 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey!
Was just wondering if anybody had driven to Verbier/4V or any the nearby Swiss resorts (Zermatt, Saas Fee etc) from the UK before? I've seen a few different routes now and was basically wondering if it's better to follow the autoroute as far south as Macon, then head east past Geneva and Lausanne, thus staying on motorways all the way; or whether it is better to cut across country slightly near Besancon using standard roads but saving about 80 miles I think and rejoining the motorway near Lausanne before continuing on to Verbier.
Any help/advice on the best route would be much appreciated!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Done both, depends on the weather. If it poor say on the auto route. If its nice Besancon is prettier.
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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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Hiya snow_nut,
We did this journey in January last season and didn't go as far south as Macon on the autoroute, we took the cross-country route instead. On the way down we left the autoroute about 40 miles south of Dijon then went cross-country (roughly it was Poligny - Champagnole - Morez - Nyon) toward the lake to rejoin the autoroute there. On the way back we did a slightly different cross-country route (Lausanne - Pontarlier - Besancon). Both worked out well for us.
We were lucky as we had good sunny weather and there was virtually no snow in the Jura which made the decision easier. We reckoned with the good weather it was probably quicker, and certainly prettier. Good luck whichever you chose.
Are you going any time soon? A friend of mine just got back today from Verbier and has just emailled me some pics - it's made me sick with envy as there was so much snow and I didn't go with him!
Cheers
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snow_nut, welcome to Snowheads.  We don't go to Verbier, but drive a lot down past Geneva. If you want to stay on the autoroute (recommended rather than the Jura route if there's snow about up there, though it's a much more interesting route) I think it's better to avoid the M6 and Macon altogether if you start in Calais. The autoroute further east (Dijon - Bourg on Bresse - then onto the A 40) is markedly less crowded and more pleasant.
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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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Another option - and I don't know how it relates in terms of time - would be Reims - Chalons - Metz - Saverne - cut across country to Molsheim - Colmar - Basel - Bern - Vevey - Montreux - Martigny. Calais to Basel is usually 6-7 hours
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snow_nut, whenever I've driven to Verbier I've used the autoroute to Langres then driven on minor roads through Gray to Besancon and Pontarlier, then picked up the Swiss motorway system past Lausanne and Montreaux. Roads have always been clear and although some minor departmental roads used, in good condition with not too much traffic so you can maintain a reasonable speed. This route is alos quite scenic especially going round the north of Lac Leman and there are plenty of hotels en-route if you want to break your journey.
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I've driven through some snow - inches rather than feet - on the top of the Jura and sometimes there's more. It's not a big problem, but can make for a slow, if picturesque, journey.
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pam w, 'twas in the Vosges that I had my first experience of using snow chains (the Halfords ones that broke) 
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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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You need to watch the Top Gear public transport vs touring sport car race to Verbier!
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done the trip to Switzerland ....Calais -Lille -Luxemburg -Basle 436 miles and no tolls
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Beware the A40. Attractive as it is, it's an amazing feat of engineering too. However, it is as twisty as a corkscrew, reckon on doing 60mph on much of it. You certainly won't do 80 - unless you're a much better driver than me!
Add 150km, and an hour (according to Googlemaps), and save the French tolls by going Dunkerque-Lille-Luxembourg-Metz-Strasbourg-Colmar-Basle-Bern. Edited to add I see somebody beat me to it. But French motorways are empty, and German ones can be very fast indeed...
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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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| James the Last wrote: |
Beware the A40. Attractive as it is, it's an amazing feat of engineering too. However, it is as twisty as a corkscrew, reckon on doing 60mph on much of it. You certainly won't do 80 - unless you're a much better driver than me!
Add 150km, and an hour (according to Googlemaps), and save the French tolls by going Dunkerque-Lille-Luxembourg-Metz-Strasbourg-Colmar-Basle-Bern. Edited to add I see somebody beat me to it. But French motorways are empty, and German ones can be very fast indeed... |
checked again using autoroute and on the 'quickest' rather than 'shortest' there is 20 miles in it...and the cheapest petrol in Lux..
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Does anyone know the price of diesel in France at the moment?
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You know it makes sense.
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Had a lovely drive down through Strasbourg, the Vosges and the Jura, Basel, Lausanne. Stayed the night in a nice town en route that I can't remember the name of. Not the quickest but some interesting country - perhaps one for the way home.
