 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
We're booked for 2nd week of Feb in Sainte Foy next year. I grabbed some accommodation when I saw an option, and about to book transport.
We're just transporting ourselves and clothing etc, no equipment. 2 adults.
Option 1 - Drive from home
Newhaven Dieppe ferry - £150
Fuel - £250ish
Option 2 - Fly drive
Train to Gatwick - £60
Flights to Lyon - £100
Car hire - £200
Fuel - £50
(Overnight accomodation en route 1 way - £50ish for the bonus 7th day on the slopes)
We're staying practically on the slopes, so won't use the car much during the week, but I know the ski pass gives us a free day at Les Arc, so will likely make use of that for some fresh mileage at some point during the week. There are also few options for transport up to Sainte Foy. It's taxi or skibusses only, either from the airport, or probably from Bourg once we've got train there. Adds a fair whack to the costs, and harder to organise the extra day on the slopes with their timing.
Both work out about the same price-wise. Option 2 is only a few hours shorted in time, due to airport waiting times and risking the train. Driving our car gives us something familiar, though it's not exactly suited to the snow, and will only take snowsocks, not full chains.
So the question: - what haven't I considered? It's the first time I've done the fully self book ski trip, so for those with lots more experience, what are the lessons learnt? Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
If not, seems a bit flip of the coin to me...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That looks like exceedingly cheap car hire! We hire from Geneva but prices there seem to be more like £80-100 a day this winter.
Is Lyon generally cheaper than GVA? I need to hire one from there next autumn during the rugby world cup.
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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?
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Autoroute tolls.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| andy from embsay wrote: |
That looks like exceedingly cheap car hire! We hire from Geneva but prices there seem to be more like £80-100 a day this winter.
Is Lyon generally cheaper than GVA? I need to hire one from there next autumn during the rugby world cup. |
Kayak is showing a Renault Twingo for the week at £123! I'm a little tall I fear for a Twingo, hence allowing for an upgrade to a larger size... but yeah, a few options under the £200 mark.
Drive time seems about the same as Geneva, and flights and car hire were cheaper.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Out of curiosity are these prices per party or per person?
Where you have put fuel do you mean fuel and tolls?
Your £250 per person from Lyon to st Foy looks high. Have you considered train to Bourg and bus from there? It may even be worth spending a Friday night in Lyon as well as ther Saturday.
Likewise the £100 flight to Lyon looks a tad low, but you never know with flights, you could end up spending that amount on luggage alone.
Second week of Feb is the start of the school holidays. Traffic could be a nightmare.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@BigSouthernJesse, You've got autoroute tolls to add for driving (via Michelin will calculate for you if journey is input) as we've usually driven there.
Had others join us via flying to Geneva plus Altibus from there. If using this you need destination "station" for ski station else you'll terminate in StF village down the hill a little from ski village.
It's fine for parking a car there while staying, Les Arcs, via Villaroger entry point is literally about 15mins away to make it easy. Also Tignes via Les Brev is similar in opposite direction from the end of StF Road at junction, left for Tignes right for Les Arcs.
We've always really enjoyed our stays in StF, great skiing and friendly intimate atmosphere.
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@BigSouthernJesse bargain. Looking at £300 for a Polo for a 4 day trip in March from Geneva!
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Winter tyres?
£250 looks a lot for fuel.
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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.
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Sainte Foy is one of the longer drives. You also need to allow a substantial amount of time for traffic jams around Chambery. And unless you're a superhero driver, you'll need an overnight stop.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Train to BSM and shuttle to StF.
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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.
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Presumably you are a teacher. If sans-child best to avoid this week.... and the remains of February.
As mentioned your costs for fuel and autoroute is low. Does your insurance/break down cover France?
Winter/All season tyres on your own car. I was looking at all season tyres for my 2020 BMW X3 SUV yesterday. I only have 18 months left on the lease and will need new tyres soon. Winters not really an option. Much more expensive than Summers and i would need to do a few drives to the Alps to make the expense worthwhile. Seem difficult to source n UK too for my wheel size.
I would have said just get a transfer from Geneva with snow-drone for 150 euro each but imagine the flights are very expensive. Easyjeyt to Southampton flights (presuming you live in Hampshire).
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Thank you all for comments.
I said 2nd week in Feb, but I mean 1.5th week I guess - 4th-11th, the week before half term.
I hadn't added tolls, but also see that French diesel is a better price than here. Via Michelin is giving me costs of 70euros for tolls and 77 for fuel for the French part of the journey, in each direction. So ~£280-320 for the round trip for fuel and tolls is still looking about right. It's a 1.5hr drive to Newhaven to start.
With two drivers we're pretty good for longer journeys. My plan would be to try to manage Dieppe to Lyon on the Friday, then overnight there. Then do the run up to resort on the Saturday morning for a shorter day on the slopes before checking in in the evening. Useful to have a vehicle for bringing in food and supplies from a valley supermarket and a day trip or two to other resorts. We've not got winter tyres on the car at the moment though, so weather dependent on that one - cheapest way would probably to buy complete with a set of steel rims too, in order to get a standard size tyre rather than low profiles...
