Average Cost of Driving to Alps/Sainte Foy

A snowHead

yep fruity...googled snow chains for the Q5 and some reports of cheaper ones ruining the tyres all together.

Thanks all.....we have decided to drive after all.....will check out options for snow chains/socks (are the latter legal?)

A snowHead

Yes as long as you download the disclaimer. I've got a set which I won cheap from EBay Wink

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

http://www.autosock.co.uk

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Check out the link. It took us six weeks of intensively researching the options... VW don't even list chains for them. The K Summit are excellent, I got mine off EBay from a Koenig retailer, they had the contract prior to Thule taking over so much cheaper than buying from Thule

Limited clearance, I was told to put two fingers behind the front wheel to see how much clearance we had... I was shocked. There isn't any.

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Being the git I am, I've just been out with my torch looking in the wheel arches of out Tiguan and, indeed, the suspension spring is almost touching the wheel. i think snow socks would be the best option. Snowchains.com do them for £35. I think you may find the same problem with your q5 as it's pretty much a Tiguan under the skin.

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I'm not smug. Razz

After all it is free

I always find it amazing that VW cars don't take chains, given they're German where winter tyres etc are all compulsory. I'd still give snow chains.co.uk a call, our Sharan couldn't take chains, but they provided some low profile ones which worked

Mine took 695 Autosocks. 235/55/17 rims. I ended up buying from a Vauxhall dealer who was selling his stock. They're still in the packet, but worth the money to keep in the car, I'm a bit nervous of the chains

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@Boris, I did. They recommended the K summit. They're the only style that don't go behind the tyre

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Apparently, you can purchase a different rim for the car from VW which will take standard chains, but it's not a cost effectve option

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Larger Audis can't have standard chains. We bought the K Summits and yes they are expensive, but they're very good and easy to fit and it's not as though one has to buy them every year. We debated the snow socks (significantly less expensive), but after being told by a friend that the gendarmerie told them to go away and come back when they've got chains, after seeing the socks (in very poor conditions), we thought again about it.

I have a set of chains that fitted my a4 and a6. They were £20 from leclerc on the Lyon bypass.

You know it makes sense.

I've tried different options for driving, mainly to keep the cost down and to see different parts of the country..

Last season I set the satnav to shortest route avoiding autoroutes. Landed off the ferry around 6pm, drove until 12ish when I was well passed Paris and took a cheap hotel. Cracked on in the morning and was in Grenoble for lunch. Had a good lunch, then sat in a long queue all the way to resort Sad

Petrol cost was the same (less distance but little cruising) but no tolls paid.

Alternatively take the free motorways east into Luxembourg, fill up on the cheap fuel there (+fags and booze if you use them). Dual carriageways run out around Epinal, when its either cross country or autoroute. Adds 60 odd miles which is offset by the cheap fuel.

Not for everyone, but I enjoy my driving and take a liberal view of speed limits.

Although I have winter tyres and socks, you can be rather more confident of road conditions at Easter and I would be content with summer tyres so long as you can chain up if there's a fall.

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

@cameronphillips2000, My A8 wasn't compatible with standard chains, nor my S8. It's probably the 4X4s and the big Audis and VWs that are the exception. I'm surprised your A6 was fine, as it's not much smaller than the A8.

A snowHead

I reckon most of the big Germans put big shiny alloys on for the UK market that they don't as standard on the continent so that chains etc fit. I run smaller wheels with winter tyres on my 5 series. I run them in the UK too though, not just on my 2 trips to the Alps as I drive a lot for work.

I would consider winter tyres and snow socks/chains as part of the cost of running a car rather than as part of the cost of my holidays.

We drive through the night 2 or 3 drivers in the car plus a non driving adult to do some chatting to the driver duties if needed, so I can't comment on hotels en route, but I would deffo recommend the sanef doofer if you travel at peak times (we do feb half term).

A snowHead

@lampygirl, We would have fit smaller steel wheels for winter, but unfortunatley brake size makes that a no-no. It's a pain, but the same chains are on the 2nd car and the winter tyres will last a couple of years, so it's not that bad. Smaller sporty cars that have huge brakes (and big wide tyres and alloys) would likely have the same problem.

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Yeah, mine wont take a steel wheel either, nightmare! I had to get some 17" alloys, but thankfully my work is nextdoor to an indy German car garage so I managed to get a set sourced 2nd hand for not too much money.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

This site is very helpful. If you enter the car make, model and year, it shows all the options.

http://www.wheelbasealloys.com/

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We are probably into severe thread drift here but both Tigski and I have used tyremen.co.uk - great advice over the phone. They did used to be regulars on here but sadly due to a bereavement their keen skier is no longer available . Sad

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

You probably all know already about the Roof Box Company. Brilliant company. Comprehensive website and helpful on the phone too.

After all it is free

We are travelling to vallandry the same dates as you. We usually pay only 30 or 40 euros for a night in one of the ibis brands http://www.ibis.com hotels. Usually take a three person room and put a camp mat is the floor for the second child. Never a problem as long as you go in to the hotel in two two's. Never see the point of paying more for somewhere we stay about eight hours at.

Hi guys

THANK YOU ALLLLLLLL for replying and helping me/us with this post.

Soooo appreciated!!! Will report back on advice for any others with a Q5!

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doing the exact same dates as you to Ste Foy.

leaving 28/03...stopping at Novotel in Dijon overnight before onwards to Ste Foy on the 29th.

If you haven t got your accom sorted yet, try Peak Retreats, which also give you a flexi Eurotunnel crossing inc the price.

