Can we avoid traffic jams at half term travelling to the Alps by car!

A snowHead

I have already booked a Eurotunnel crossing for the Feb half term Saturday morning arriving Calais at about 9am. I have heard that there can be snarl ups at Reims where the motorway ends and also where the motorway starts to head towards the Alps near Bourg En Bresse. Anyone got any good ides on routes other than doing a different time as its too late!

A snowHead

@archers, where are you going?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

archers, Bad news I'm afraid, unless you can go on Friday or much later on Saturday you will be stuck in traffic. Half term Feb 2015 is a perfect storm for traffic to the Alps as most European and especially UK and French holidays are that week.
Which resort are you going to? If it involves going through Moutier expect 4 or 5 hour journeys from Moutier to the resorts.

PS. Reims now has a motorway bypass. It is possible to stay on Peage motorways all the way from Calais to the Alps.

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Ouch! Difficult to see how you'll miss some pain, I'm afraid.

Even going on Friday night is no guarantee that you'd miss the traffic - 18 hours from Calais to Serre Chevalier one year with the last 80km taking 6 hours Evil or Very Mad

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@archers, Change your booking and travel through the night Friday/ Saturday, or queue is my advice (if your going to Tarentaise), I'd rather arrive at 2pm than 11pm having queued for 3-4 hours.

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@Cacciatore, ouch, never had it that bad, even when the Col was closed on Christmas Eve, and we had to go via Gap it only took us three and a half from Grenoble. Spag carbonara was the most we managed for dinner that evening, but boy was the Christmas Day skiing worth it. Very Happy

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After all it is free

I expect this half term to be 'epic', as BE holidays is on that week too - the whole country will be traveling - last time BE had holidays it as one big traffic jam from Luxembourgh to Trois Vallees ....

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Drive to Gatwick. Park car. Get flight for £137/person return all inc.

Like most answers on the internet, that isn't actually an answer to your question at all, but vs 20+hrs on motorways, fuel, tolls etc. I know what I'd do!

If you decide to stick with driving, consider getting an electronic toll unit - doesn't solve the 5-mile tailback problem at the tolls, but might save 30 mins once you get near them. I think there's a British company that sells/rents them out nowadays.

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@snowdave, £137 at half-term including transfers?

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£137 return at half term using the easyjet flexi option. £70 out, £67 back are the fares available at present.

Transfers would be extra (the destination resort is unclear, so couldn't price that!). However, Alamo will rent you a car for £160 at Geneva for half term.

If there are 4 people, then total cost £548 + 160 + fuel. I'd be very surprised if the true cost of driving were cheaper once you allow for wear and tear, European breakdown cover, snowchains, luminous vests, coffee on the autoroute, a hotel stoppover etc..

Not sure this is any help to the OP unless not-driving is an option!

You know it makes sense.

trainee snowboard jedi, Good plan to Leave early around 6am or earlier! Reims is only 2.5 hours into the journey in France so you need to get going to get ahead, Moutier slows from noon on a normal peak Saturday.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

I don't think you will miss it if you arrive so late in the morning. I have done the trip at NYE and arrived Calais at 0800. We got to Arc 1950 after 11 that night, was plain sailing until just after the toll south of Lyon. Never again, if it can be helped. These days we go the day before and stay in Archamps, which leaves a load of time in the morning to go to the supermarket, then go for a ski before checking in.

A snowHead

@trainee snowboard jedi, Beaune if you can stretch it that far, will give you a better start. 2 Ibis within 10 mins from motorway and prices are good/desks open 24h for late check ins.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Need 2 drivers, with one who can sleep in a car,(I cant), Stay on motorways, throw children in car at School, and go , with them in uniform and don't stop except for toilets. No hotel - go through the night. I did it half term 10 years ago, - to Samoens. Didn't enjoy it though, but 12 hours it took. You need rested drivers though, otherwise its plain stupid.

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@trainee snowboard jedi, a couple of years ago I was driving north from the alps to Calais, starting on the Thursday before half term. I left late and stopped for the night south of Reims. Heading north, quite early on Friday morning, I was struck by the huge numbers of big fat UK 4 x 4s heading south. Big, big, queues at the péage gates - miles. I was surprised, in my innocence, but was told by more knowledgeable snowheads that many private schools were shut on that Friday. Leaving London after school time on Friday there is no way you will be ahead of the game.

However, as @twoodwar says it's daft to drive all night with a tired driver. (I've done it more than once, driving alone, but not at half term with the road full of tired people trying to beat the traffic and am always ready to stop if I start yawning....). You really will struggle to get ahead of the traffic but the alternative is to get behind it. Have a good stop, good supper, share a bottle of wine, get a good night's sleep, leisurely start, stop for lunch, aim to get to resort during the evening. Just make sure you know how to get hold of the key for your accommodation, if you're renting.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

We always travel down on the Friday evening this year we're gonna stop just outside Lyon, on the tag front I signed up for one today as I noticed they are doing a deal with a valid eurotunnel booking reference. Saves waking the wife up at toll booths.

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trainee snowboard jedi, Driving at Half term is perfectly doable, however I believe these days your children need to contract a sickness bug and thus can't go to school on the Friday book an early 07:00, no later ferry or tunnel, book a room around Beaune, on a good drive you may get there by 5pm. Saturday mooring up and on the road at 07:00 then it should be a 4/5 hour drive to your resort.