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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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Martin Nicholas, please remember! I'm driving to Switzerland in January. Last year we went the Strasbourg route and stopped overnight in Verdun. Whilst this was a fascinating history lesson the place was not exactly overburdened with hotels and restaurants - other suggestions welcome.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yoda, if you can make it down to Colmar area before you stop, the village of Riquewihr is very pretty and has certainly more than one hotel - we go for a weekend every year, meeting friends from Lux, and stay in the imaginatively named Hotel de Riquewihr on the outskirts. Colmar and Strasbourg themselves are rather beautiful in the centre too. If you want to cut out the Strasbourg loop, peel off the motorway at Saverne, the cut down to Molsheim saves, I reckon, 20-30 minutes, and Molsheim is also very pretty. Basically any of the Alsatian villages will probably have reasonable places. Maybe worth looking at the Logis de France site?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
unless you're a much better driver than me!
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and willing to break the law. 110 kph limit along much of that twisty section. Worth stopping at the "aire" with an exhibition of how they built the road; impressive.
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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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eng_ch, thanks for the ideas, will do
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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what do the tolls cost Calais-Geneva if you stick on the Autoroute?
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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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Thats the badger. All these villages are pretty and will be falling over themselves for your €uros in Jan. I seem to remember it being pretty parky, even compared to the Mont Fort. La Petit Pierre was where we took a second night (Mrs N was pregnant and declined a full 2weeks on the snow) after Strasbourg on the way north.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks Martin
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| Quote: |
what do the tolls cost Calais-Geneva if you stick on the Autoroute?
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About 60 euros, one-way. So that'll be just 60 quid to you sir.
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Thanks for all the advice!
Just watched the Top Gear clip..now if I could only get my hands on a 612 Scaglietti! Would certainly make the journey more interesting!
I think I'll try the A40 going and possibly Strasbourg on the way home, however if the weather is looking good a trip over the Jura mountains might be in order...
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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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Very helpful thread for me as I'm driving from Troyes to 4 valleys on Sat 14 Feb (yes I know it's a bad day to be on the roads). I would like to go via Besançon and Jura on N57 but the forecast looks potentially a little snowy (not too much) and a low freezing level. My instinct would be to avoid the A40 on that particular day if poss but I'm not sure when weather would be considered "bad" enough to avoid the Jura. I'm rather hoping pam w will be able to advise me as she seems to have driven both routes! Any ideas/experiences would be very welcome. Thanks 
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Staring from Darlington I venture the Amsterdam/Germany route. This involves taking the car to Newcastle ferry for the 17:30 ferry arriving Amsterdam 09:00 with a good night sleep.
I have cross the channel with the ferry and Eurotunnel at Dover/Ashford. Done the tolled French motoways or untolled Lille/Namur/Luxemborg/Mulhouse/Basel route for many years too.
Amsterdam/Anhem/Dusseldorf/Koln/Karlsrule/Basel/Bern/Lausanne/Martigny would be my preferred route to ski Verbier. The forward journey can be done in a day comfortably but I always take two days to returnas the resturn ferry also leaves Amsterdam at 17:30 and so to catch it from Switzerland is almost not sleeping the night before.
The advantages of the German route are no toll, fastest, easiest (no worry about getting caught for speeding) and the shortest.
The disadvantges are Netherland has a speed limits of 100 and 120 kph and has a lot of slow moving lorries for its 90 miles secton and one one has to pay to sleep comfortably on the ferry which should be compared to an overnight stay in a hotel. Also a few snowheads with young family dislike the risk of getting sea sic if the channel is stormy.
A motorist has to pay road tax when driving on Swiss motorway so I supposed this is included for skiing Verbier.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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AW,
I didn't like Besancon at all when I used it as it took ages. The roads, like N57 with single lane, are unsuitable for motorists who want to minimise travelling time when there are obvious choices to travel on motorways.
I would say the Swiss is the best when it comes to tending their roads. Weather condition should not be a factor for travelling on European motorways unless your car is ill-equipped, say bald tyres. Motorways are the best to travel on because the traffic helps to keep it clear. Basel/Bern/Lausanne is Swiss main artery and I have never seen it blocked by snow and is always reasonably free flowing.
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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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saikee, thanks for that. I did wonder if motorways such as the A40 might be very busy on that particular Saturday. I take the point that the Besançon route is slower (but shorter and scenic). I'll have to see what the weather does.
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