Driving to Méribel advice
Discussion
2 yrs ago (2 adults & kids), overnight drive to Les Gets. Took about 7.5 hours from Calais (around 11hrs door to door from Berks), with 2 pit stops on the Autoroute to swap drivers fill up with diesel and grab a coffee.
- Eurotunnel was about £150 for a non flexible ticket - there are different prices depending on time/flexibility
- Fuel: 2-3 fill ups of diesel total for there and back (c £150-200)
- Tolls: about £70 in tolls
- Car insurance £0.00 as have free green card with policy
- European breakdown cover £0.00 as comes with bank account
- Hi-viz vests, breathalysers, beam deflectors, spare bulbs etc £0.00 - already owned
- Screen wash up to -20C £6.00
- Snow chains - c £35.00
- Plastic shovel off eBay (£5.00)
- Gloves, tools, torch, cloths, mats, spare tools, leatherman etc - already owned
So all in all, it's a cheap way to transport 4 people. It was great for us as the kids were quite small, we still had a buggy and dragging the lot around Gatwick to Geneva or Chambery then onto transfer bus would have been a pain. If you do it right you could get get 8 days on the snow rather than the usual 6. Slept very well on the first night once arrived.
As we were self catering, we were also able to pack a Tesco delivery straight into the car before we left, plus freeze up a few pre cooked meals ready to defrost (lasagne, shepherds pie etc).
- Eurotunnel was about £150 for a non flexible ticket - there are different prices depending on time/flexibility
- Fuel: 2-3 fill ups of diesel total for there and back (c £150-200)
- Tolls: about £70 in tolls
- Car insurance £0.00 as have free green card with policy
- European breakdown cover £0.00 as comes with bank account
- Hi-viz vests, breathalysers, beam deflectors, spare bulbs etc £0.00 - already owned
- Screen wash up to -20C £6.00
- Snow chains - c £35.00
- Plastic shovel off eBay (£5.00)
- Gloves, tools, torch, cloths, mats, spare tools, leatherman etc - already owned
So all in all, it's a cheap way to transport 4 people. It was great for us as the kids were quite small, we still had a buggy and dragging the lot around Gatwick to Geneva or Chambery then onto transfer bus would have been a pain. If you do it right you could get get 8 days on the snow rather than the usual 6. Slept very well on the first night once arrived.
As we were self catering, we were also able to pack a Tesco delivery straight into the car before we left, plus freeze up a few pre cooked meals ready to defrost (lasagne, shepherds pie etc).
Thats the thing, i think last year cost me alone, £350ish roughly for plane + transfer return to Chamonix from Luton to Geneva (didnt help that it was the same time as the GVA motorshow).
im tempted to drive this year, if i can find a buddy to do it with then it works out to be cheaper that 2 flying.
im tempted to drive this year, if i can find a buddy to do it with then it works out to be cheaper that 2 flying.
For school holidays, driving is the only way to make it economical.
Tour operators load every part of your package over say, Feb half term so a basic £800/head package becomes £1,600.
If you drive and do it independently staying in a rented apartment, then the only part of the holiday that's loaded is the apartment.
And the loading is far less severe. So a £1k apartment for 4 may increase to £1.5k, but the increment for your party is very manageable.
Gotta book well in advance of course.
Tour operators load every part of your package over say, Feb half term so a basic £800/head package becomes £1,600.
If you drive and do it independently staying in a rented apartment, then the only part of the holiday that's loaded is the apartment.
And the loading is far less severe. So a £1k apartment for 4 may increase to £1.5k, but the increment for your party is very manageable.
Gotta book well in advance of course.
Jarcy said:
For school holidays, driving is the only way to make it economical.
Tour operators load every part of your package over say, Feb half term so a basic £800/head package becomes £1,600.
If you drive and do it independently staying in a rented apartment, then the only part of the holiday that's loaded is the apartment.
And the loading is far less severe. So a £1k apartment for 4 may increase to £1.5k, but the increment for your party is very manageable.
