Driving to France/Italy This Winter

Hi, I am planning on driving over to France or Italy this winter and am looking for some 'real' advice. I have read some guides on line but mostly they list the top resorts to drive to etc. and drive times.
We are travelling from the North West and like the idea of either going back to Morzine or poosibly trying the Aosta Valley, via the mont blanc tunnel.
If anybody has any advice on travel times, routes, stops, accessibility to resorts, anything to avoid that would be most appreciated
Thanks,
Matt

We drive from the midlands to usually Ported Du Soleil or Chamonix both relatively easy drive so going to other side of Mont Blanc tunnel won't be too much extra effort. What we find best is getting a flexiplus on eurotunnel as you can usually turn up whenever and board next train (especially good on way back as no pressure to hit deadlines). We have a toll pass from Sanef so no stopping or queuing at tolls (cant have roof boxes to use these fast pass channels as height limit). Lastly on way down we try and stop over in the villages just south of Dijon (Côte d'Or) for the wine, nuit St George or Beaume.
Tolls amount to about £140/150, timescale on French side roughly 8hrs driving to either Chamonix or Morzine without allowing for stops

Hi Matt28nw.

I have been driving to Europe for my ski trips for the past several years and would not want it any other way. However, I do have the advantage of living pretty close to the Eurotunnel to start and end the journey. Don't forget to count the bit you will need to drive while in the UK it will add up to quite a bit depending on where you are in the North East.

I agree with Clontyseer that it will take you about 8 hours from Calais to most of the French resorts, subject to traffic (depends on when you are going) and your driving style. My best was Val D'Isere back to Calais in 6 1/2 hours, but you will not get to do that very often. Avoid Paris, so use the motorway out to Reims, then Troyes down to Dijon, Lyon etc. I would strongly advise a Sanef Tag if you are driving in France, the 30km toll lanes can be a god-send if there is heavy traffic. Costs are the same apart from a 5 euro activation fee each year but worth it for the convenience.

One thing we have started doing as we have gotten older is to stop on the way out, have a decent night and then get to the resort early. I know it is almost there, but Grenoble is a great place to stay for a Friday night out. But there are plenty of places to chose from on the way down as Clontyseer suggests. My tip for this would be to use the Via-Michelin site to plan your journey. On the full screen route map you can get it to show every hotel, usually with a link direct to their booking site. Very handy. https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/

Do not discount driving to Switzerland, Austria and the far side of Italy. While it is longer in terms of miles, the average speed is also higher, especially through Germany, and you get to save the French toll costs. I will be driving to Kaprun in Jan, and expect the return trip to take less than 10 hours to Calais. If doing this, then from Calais head up into Belgium, across to Holland then down through Germany to Austria and on to Italy if required. Exact route through Germany will vary depending on where you are going, but they have an extensive mororway system and it's free :)

I would invest in a decent sat-nav, which includes speed traps. In France, they cannot actually show the speed trap location, but they get round it by marking a section of the road as a hazard. With modern equipment there is no need to ever get a ticket.

Next the train ticket. I agree with Clontyseer that a flexiplus is the ideal ticket, but if you are purchasing as a one off they are terribly expensive! Eurotunnel are pretty good if you are late, and may let you on for free, but worst I ever had was an additional £10 charge. They have also regularily let me on early if I get there just to clear the system out in case lots of lates turn up for my booked train. Not sure if you know, but many TO's will discount advertised price for self drive and supply a train ticket. Usually a flexiplus one.

Finally your car. I strongly advise winter tyres, but as a minimum you will have to carry chains. Ensure you have correct ant-freeze for levels for your vehicle, and that it has been checked over before you go. Real pain to get outside Calais and realise you need new brake discs! (been with an idiot who did this on a summer trip) You also need to make sure your screen wash is flushed out and replaced with very low temp wash (I use -20c and have had that freeze on me once!), always carry emergency kit in the car, plus additional oil, water, travel kettle etc and warm clothing. You must have hi vis jackets in France and they need to be put on before leving vehicle if you break down. You also need a full set of replacement bulbs.

Feel free to ask any other questions you need to know the answer to.