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have to say that I find it ridiculous that SUVs sold on rufty tufty practicality have limited clearance for snow chains. That is just laughable.

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Here's some alternative suggestions (bit wordy sorry)...

If you're looking to trim some costs, don't tunnel, use the ferry and if you're going with P&O and the crossing is peanuts book the club lounge. Nice and peaceful, free refreshments and a decent amount of time to tune out a bit from driving before you do the big push in France/the final couple of hours in the UK. The tunnel is great if you're doing a short weekend and time is critical but otherwise the break on the ferry is a good thing. Dover-Dunkerque with DFDS is good - nice boats compared to the barges they run on the Dover-Calais route (P&O's lovely big Spirit boats aside), it is a 2 hour crossing but it lines you up nicely to drop down through Lille and rejoin the usual route. Saves about €10 on tolls, and there's an Auchan for fuel/food if it's the right time of day at Grande Synthe (sp) a couple of miles after you join the coast motorway, and before you turn off to Lille.

FWIW, I took an Audi S3 down to the south coast of France over NY, and going the straightforward way tolls were €100 one way, fuel was 2 and a bit tanks for ~850 miles at about €120 one way, and the ferry would have been about £60 return outside of silly peak times. Depending on your exact route it can be cost and time effective to cut out the boring bit of France and head to Luxembourg via Lille and Metz/Nancy, especially with the hilariously cheap petrol there.

I picked up a set of chains for 19€ from the supermarket, but Audi don't approve the use of chains with my standard wheels (as per everyone's experiences) so even though the clearances are fine, it could invalidate the insurance if someone drove into the back of me/I did a stupid. The suggestion of socks is far more sensible, and they'd be of use in the UK if we had some snow again.

Depending on if you're taking kids/people with very solid sleep routines/have more than one driver you may want to consider knocking off the overnight stop, and drive through the night to arrive in resort late afternoon. That'll mean you don't lose any snow time, and you're lined up for a decent nights kip to reset yourself when you arrive.

You know it makes sense.

for what looks like a very nice 2 bedroom apartment.

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

A snowHead

If I am doing an all-nighter I would cross earlier than midnight and use the tunnel (far quicker than ferry). I agree it's 10 hours - that's the shortest time I've taken, but I would aim to be underway on the French motorway by 11 pm local time. In busy weeks the late afternoon is the worst (busiest) time to arrive in resort as most accommodation is available from 4 pm.

My usual schedule is to leave home around 6 am, drive the two and a half hours to the Tunnel, arrive by bed time.

But I have the luxury of being able to choose quiet times to travel.

I find the Tunnel by far the best way to cross. On the way home, as I've usually been driving a long time and have the M25 bit ahead of me I invariably have a 20 minute nap, having had a quick cup of coffee, so I'm alert by the time I'm on the road.

And with frequent trains you can normally get on a train very quickly at quiet times - though there are big gaps in the wee small hours and it's very frustrating to just miss one.

A snowHead

Sounds fair - I think the way we disagree is a good example of why it's good to give the OP as many suggestions as possible so they can see what fits - there really is no single way of doing things!

We'll have to agree to disagree on the ferry vs tunnel thing - maybe it's because my standard journey is a couple of hundred miles further and a few more hours, it's just across the line so the break on the boat (and waiting for the boat) is welcome. It's also almost always double or triple the ferry cost for longer than 48 hours and that's a no-go cause I'm tight Wink

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@call me dave, yes, your distance within the UK is a big factor, couldn't agree more. Plus the fact that I cross on the Tunnel 3 or 4 times a year for nothing, using my Tesco tokens. Typically I get on a train very shortly after arriving at the terminal as the tickets are completely flexible (ordinary price tickets, no point in spending extra if you travel at quiet times) and the elapsed time between getting to the ticket booth and driving off straight onto the motorway in France is generally around 60 - 90 minutes.

I dislike the terminals and much prefer to drive straight on if given the option and find the trek to and from the car deck on a short ferry crossing a pain. And in winter, if it's rough, I do feel queasy on the ferry - I don't throw up, but wouldn't enjoy a meal.

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@ringingmaster, so are we heading to Vallandry on 28th - I'll wave at all hotels just in case

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This Christmas it worked out at £450 to take the car skiing. The euro tunnel was £50 more expensive than usual (£150 return). Then it is roughly 160 euro for tolls and 220 for fuel. A much bigger car and tying the skis to the roof pushed up the fuel consumption (42mpg) , but with diesel less than a pound per litre the price didn't change that much from the summer. The car is insured with annual international breakdown cover and, of course, we already had snow chains. The car carried 4 comfortable, so the price of driving was £112 per person; about the cost of a transfer from Geneva to Les Arcs.

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@Boris, We are staying the in CGH L'Orée des Neiges http://www.cgh-residences.co.uk/winter/residence/residence-l-oree-des-neiges.html

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After all it is free

@johnE, I don't travel at peak times but I've never yet been delayed, and usually manage to get on an earlier train than the one I've booked. If you travel at peak then it could be that, if not then either you are very unlucky or I am very lucky!

@Gämsbock, Oddly it is the really quiet times (like 04:00) that are most affected. I suspect they just keep cancelling trains until they get a load. The excuse is usually "operational reason"

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for those of us in the north the alternative to fly drive is to go overnight north sea ferries then drive through the day arriving early evening you have a nights sleep on the ferry and arrive ready to go next day but it aint cheap but it works for us

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Average Cost of Driving to Alps/Sainte Foy

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