Prices I've listed are for the two of us, not per person. Easyjet currently £46 return each, but we'll get clobbered on adding a hold bag...
Train or coach to BSM came in at £60-70 a head I think, then transfer up from there.
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You know it makes sense.
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@BigSouthernJesse, half term starts on the 4th, but fortunately it is not one of the big weeks
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I think you may be driving onto a compulsory chains area - worth checking via the Ste Fly tourist office.
If driving a diesel then need to fill up on winter diesel by the time you get to Bourg.
Would you be parking outside? If so your screenwash & car fluids may need changing. And you'd need a good shovel in case of a snowfall whilst parked.
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Poster: A snowHead
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French school holidays - traffic will be busy on both the Saturdays. If you don't have winter tyres I think you should plan for chains rather than snowsocks. That's a very snowy time of year, and of course you'll be hoping for snow! Snowsocks are not very hard wearing, and if you shred them, and only have summer tyres, you'll be illegal but also, and more important, possibly stuck!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Are you looking at the overnight boat on the Thursday? If so Dieppe to Lyon will get you in early afternoon so you could probably push on to get past Chambery giving you a very short drive on the Saturday. Back in the day when we were stuck with half-term we would stay here https://hotel-george.webnode.fr/ on the Friday night, meant we got past the Chambery paege before any queuing started on Saturday. Neat little Intermarche just along the quay too.
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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?
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And if you have a mechanical handbrake, leave it off (they can get frozen with slush thrown up from the road) and leave the car in appropriate gear.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
| If driving a diesel then need to fill up on winter diesel by the time you get to Bourg. |
Oo er...  We did our first ever winter self-drive to Tignes at the end of November, in a diesel car. Parked in the indoor Golf car park but moved to the outdoor Grande Motte for the last three nights, once the parking charges kicked in. Temperatures were very cold and we had to clear snow off the car before we left.
Mustard mitt, the winter diesel thing just never occurred to us! Made do with normal diesel there and back and thankfully had no problems.
I didn't see anything but normal diesel en-route (although I wasn't looking...). Is winter diesel readily available? Only near the Alps? And presumably more expensive?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Generally the local diesel IS OK for low temperatures - by default. You don't get two alternative pumps. So if you bought any locally it will have been fine. You can also get additive.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If you buy diesel anywhere in France during the winter months it will be "winter diesel". Similarly in the UK. The only place where this has been a problem is with hiring a car in venice.
I usually fill up somewhere near Troyes and even at -20 there has been no problem.
Fill up with -30 screen wash, however.
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1.European Breakdown Cover
2.Wear and tear on your car. Not just fuel and tolls. HMRC allow 45p a mile for a reason! Via Michelin is showing bare fuel cost as £116 each way, plus tolls of £62 =£356
3. You can usually park at Gatwick cheaply in winter, if the train risk is putting you off. I've got 8 days parking for £47 in Feb.
The drive or fly to the Alps debate has been had on here many times and it does depend on individual parameters, but if you can find reasonable flights and car hire it's got to make more sense to fly with two passengers
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All things being equal I would drive.
Just get annoyed by my journey being a series of ques and waits when I fly, rather than doing something. My personal view is 9 times out of 10 you will be fine on snow socks, if something biblical happens you might have to accept defeat and pull in (at least 60 self drive trips under my belt and fortunately have not been caught in anything socks could not have got me through) just don't drive more than a few metres on a non snowy road (obviously driving to the conditions) , and if you can pick up a spare set of socks on fleabay always nice to know you have a fall back plan. With today's forecasting visibility you should know days in advance what you might be facing and you can flex your journey accordingly. Winters would be great but for me I can not justify the cost for the 2 days a year I might face something a bit slippy, making sure I am driving with conditions in mind.
You haven't factored in the benefit of filling the boot with wine on the way home 
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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.
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| luigi wrote: |
| 2.Wear and tear on your car. Not just fuel and tolls. HMRC allow 45p a mile for a reason! |
+1 - people often seem to ignore this for some reason, which adds significantly to the cost of driving. Arguably could be a bit lower than 45p per mile but it should definitely be more than just the petrol cost alone.
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Well, in the end we've gone for flights from Bristol (Nearest to dog-sitting brother-in-law) to Lyon. One hold bag did add £30 to the flights each way, but such is life with budget airlines. The timings work out well for flights, and we've booked for 9 nights, giving us the arrival day on the slopes as both lift pass and kit hire are 6 days + 1 free deals.
Now to book a hire car, and work out what comes with proper winter tyres or book / buy chains or socks to go with it.
Thanks for all the comments and useful thoughts.
J
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FAQ
less of a joke in reality with huge snowfall. 