Hi Far Queue,

Thanks for the advice, that's really helpful. We have always flown and as such hit the cheap airports such as Geneva and Grenoble and transferred from there in the past so this is useful information.
We are open minded when it comes to resorts so we will have a good luck, but the advice about resorts is much appreciated.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Matt

First check to see if your car's spec' allows you to fit chains at all. Most performance versions of even mainstream models can't take chains - it should be in the Owner's Manual or ask your garage. On my A3, my car's factory 18" wheels and optional 19" wheels couldn't take chains, only the 17" wheels. The usual reason a wheel size can't take chains is because there's not enough clearance between the wheel and the suspension/steering/brakes etc. for the chain mechanism to rotate, especially if its a bit loose. Don't trust a retailer who says "They're always conservative - It should be OK ..." or "Try it out first." - it's what your manufacturer certifies which is key here.

On our little Peugeot, the factory wheels can take chains. So we had the choice of whether to go for winter tyres or not, independently of whether to use chains or not. In the end, we opted for winter tyres and then some cheap chains just in case conditions were really bad, but we've only once been in snow where the winter tyres couldn't cope. That was when we had to pick up a member of the group from the station in the late evening, and had to get out of the apartment block after it had been snowing all day.

Two problems if you don't have winter tyres: in Alpine areas most of the other cars will have them and drive accordingly (my scariest drive wasn't across snowy mountain roads but in the commuter traffic 'round Lake Geneva in slush when everyone else was doing the usual 100Kph+); and they're hopeless in alternating tarmac/snow conditions - you can't be putting them on/taking them off every couple of hundred metres and you really can't drive more than 30Kph on tarmac.

If you opt for winter tyres but your wheels can't take chains, then you have a bit of a dilemma: Ideally, you'd have your winter tyres on a separate set of winter wheels (so you can still fit chains - either because you need to and/or have been told to by the police). But then this is getting expensive and you may feel that the risk of the latter scenario is so low that the extra cost is n't justified.

However, bear in mind that there are benefits to winter tyres, even in the UK, given the compounds used in winter tyres start to give them the advantage as temperatures drop below 7°C. Although last winter's average UK temperature was only 5.5°C this drops significantly for morning/evening rush hours and as you move northwards. For regular commuters in the rush hours, you may see the benefits for over 100 days/year. Plus, of course, you summer tyres last longer if they're unused across the winter. The big difference is in reduced stopping distance in the cold, even on dry tarmac. The snow-oriented features (mainly tread design) are an added bonus.

If you have an Audi, BMW or Mercedes, all these manufacturers do winter packages where you get the tyres 'free' with a set of wheels, so this can help narrow the cost gap. And they also store your unused wheels+tyres for you.

Being a tight-ass I hate paying French tolls and living in the north I have found the easiest route is Hull Rotterdam overnight ferry I then go via Luxembourg(cheap fuel} and Metz and Besancon then to Geneva ..from there its about 3 hours to the 3 valleys or you might be able to get to Morzine without a stop ..I did Rotterdam to Les 2 Alps in about 12 hours...Morzine is much easier..I have both chains and winter tyres ..I have never used the chains yet

Morzine is just about in reach of a day's drive from the tunnel although far more relaxes with one stop.

Having just driven to & from Tuscany via the Aosta valley last week (in my old Triumph TR - actually went over the top on the way down via the Petit St Bernard pass which takes you through Borg St Maurice (access for Les Arcs) and over the top to La Roziere and La Thiule) and back down again into the Aosta Valley. Coming back via the Mont Blanc Tunnel (£40)
If you are sharing the driving you could do Chamonix, Courmayer & La Thuile with one stop.

Aside from winter tyres, I'd recommend you think carefully about an overnight stop southbound e.g. If you're going via Geneva or Lausanne, somewhere around Troyes. This is about 4 hours south of Calais and where we stop, even though we're only 90 mins from Ashford. It's perhaps an age thing, and when younger we've done plenty of journeys to the Alps in one go, but it's only when we stop that we realise how tired we actually are. We stop at a motel near theautoroute and are in the indoor pool by 5pm and sat down to dinner 7pm then a welcome early night. If the weather is bad then it's a nightmare to have to press on and on when you know you could be comfortably relaxing or asleep. Having a stop also means any delays at Eurotunnel don't throw your timetable out.

Coming home I think an overnight is more borderline because you get an hour back on the clock and there seems to be a positive psychology to pressing on. Although we still stop over.

I know it sound obvious but having a Thermos or two and some decent food helps a lot and means you can snack at an aire while you change drivers etc. Nowadays we do this more than stop at a service area.

And we have a liberT toll tag which is great. Not so much for avoiding queues but more so that the passenger can sleep without having to wake at the toll. And there are no panic searches for the ticket that you dropped somewhere on the floor. And it's fun watching French drivers behind you getting all nervous about whether you really do have a tag .....