Driving to the Alps: The Pros and Cons

Embarking on a ski holiday in the Alps can be an exciting experience and choosing to drive there adds its own set of adventures and challenges.  

Having booked a ski holiday to Val d’Isere last Easter, it was time for our family of five to decide whether to fly or drive to the Alps this time round. Flights for the 5 of us were limited, and looking extremely expensive, so we decided driving would be more cost-effective and also allow us take all our ski gear without worrying about oversized luggage and extra airline charges. Having lived in the Tarentaise Valley when the children were little, we were also attracted to the additional freedom driving allowed us as we were keen to catch up with old friends who still lived in the area during our holiday.

In this blog, I’m excited to share my experience of hitting the road to reach the iconic snowy peaks of the Alps and, in my opinion, some of the main pros and cons of driving to the Alps versus flying to the Alps.

One of the main benefits of driving to the Alps is the flexibility you gain from being the master of your own destiny. Although the journey may take longer, you’ll be able to avoid the queues at airport security, control your own schedule and enjoy spontaneous stops along the way to take in France’s beautiful scenery. Oh, and don’t expect pothole-filled, busy roads. Travelling through northern France especially is a joy – hit cruise control and watch the miles tick away.

Top Tip: Sign up for an electronic toll tag before your trip. This small electronic device sticks to your windscreen, automatically logs your travel on toll roads and sends you an invoice the following month. This saves you having to stop and queue every time you come to a toll to get a ticket or pay for a stretch of the journey.

Just drive slowly towards a toll lane with an orange ‘t’ above it, and with a little beep, the barrier will automatically lift. This is especially welcome if you are driving through the night so that you don’t have to keep waking up your passenger with a blast of cold air to retrieve the toll ticket!

Over the years of driving to and from Val d’Isere, with and without little ones, we’ve broken up the journey in a number of places including, Troyes, St Quentin and Dijon. This time, we opted for a night in the city of Reims (pronounced “rans” by the French not “reems”!), the capital of the Champagne wine-growing region.

Reims offers a great selection of hotels along the main high street, all within walking distance of the world-famous cathedral, the historic location for the coronation of French royalty. Recognised as one of the greatest examples of Gothic architecture in France, even if you are only in Reims for the evening, it’s well worth a visit to see the jaw-dropping floodlit exterior of the building. Even our teenagers were impressed!

As we wandered through the city looking for a nice restaurant, we stumbled upon a buzzing Italian place called La Trattoria, with beautiful interiors and something on the menu for everyone, even our fussiest eaters! The staff were fabulous, making a real effort to tolerate our children testing their French. It was the perfect way to start our holiday; with the anglophile haunts of Val d’Isere that we knew so well still to come, this felt like a truly authentic French/Italian experience.

Refreshed after a decent sleep in the hotel, we took to the roads again the next day. The thrill of approaching the Alps and seeing the peaks loom in the distance never leaves us. With anticipation building, we rolled into the resort in time to hire ski equipment for the children before heading to the bar for a drink. The perfect start to the holiday!

Top Tip: Break up the last part of the journey before the drive up to your chosen ski resort with a quick pit-stop in Annecy, a popular summer holiday destination with a stunning turquoise mountain-fed lake and medieval old town with canals and bridges.

Depending on when you are travelling, for groups and families it can often be more cost-effective to drive rather than fly to a ski resort. It can cost upwards of £1700 for return flights for a family of 4 at February half-term, plus airport parking, and then transfers to your chosen resort if they’re not included with your ski holiday.

In comparison, our petrol, Eurotunnel ticket, tolls and one overnight stay (we didn't stay overnight on our return journey) cost approximately £1000, so a saving of almost £700.

Top Tip: If you aren’t staying in catered accommodation, then being able to stock up with supplies in the valley before heading up the mountain to your resort will save you a lot of Euros as the supermarkets up in ski resorts charge premium prices to their captive audience!

Another consideration is the carbon footprint of driving rather than flying. Whilst electric vehicles are likely to be the most eco-friendly option, in many cases, diesel and petrol cars can also be more environmentally-friendly than flying provided they are carrying four or more passengers (source: BBC/BEIS/Defra Greenhouse Gas Conversion Factors 2019).

Top Tip: Don’t forget to consider alternative eco-friendly travel options such as the snow train.

The Eurostar Snow Train departs from London St Pancras every Saturday between mid December and early March and stops in Chambéry, Albertville, Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-Les-Bains, Aime-la-Plagne and Bourg-Saint-Maurice. At Bourg-Saint-Maurice, you’ll find coaches to Val Thorens, Val d'Isère, Courchevel, La Tania, Tignes, Meribel and Les Menuires.

Return trains depart from the Alps every Sunday morning between late December and early March. The journey from London to Bourg-Saint-Maurice takes just under 8 hours and the return journey is 9 hours.

There is no escaping the fact that driving to the Alps entails a journey, especially if you don’t live close to the south coast. Living in the Midlands, we always find the worst part is getting to the Eurotunnel or ferry, although once you’re in France, driving on the French roads is a breeze!

Top Tip: On arrival, try to avoid driving up to the resort on a Saturday afternoon or evening. When leaving, the roads down from the ski resorts can be very busy on a Saturday and Sunday morning between 8-10 am, so ideally avoid these times if you can.

Driving up or down the winding mountain roads can be demanding even when it hasn’t recently snowed, but during a snowstorm, it can be very challenging. Driving anywhere in France you’ll need to ensure you have a UK sticker, headlamp beam deflectors and reflective jackets for each occupant of the car. You must also have a warning triangle in case you have an accident.

In addition to these items, snow tyres or chains are now compulsory between 1st November and 31st March in selected mountain areas, in and around the ski resorts. What’s more, you must be prepared even when travelling late in the season; the mountain roads can still be white in April after a heavy snowfall. I was grateful of my winter tyres driving back up to Val d’Isere after a night down the valley with friends in April, as it snowed almost every day last Easter!

Top Tip: Click here for an up-to-date list of what you need to drive in France.  

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Embrace the freedom of driving to the Alps

If all this talk of travelling to the Alps has inspired you to think about your next ski holiday, explore our range of luxury catered ski chalets and start planning your perfect ski getaway today.