Gotta book well in advance of course.
that's what I find.Tour operators load every part of your package over say, Feb half term so a basic £800/head package becomes £1,600.
If you drive and do it independently staying in a rented apartment, then the only part of the holiday that's loaded is the apartment.
And the loading is far less severe. So a £1k apartment for 4 may increase to £1.5k, but the increment for your party is very manageable.
Gotta book well in advance of course.
As it's just me and the wee man, I can get a studio apartment at half term, and all travel, lift passes, instruction and whatnot for a tad over £1500. When a package holiday at half term charges around £1500 per head, it's definitely worth the drive, especially as I can carry more stuff and stock up on more goodies for the drive home.
Driving to skiing is brilliant.
Have done it many times - Val D'Isere, Flaine, Les Carroz, La Tania (twice), Tignes, Val Thorens, etc. etc.
Last time was to La Tania.
Arrived in Calais at around 3am and by 11am we were skiing in La Tania.
Don't get me wrong, a couple of beers with dinner and I was out for the count by 8pm, but it's a great way to get there and you get an extra day skiing.
Audi A6 Quattro with winter tyres = unstoppable.
Have done it many times - Val D'Isere, Flaine, Les Carroz, La Tania (twice), Tignes, Val Thorens, etc. etc.
Last time was to La Tania.
Arrived in Calais at around 3am and by 11am we were skiing in La Tania.
Don't get me wrong, a couple of beers with dinner and I was out for the count by 8pm, but it's a great way to get there and you get an extra day skiing.
Audi A6 Quattro with winter tyres = unstoppable.
I did Meribel New Year before last, drove from Bath leaving 4pm ish via the Tunnel and ran through the night as the solo driver with two sleepy heads on board.
Like others on here, I just paced the journey to suit how I felt. There is a natural break at the tunnel for me after three hours. After that, I stopped probably every two hours before having a decent snooze in the car at Lyon. The run along to Moutiers although busy was fine and then straight up.
Coming home in the daylight was easy enough but it seems twice as far as going down!
Like others on here, I just paced the journey to suit how I felt. There is a natural break at the tunnel for me after three hours. After that, I stopped probably every two hours before having a decent snooze in the car at Lyon. The run along to Moutiers although busy was fine and then straight up.
Coming home in the daylight was easy enough but it seems twice as far as going down!
LFB531 said:
Coming home in the daylight was easy enough but it seems twice as far as going down!
#Agreed, I hate the drive home from anywhere I've been enjoying myself. In our instance it did take longer too, as we drove back in the morning. We had to stop to let the kids out of the car to let of some steam, as they would go mental after every couple of hours. We made sure we had a tablet and headphones fully loaded with films which helped a lot.
Jarcy said:
housen said:
ull need chains if going up hill with snow on the ground .....fact
You'll need to carry them yes, - but with 'winters' you'll probably not need to use them. but when going up hill im all over the place
my car however is a clio sport 200 ...should have bought a golf :-(
prand said:
LFB531 said:
Coming home in the daylight was easy enough but it seems twice as far as going down!
#Agreed, I hate the drive home from anywhere I've been enjoying myself. In our instance it did take longer too, as we drove back in the morning. We had to stop to let the kids out of the car to let of some steam, as they would go mental after every couple of hours. We made sure we had a tablet and headphones fully loaded with films which helped a lot.
brickwall said:
Yipper said:
There is a high risk of robbery on the motorways and service stations on the way to the French ski resorts.
No, no there is not. What planet are you on? Even your crazy DM link is 13 years old.You're less likely to be robbed on the roads up to the resorts than you are in almost anywhere in any city in the UK. If you're worried about robbery on French ski resort roads, I suggest you wrap yourself up in cotton wool and never leave the house.
Driving through the nasty bits of Johannesburg late at night - that's a high risk of robbery.
Utter claptrap.
Around 10 miĺlion Euros taken in France motorway robberies in the past month. And at least one UK family and one UK popstar robbed at motorway services in the past month.
Yipper said:
bulldong said:
FYI Neither winter tyres or snow chains are mandatory in France.
