 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi All,
Flying to Geneva on the Saturday before Xmas having driven down the last four years. Anyone have any views on the best route? Autoroute via Annecy, Chambery to Albertville or on the road around the south side of the lake D1508 to Albertville? D1508 is much shorter but appears to take the same amount of time. Will this route keep me away from the bulk of the traffic or get me snarled up in small towns?
Give us some help snow heads 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Normally I'd always go via the lake. Though the eastern Road (through Talloires rather than the western one through Jorioz) but on a busy transfer day I think I'd take the motorway.
When do you arrive in Gva and what time is your departure flight?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
We regularly travel to Val Thorens from Geneva and have tried both routes over the years. The route via Annecy generally takes the same time as the motorway via Chambery and is now our usual preferred route.
It's shorter (in terms of distance) and much more scenic, with stunning views of the lake and mountains after Annecy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Thanks guys, I arrive early 8.30am on the 19th and leave 9.40pm on 26th. Hopefully avoiding most of the transfer traffic. Does this help?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@Coco, those are good flight times. With luck you'll be a little ahead of the traffic getting to Tignes as much accommodation isn't available till 4 pm. And departing you'll be leaving so early you'll definitely be ahead of the traffic. Christmas isn't a manic week though last year's snowfall penalised those who didn't bother to get out of resort till 10 am despite the forecast.
I love the road through Talloires which is far less built up than the western (signposted) road and, I reckon, enables you to avoid the worst bit of Annecy too. But I've never done it on a busy transfer day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
The buses all go through Annecy and along the western side of the lake (except on one very congested day the bus took the eastern side). I imagine they have worked out which is quickest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9.40PM flight on the way back means you may miss the usual departing traffic, however still allow enough time for any of the valley day trippers to get down the mountain with you (5pm ski finish) and also the arriving vehicles for the next week of bookings, who can often cause delays.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| dogwatch wrote: |
| The buses all go through Annecy and along the western side of the lake (except on one very congested day the bus took the eastern side). I imagine they have worked out which is cheapest |
Fixed it for ya
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
the lake road is hugely cheaper for commercial operators than the motorway. Saves fuel and tolls
But I didn't say the eastern Road was quicker than the west. It's quieter, prettier and avoids that bit of Annecy past the hospital. It's full of cyclists in summer at weekends but there'll be none at Christmas.
The road through Talloires is not ideal for busses.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
| the lake road is hugely cheaper for commercial operators than the motorway. Saves fuel and tolls |
That's it in a nutshell pam w.
We always go that way for that reason. Have done it there and back at least 20 times. Only issues have been returning to Geneva on a Sunday night - two or three times we have queued into Annecy (once, for miles....  ). There is a set of traffic lights in one of the lakeside villages that is the cause of jams at peak times. We've avoided that by taking the road round the other side of the lake on Sunday evenings - and had no problems in doing so.
Never had any issues outbound via Annecy, although it's been a bit busy a few times - again, along the lake. Fine for the rest of the route though.
Both directions on a normal run take 2.5 to 2.75 hrs door to door.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
The talloires route is preferential during weekends as the paiage queues on the motorway can be horrific ditto the western side of lac Annecy. If only the police would let us use the back roads Albertville to Moutiers it would be a very simple trip. The OP should be fine whichever route they take at that time........unless there are rockfalls or crazy snow like we had last year.
Andy
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
A41 after the border, then Chambery (1 hr), Albertville (30 mins more), Moutiers (another 30), Bourg (20 mins) then Tignes (30-ish)...easy peasy. Nearly all motorway, €20 in tolls, job done.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| bertie bassett wrote: |
| dogwatch wrote: |
| The buses all go through Annecy and along the western side of the lake (except on one very congested day the bus took the eastern side). I imagine they have worked out which is cheapest |
Fixed it for ya |
Time is money. Hence buses belting around at maximum legal speed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Interesting debate on which is quickest/best. I'll be leaving GVA between 10:00am and 11:00am on a Friday. As I want to get some skiing in on the Friday afternoon I want the quickest route. I was in Annecy in September and did the lake circuit so don't need to do the pretty route. There is also the slightly obsure route via Thines that looks to be an option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
@Gaza, can't think why you would go via Thones. There's really nothing to choose, in terms of time, between the A41 and the lake road. Google maps makes the former a couple of minutes quicker. But on the day it'll be down to unpredictable local factors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
Thanks @pam w. Thones was a bit of a curve ball that I thought might be quicker. I'll have the sat nav with traffic on my TomTom Android App so hopefully that will advice the quickest route on the day.
Another question: do France and Switzerland co-operate with speed camera fines? I'll have a CH registered hire car from GVA and wondering if I need to be careful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@Gaza, with an autoroute limit of 130kph in France, why would you need to speed? But be careful in Switzerland the fines can be based on your ability to pay.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Coco,
If you'd like to ski on arrival day you could try Le Crozet, 20 minutes drive from Geneva Airport. Its a great little area in France & is linked to Lelex in Switzerland. From the pistes there are great views of Lake Geneva & the city.
Or you could try Le Sambuy, just past Annecy. It's a small area with some good piste skiing and a couple of ferociously steep, narrow black runs - with great views of Lake Annecy.
Both areas offer very cheap lift tickets.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
I've been doing the Geneva to Arc trip a lot recently and have ended up doing the autoroute down to Chambery and then across to Bourg. The fights have tended to land at Geneva mid afternoon or 8pm.
The autoroute is not a nice trip compared to going down either side of the lake at Annecy but so far I have had no issues with traffic or tolls. Its been put the cruise control on and sit back listineing to some music and eating my weight in sweets.
Annecy can get busy with the east side being less busy but both are involving roads.
The motorway is easy driving with no issues, no lights, no side junctions, no pedestrians, no cyclists etc and is the same amount of time as the annecy route if you have no traffic issues in annecy.
When I leave the motorway, I then tend to enjoy the road from there to Bourg a bit more
If I have time to burn on the way back, I'd go along the lake. If I need to have a more certain trip time, its autoroute
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Resurrecting a 5-year old thread just to spam it!? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
| Resurrecting a 5-year old thread just to spam it!? |
He/she does explain the rationale...
| Quote: |
| It's going to be a very difficult year for all ski companies |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Does Ben's bus go via Annecy or the Autoroute though......
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
From a moral point of view though, there's only one way: the motorway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tristero wrote: |
| From a moral point of view though, there's only one way: the motorway. |
Just curious, why's that?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| Tristero wrote: |
| From a moral point of view though, there's only one way: the motorway. |
Just curious, why's that? |
Because the "lake-route" requires driving through downtown Annecy and a couple of villages along the way. It has never really been faster (except back in the day, before Sarkozy, in the middle of the night Group-B-style - yes, me too, once j'étais jeune et inscouciant...). Nowadays, with the new 80km/h speed limit it takes longer under all but the most special circumstances. So it comes down to driving through a lot of peoples backyards in order to safe 9€ on a 1000€+ holiday. That's just not okay. I know, I know, it's mostly Frenchies who inhabit that part of the world, but they, too, are human beings after all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
| Gaza wrote: |
Interesting debate on which is quickest/best. I'll be leaving GVA between 10:00am and 11:00am on a Friday. As I want to get some skiing in on the Friday afternoon I want the quickest route. I was in Annecy in September and did the lake circuit so don't need to do the pretty route. There is also the slightly obsure route via Thines that looks to be an option.
|
This is how our driver took us back on Super Half Term Saturday in 2019. 4.5 hours and most of the additional was getting through Bourg St Maurice.....at least 45 mins to an hour.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
