European courier to France
Calais, Lille, Paris, Lyon and Marseille — typically next-day to northern France, 1–2 days further south.
France is the front door to every European run we do, and a destination in its own right. The Channel crossing is the shortest in Europe — around thirty-five minutes through the tunnel, ninety by ferry — which is why northern France is one of the few places where next-day is still typically realistic.
The further south the delivery, the more the timetable is about road miles rather than the crossing. Paris is a comfortable run from Calais; Lyon and Marseille add most of a day. Tell us the deadline when you book and we will plan the run backwards from it, starting with which crossing protects it best.
Where we deliver in France
Calais, Lille, Paris, Lyon and Marseille are the runs we quote most, but a dedicated vehicle is not restricted to a list of cities — if your delivery address is a town we have not named, the answer is almost certainly still yes.
- Calais and Lille — practically the far side of the crossing
- Paris — around 290 km from Calais, motorway almost door to door
- Lyon — the gateway to the south-east
- Marseille and the south coast — the long leg, planned around driver hours
Transit times: what to actually expect
Northern France — Calais, Lille, and usually Paris — is typically next-day territory: collect in the UK, cross, deliver. Lyon is generally a one-to-two day run, and Marseille sits firmly at the two-day end because the road leg is over a thousand kilometres and a driver’s legal day only stretches so far.
Those are typical figures, not promises. Since Brexit there are more procedures to clear at the border, and a consignment that has to be there on a specific day needs to be booked as exactly that. Say so when you book and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable.
Dedicated or groupage to France
A dedicated run means your goods travel alone: collected anywhere in the UK, straight to the crossing and direct to the delivery address, never handled or transhipped on the way. It is the fastest option and the right one for anything urgent, fragile or high-value.
Groupage costs considerably less and suits consignments where a day either side is not critical. If you are unsure which fits, tell us the deadline and the contents and we will tell you honestly which one to book.
Customs and paperwork
France is in the EU, so goods from Great Britain need export and import declarations, and the French side runs a barcode-scanned "smart border" at Calais and Coquelles — the paperwork is checked before the vehicle boards, not after it lands.
That system rewards preparation: a consignment with its declarations done rolls off and drives away; one without waits. Book early and tell us exactly what is being shipped, and we will have the paperwork moving before the vehicle does.
Collection anywhere in the UK
We are based in Northamptonshire and collect nationwide, so a French delivery can start from any UK address. From our base the run to Folkestone or Dover is a straightforward motorway leg, and we choose between the tunnel and the ferry based on schedules on the day — whichever protects your deadline better.
Good to know.
Anything not covered here, call us — a specialist picks up, not a call queue.