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'''Calais''' is a port town in the north west of [[France]] on the [[English channel]]. With 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 for Calais is [[Dunkerque]].
Note: Dunkerque port is not in Dunkerque but a few miles out of. Also there is only a couple of ferries that leave per day from here which makes hitching difficult.
== Hitchhiking out ==
The best place to start hitchhiking is probably the parking lot near the ticket office. Ask people before they buy their tickets, since they have to declare the number of passengers when buying the ticket. This is good because you can show that you're not a drug smuggler, and can explain that there's no charge for extra passengers. The drawback is that many people parked here will just be waiting to pick up foot passengers due to arrive on a boat. Also, most drivers headed to England will have bought their tickets in advance and will not come through here.
Tip: wait INSIDE of the ticket office (the staff dont care) and ask people as they walk in if they are driving, and if they will take you. Most people will be foot passengers but some are drivers who are getting a last minute ticket. This is important as everyone must declare how many car passengers they have in advance, so of you hitch a car you will be adding to that number which will end up costing £10 at the gate. Catching people before they have brought their ticket therefore is essential.
Usually telling people you “just want a lift onto the ferry, that’s all” works a treat.
Experiences with waiting by the side of the road are mixed; some people getting picked up after ten minutes, others waiting the entire day without success. Ask around the parking lot before trying to thumb your way through. A good place to stand is next to the speed bumps that cars go over as they are approaching passport control. Stand between the two lanes and you'll be visible to cars going straight to the ferry as well as those going to the ticket office. Keep on your toes, though; this isn't the safest place to stand.
'''Hitchhiking with bikes across the Channel''' is possible! Some people reported finding a lift in vans and mobile homes after waiting about 1 hour with their bikes at the parking lot and next to the speed bumps. It could be an exceptional luck... More positive reports are needed to rely on this possibility.
Lifts:You can easily change cars in the harbour terminal, after ticket and passport control and before boarding the ferry(you will usually have 40 minutes). Find a lift before coming to Calais, and you might well have some time before the ferry leaves, especially so if you've come with a lorry. Use this time well, walk around the huge parking areas (which is perfectly fine) and talk to as many people waiting for their ferries as you can. You'll often be able to get a better lift, especially one going past London if you're going north. Changing rides after the first ticket check but before getting on the ferry comes with slight risk ask you'd be getting into a car that doesn't have you listed on their ticket. However, [[User:Zenit|Zenit]] followed said strategy successfully in May 2011 - P&O don't check the tickets again as you enter the ferry (only as you enter the port), Seafrance ''might''. It might be a bad idea to let the vehicle that brought you into the port in the first place cross without you, in the case that somebody checks the number of passengers on the ticket while boarding the ferry. You can also switch cars while on the ferry and avoid this problem, you just won't have quite as much time to do so. Tip: the crossing takes about 1.5 hours. Walk around the ferry, go up onto the deck. Chat to people and find out where they are going. This is the best time to find a new lift.
You can also get across by the [[Channel Tunnel]]. Cars and lorries get loaded onto a train which takes them across. The price is the same for each vehicle as well, no matter how many persons there are in the car. However, it is very difficult to get a ride at the tunnel entrance itself, because the road has about 15 lanes coming directly from the motorway, the cars are going quite fast and the drivers will concentrate on finding their correct lane, so most of them won't see you. The staff is quite unfriendly and you will be sent away (remember though that this also applies if you try to hitch too far in the ferry port). Most people are being told that hitching by the tunnel entrance is illegal (which is probably doubtful). Also, as of 2011 there have been reports of the eurotunnel company refusing people who are identified as hitchhikers by the drivers. Davide and Oti September 2016 were identified as hitchhikers and had no problems, though, so this is not always the case. '''Just in case, ask your driver not to mention that you're hitchhiking.'''
=== South towards Paris ===
If you're coming from the ferries and you don't manage to get a ride to [[Paris]], then get ANY ride from the boat and get off at the first service station to change there. It's very difficult to get a ride from Calais as most people at intersections/on-ramps are not leaving the town. I spent maybe 6 or 7 hours trying to get a ride with no luck (July 2017). I got the train to Étaples and had much better luck the following day.
The first service station after Calais is 60km (!) away. Some cars stop there (not too many) and it seems more people are going to the direction of [[Reims]] than towards [[Paris]]. There is another service station some 20km further down the same highway (20km before [[Arras]]), but it is much smaller and much more quiet. (Lots of trucks there, but the truckers are all sleeping). Be advised that employees at such small places will most likely speak no English.