FYI, where these signs are shown, dotted all over the French Alps, snowchains are mandatory.It is why mountain traffic is so bad, nowadays. Way too many heros on the road.
They are actually "obligatory" what the legal difference between this and mandatory I'm not sure, and I'd go so far as to suggest neither do the ASVPs who will be manning the check point.
Real world if you have a 2 wheel drive car they will stop you and tell you to put snow chains on.
If they know you or your French is very good and you have snow tyres then they may let you through but will warn you that you do so at your own risk.
If you have a local plated 4x4 they will more often stop you and offer some words of caution and let you know how bad it is.
The other thing is than an ASVP is the french equivelent of our Special Constables.. In that they can't make you do anything or arrest you if you do something.
Real world if you have a 2 wheel drive car they will stop you and tell you to put snow chains on.
If they know you or your French is very good and you have snow tyres then they may let you through but will warn you that you do so at your own risk.
If you have a local plated 4x4 they will more often stop you and offer some words of caution and let you know how bad it is.
The other thing is than an ASVP is the french equivelent of our Special Constables.. In that they can't make you do anything or arrest you if you do something.
housen said:
Jarcy said:
housen said:
ull need chains if going up hill with snow on the ground .....fact
You'll need to carry them yes, - but with 'winters' you'll probably not need to use them. but when going up hill im all over the place
my car however is a clio sport 200 ...should have bought a golf :-(
Jarcy said:
For school holidays, driving is the only way to make it economical.
Tour operators load every part of your package over say, Feb half term so a basic £800/head package becomes £1,600.
If you drive and do it independently staying in a rented apartment, then the only part of the holiday that's loaded is the apartment.
And the loading is far less severe. So a £1k apartment for 4 may increase to £1.5k, but the increment for your party is very manageable.
Gotta book well in advance of course.
The other thing to mention re school holidays is you need to plan the return journey home carefully....if you get to Calais at 5pm on the return Saturday in half term week expect to spend an awfully long time stuck in traffic. Couple of mates have....we're talking several hours of delays. You need to be leaving the Alps at 4am if you're doing it in one hit. Tour operators load every part of your package over say, Feb half term so a basic £800/head package becomes £1,600.
If you drive and do it independently staying in a rented apartment, then the only part of the holiday that's loaded is the apartment.
And the loading is far less severe. So a £1k apartment for 4 may increase to £1.5k, but the increment for your party is very manageable.
Gotta book well in advance of course.
waterwonder said:
CrutyRammers said:
Tolls about 70 quid when we went to annecy this summer, each way.
The train sounds relaxing but it's bloody awful, honestly the most uncomfortable thing this side of a third world gaol. Driving isn't bad but very tiring, unless you can split the driving, 2-3 hours a stretch, then it's fine.
Are you talking about the overnight service or the day service? I can't see how the day one can be that bad but I'll guess I'll find out. I'm getting it to Lyon then taking a chalet transfer, leave London at 7am and should be in resort late afternoon which seems pretty good. The train sounds relaxing but it's bloody awful, honestly the most uncomfortable thing this side of a third world gaol. Driving isn't bad but very tiring, unless you can split the driving, 2-3 hours a stretch, then it's fine.
It was the overnighter, and despite being in first class, was horrible. First few hours were great, but then bar abruptly shut before midnight, and so only thing left to do was try to sleep, which turned out to be impossible.
You end up getting into Bourg at a crazy early time, and I think we then weren't able to get up to Les Arcs because the funicular wasn't running yet.
Otherwise, I've done the drive several times. both as a kid when my parents used to take us to Meribel, and more recently with my own kids (albeit during summer, and not all the way into the mountains). Agree with all of the points made here, but would just add that despite how far it looks on the map, driving that distance in France isn't actually that difficult. Lane discipline is far better in France than over here, and the roads tend not to be as busy either (although that clearly depends on dates on travel).
Most of my mates also drive down to France for skiing, I've never ever heard a story of being robbed at a service station before.
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