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Calais
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{{Hitchhiking Zine nomination}}
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'''Calais''' is a port town in the north west of [[France]] on the [[English channel]]. At just 34 km from the British port of [[Dover]], ''Calais'' is the closest port to mainland [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and one of the busiest cross-channel ports on continental [[Europe]]. Regular ferry services operate from '''Calais''' to [[Dover]] (''P&O'' and ''Seafrance'', each with over 20 crossings per day). The best alternative to Calais is [[Dunkerque]].Note: Dunkerque port is not in Dunkerque but a few miles out. Also there are only a couple of ferries that leave per day from there which makes hitching difficult. == Hitching Hitchhiking Out ==
<map lat='50.95' lng='1.848' zoom='11' view='3' float='right'/>
=== North-West towards [[Dover]], [[England]] ===
==== Important for Non-EU Nationals (including US citizens) ====
There are UK passport controls in Calais and if you do not have the proper papers (depending on your nationality even if you do have the right papers), you will encounter a lot of hassle, including being denied entry. Worse, the friendly driver who gave you a ride might also face delays and even fines. As with any border crossing, it helps a lot if you look respectable and clean, even if you travel on a EU or similarly accepted passport and have money (or better, a credit card) to support yourself. '''UK border control will very often ask for the address where you're staying''', so have an address in mind beforehand! Any hostel, friend's house, or random address from google maps should do. Just be prepared to answer a lot of questions. "I'm gonna sleep wherever I find a nice spot to pitch my tent" is unfortunately not an acceptable answer. Upon arrival in Dover, UK customs also have a tendency to check far more cars than any other EU country, the . The UK is '''not''' part of the [[Schengen Agreement]], so you might consider leaving the ferry as a foot-passenger to save your driver a potentially substantial delay! (Not This is not possible if you arrived using ''Norfolklines''.)
=== South, East towards everywhere ===
To get out of the ferry terminal, the best trick is to follow the signs for the motorway to Lille and eventually you'll get to a big roundabout with the road leading uphill with a bay where vehicles can stop next to the "no pedestrians" signs that all the other hitchers have written all about :) stand by the signs and you'll get a brave trucker to stop for you. Almost all car traffic heads south Paris way, and it's a nightmare getting back onto the motorway if you come off there, so try to flag down someone with a sign saying D or PL. Standing at the roundabout itself is quite tragic as you will be watching migrants trying to get into England constantly running up and down trying to sneak into a truck. If you're going far and/or don't care about speed so much, there's a huge ''lorry park'' on the motorway a few kilometres from Calais from where you can easily get direct lifts to many places all over Europe ([[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]], [[England]], [[Germany]], [[Poland]], [[Spain]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Austria]] and [[Turkey]] should easily be possible). Be aware that a truck is legally only allowed to have one driver and one passenger (except if there's more seats), so it's a lot harder to find a ride for two people hitching together. If you are just hitching into [[Belgium]] you're probably better off finding a ride while on the ferry, to a petrol station in [[Belgium]]. Turkish lorry drivers are often very kind and help you searching for a lift. You often ask one of them and he talks to all his fellow countrymen – you often ask all of them by asking one, and end up having dinner with them :-). Their German is often better than their English but they really try to do their best to communicate.
There is also a service station with free showers.
* [http://www.poferries.com/tourist/content/pages/template/routes_dover_-_calais_timetable_timetable_DOCA.htm P&O ferries timetable Calais–Dover]
== Trashwiki & Nomadwiki ==
[[trash:Calais]] [[nomad:Calais]]