For the return you need to be on the valley floor BEFORE 07:00 then you will be ahead of the jams on the way back. Moutier slows up from around 08:00.

@archers, changing the time of your Eurotunnel crossing is pretty easy, so I would change it, leave earlier, and stop worrying. If you can't leave before 7am on the return trip, stay until 3pm or so, get an extra days skiing, then overnight in Dijon/Beaune area.

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@trainee snowboard jedi, don't forget that if you had flown, chances are your coach transfer from the airport will also be stuck in a similar traffic jam.

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We drove through the night last year to the swiss alps and met absolutely zero traffic at all once we'd boarded the eurotunnel. thre worst section by far was the M25 in some abysmal weather. we had 3 drivers, all used to working strange hours so it was no real bother. Though the more people who get tempted the more traffic we might meet...

This year its less of a problem as OH had to work a couple of days in october half term and is now owed them back so we are travelling the wednesday before and the monday after half term this year.

You know it makes sense.

@pam w, we do as it happens, as we have a long trip on Sunday once we get back to the UK, so like to get a good way through France before we stop for the night. We will however, not be travelling on peak weekends and will have been there for at least 2 weeks. So apart from an occasional problem with weather (snow fell door-to-door for 2 days) it has been relatively plain sailing, but then we aren't going through the Tarentaise.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

St Gervais is a slightly different proposition to most of the horror stories. You won't have to deal with Albertville, Moutiers or anywhere similar. In fact, once you get close to Geneva you are home and dry (in my experience). I drive Geneva -> Chamonix between 6 & 12 times a year, nearly always on peak weekends, and its NEVER been a problem. Motorway pretty much all the way, snow chains never required etc.

On clear roads in summer, with a disrespect for fuel economy, it is possible to do Calais-St Gervais in 7hrs. If you're dead set on driving I would consider sticking with your original plan, having a leisurely lunch en-route, and planning to arrive St Gervais at 9/10pm. That stand you a good chance of being behind the traffic wave. Families heading for the central Alps will still have 3-5hrs drive from the Geneva area, whereas you'll have about 45 mins, so by 10pm there won't be many of them left on the road.

That said, since its St Gervais and you can probably get a transfer there for <E30 per person from Geneva, I reiterate my suggestion that you skip the driving and get on a plane! At <150 per person, unless there are more than 4 of you in the car, flying will probably be cheaper. If you started early on a plane from Gatwick, you'd be in St Gervais for a leisurely lunch, time to buy ski passes, sort out equipment etc. Let me know if you want details of how to get the £137 return flight price.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@archers, as above that's not as far and not as bad as the more central resorts the other posters have been describing. Still bad driving that day but not as bad! If you go to Calais the night before then consider actually crossing the night before, we often do this and get just as far as Arras (about an hour) so that we are on the right side for an early start the next morning.

Doh! Wake up before posting! Embarassed

of course if you are in Calais you have already crossed! I was reading it as Folkestone Embarassed

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Many thanks that's encouraging and a friend has just said much the same about the drive down. As usual it will all be subject to any accidents and Peage queues along the way. Good advice about the ski passes being booked online. I was considering that

Many thanks to all who have posted comments and as I seem to be travelling to a location a bit closer than people first thought I will stick to driving but try to travel across to Calais the night before and stayin a hotel there

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Many thanks that's encouraging and a friend has just said much the same about the drive down. As usual it will all be subject to any accidents and Peage queues along the way. Good advice about the ski passes being booked online. I was considering that

Many thanks to all who have posted comments and as I seem to be travelling to a location a bit closer than people first thought I will stick to driving but try to travel across to Calais the night before and stayin a hotel there

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

There's an IBIS budget nearby I think - they are usually a good low-cost bet. But book NOW, it'll be busy.

After all it is free

Yes I have been looking at that. By the way what's the eurotunnel traffic like getting to folkestone for around 9pm

We have been driving down at half term for the last 10 years or so and, touch wood, haven't run into horrendous, i.e. 20 hr journey, problems. We have found that the traffic is busier than for normal French motorways, but that is better than, say, the M25. Thinking back, there have been a few jams due to accidents, peages or pinch points, but frankly you can get them any time of year. In my view its a question of expectations - you're not going to do it in 8 hours from Calais, simply because there are more people on the road.

Because we drive on so many of our summer and winter holidays, we are quite efficient about toilet stops, having lunch, swapping drivers, etc. We have also got a peage tag (google SANEF) which saves a bit of time but is mostly really convenient (no scrabbling for money or cards and less queuing).

I should point out that we have mostly travelled to Geneva, turning left at Dijon. In my view this is a better motorway as it avoids all the Paris traffic that joins south of Dijon.

The last few years, we have driven to Brides. We tend to get the train from Folkestone at around 8.30 am on Saturday, turn lefdt at Dijon, go via Geneva/Annemasse, stop for dinner at a friend's in Annecy and get to Brides at about 10 pm. A bit of traffic in Albertville at that time but not masses (cutting across from Annecy helps).

I hope I haven't jinxed this year's trip...

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Can we avoid traffic jams at half term travelling to the Alps by car!

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