 1.5 hours beforehand and thus needed to be in Newhaven for 7:30 am. This meant departing on the 6:25 am train from Lewes. The journey was a quick 10 minutes on a nearly empty train.

Timings meant there was plenty of time to walk the dog and make sure he was empty. The dog was having none of it and milked me for walkies before finally doing as I hoped. However, it was early, and there was a fantastic sunrise to see.

Checking In At DFDS Ferry Port

The foot-passenger check-in is easy to find from Newhaven Town station and is only a 5-minute walk. They have a pleasant waiting area with vending machines and comfy seats. The check-in desk checked all the paperwork thoroughly, including the dog’s travel certificate and passport.

After the admin, we had spare time to wait. They told the foot passengers that an announcement would happen at 8:20 to get the bus from reception to the ferry.

Boarding The DFDS Ferry to France

Just after 8:20, they called all foot passengers to board a bus. Passing through the corridor was seamless, except one passenger had their bags checked at random. We were then told to put our backpacks in a little trailer for storage on the crossing. Not thinking, I left my chargers in the backpack, which was a mild inconvenience. The bus then drove us to the front door of the ferry to board after all the vehicles, for safety reasons.

For this process, the dog was supposed to be in his carrier, but we seemed to be ushered through without needing to. Possibly because it was quiet and there were very few people or other dogs.

The Onboard Kennels

After boarding, a nice crew member took us to the kennels to leave Henry for the journey. The dog went straight into the cage, and we got him a full bowl of water for the 4-hour journey. He is fine on his own for that amount of time, so we felt fine leaving him; however, you can pop to see the dog with supervision, apparently.

On returning to collect him, it was rather strange; he had moved cages and was rather dirty. It looks like he had possibly found a sneaky way out of the cage and had his own adventure on the decks, or a crew member had moved him. Well, I’m not sure, but he was happy to see us when we returned to walk him into France.

The Journey across The English Channel

The crossing takes 4 hours from Newhaven to Dieppe, 5 hours on the clock, though, because of the time change. The first part of the journey is beautiful. On a clear morning, the coastline is beautiful from the sea, including the white cliffs of the area.

There were all the usual facilities, including a restaurant, a bar, and some entertainment. I enjoyed most of the trip outside and had a few beers.

Entering France at Dieppe Ferry Port

On arrival in France, the foot passengers are last to leave the boat for safety reasons. We had to assemble near the bar and games room and wait. Finally, we were directed back to the kennel deck and then walked out to a bus to take us to passport control.

The bus took us on a quick trip to the port buildings to pass through customs. However, there was a wait for the trailer or backpacks to arrive. The sun was beating down, so I kept the dog hydrated with water from the toilet outside the building. Passing through customs was simple: a quick check of paperwork as we crossed the border.

Getting From the Ferry Port to Dieppe

After researching how to get from the ferry port to Dieppe, there were 3 options: on foot, by bus, or by taxi. We opted for the 20-minute walk along the coast into the centre of Dieppe. A few other backpackers seemed to call for a taxi; however, they ended up walking.

Dieppe is a pretty town to arrive in, and thankfully we found our home for the week pretty easily. Then dropped off the backpacks and had a brief rest before a quick mooch around to find a good bar in Dieppe.