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French Alps
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Hi
I'm going to the French Alps in September, Im going to drive as it will be good to have a car to explore the area and visit local places, Google says it'll take 10 hours but i think ill stop in a b+b along the way so its not too harsh a drive for me and we can visit somewhere else en-route as well.
My question is about driving, has anyone driving there and got any advice, are the speed limits and roads similiar to those in Britian?
I've not checked but im sure my breakdown cover is only for U.K so another worry is that if my car breaks down how would i continue, who would i call, is there an emergency recovery/garage service i should know about?
I've not checked flight prices and car hire in the alps but im sure driving all the way will be cheaper.
:thumb:
I'm going to the French Alps in September, Im going to drive as it will be good to have a car to explore the area and visit local places, Google says it'll take 10 hours but i think ill stop in a b+b along the way so its not too harsh a drive for me and we can visit somewhere else en-route as well.
My question is about driving, has anyone driving there and got any advice, are the speed limits and roads similiar to those in Britian?
I've not checked but im sure my breakdown cover is only for U.K so another worry is that if my car breaks down how would i continue, who would i call, is there an emergency recovery/garage service i should know about?
I've not checked flight prices and car hire in the alps but im sure driving all the way will be cheaper.
:thumb:
Post edited by JustV on
0
Comments
Sounds like a really exciting trip you're planning, I have in fact driven to the French Alps before and a night in somewhere like Reims on the way is a very good idea. It's do-able in a day but unless you're sharing the driving with someone else I would definitely recommend a stopover.
First thing to remember is that the French drive on the right, easy to forget when you first get off the ferry! Their Auto-routes (motorways) are very similar to our own although they often only have two lanes and they have tolls which can add up on a long drive. So you'll need to budget those in.
This page from the RAC website has lots of useful info on driving in France - for example, you'll need to buy some headlamp deflectors for driving at night: http://www.rac.co.uk/driving-abroad/france/
Regarding your car insurance, I'd suggest calling up your current insurer - you can probably get an extension on your insurance for that time period to make sure if you do break down that you won't be stranded!
Worth checking flights as airlines like easyjet do very cheap flights to places like Geneva :thumb:
Yeah i will contact my insurance company about this matter.
I take it from your recommendation that you stayed in Reims, is that a nice town/city/village, i see from the map that it is almost half way and a good point to stop for the night but personally i would prefer to take it a little bit furthur and stop at troyes as its another hours drive and gives me a bit of a head start leaving just over 4 hours of driving the next morning to reach our destination in the Alps...
I would have have a few breaks along the way as well...
:thumb:
The french very sensibly have variable speed limits based on the weather so its 110k in wet weather but 130 in the dry - however they also love to catch out english people with their random by laws - so make sure you have your yellow safety jacket in the actual car not the boot as the french police just love pulling people over for that random technicality - if your going on the ferry they often sell packs containing all the stuff you need to drive in france.
Ohh and if your not pushed for time the ferry is much cheaper and nicer than the tunnel - but it also pays to go in first class if you can as you get priority boarding etc
Your advice is invaluable, my high vis would of definitely been in the boot had you not mentioned that by law :thumb:
Thanks very much for that.
You'll also probably want to take a note of what the various speed limits are on town roads and country roads etc, because like in the UK they're often not marked. Also remember everything is in KPH not MPH, so 50 in France is a lot slower than 50 in the UK.
Remembering to drive on the right can be tricky, roundabouts especially, and slip roads onto Motorways - it's easier if when you pack the car you make sure you can see out of your rear view mirror.
As for the Alps bit, generally they're pretty good roads, but some can get pretty steep, so make sure you understand how to handle gears on steep inclines.
But you probably want to write down the words for in it French before you go. Colour schemes can vary slightly.
As for the Autoroutes, it's a silly thing to say but don't speed on the toll roads. They look at when you joined the road and when you left it, and if you got there too quickly they'll give you a hefty fine along with the toll.
There is also a random french rule that you need to give way to the person on the inside of you on the roundabout.
Ohhh and also undertaking isn't illegal so watch out for people coming fast from both sides.
Thats very good to know im glad you mentioned it, although I dont plan on speeding sometimes i go a little over so cheers for that.
@ Wyetry, thanks again :thumb:
Obviously it varies on engine/driving style, but to get a rough figure would be good, im going to check how many miles i get in my car for 30 quid and then do a calculation.
Im wondering wheter it will be cheaper to fly and hire a car, but i doubt it, and the drive would be a great journey so ill proberly stick to that?
:thumb:
However petrol is cheaper in france.
But you also might want to factor in the annoyingness of having a toddler in the car as well - i know my baby would be very unimpressed at having to be in the car for longer than 1.5 hours at a time (though you can plan travelling around sleeping/naps).