 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
I'm planning to drive to Valmorel for 3 weeks in Jan 2012.
Can anyone advise what kind of costs I will be looking at for toll fees and can they be paid using UK Credit/Debit cards or am I better paying in cash.
I'm sure someone is also going to advise a good route ( not too much extra time ) using non Toll roads.
Thanks In Advance
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Super Eagle, if there was a route avoiding tolls and not taking too much extra time we wouldn't all be paying £100 or so to use the péage. 
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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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I have found that ViaMichelin sometimes under estimates the toll costs. It's probable that this is user error on my part rather than anything else.
Interestingly Pam, ViaMichelin is telling me it's about £60 one way for a trip to Les Saisies. I would imagine that's a bit on the low side?
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cran
cran
Guest
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Feast, on via michelin you need to tell it what size car you are using for the fuel and also check the route, sometimes it assumes you are driving through/across the channel! Put the same info into Google maps and see the difference in mpg mileage and tolls!
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Via Michelin data has always been spot on for me. I think the annual toll prices go up each 1 Jan
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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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We referred to via michelin when we drove to St Gervais this summer and the tolls were spot on. We paid in cash mostly but used credit card once. We never encountered a peage queue of more than 4 cars but they are probably busier on ski changeover days.
If you are looking to cut costs I'd start off with a full tank of petrol and fill up at a hypermarket en route. Buy your lunch at the hypermarket and you will save a few more euros. Also look for the cheapest channel crossing, probably ferry.
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Via Michelin a good enough ball park figure, peage will take CC but not usually on right hand side so unless you have a passenger do some stretching exercises during the channel crossing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The cheapest crossing is nearly always Dover - Dunkirk with DFDS (previously Norkfolk Lines), but this is a two hour crossing.
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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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http://www.mappy.com will give optimum routes, estimated fuel costs and toll charges. I always use my Euro debit card for paying tolls after discvering that my Lloyds bank one was taking a 5% plus one pound cut on every transaction. It takes a lot longer and more hassle to pay by cash.
John
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Feast, it's 72.90 euros the way I go - slightly cheaper on the A6 but I try to avoid the A6 which is much busier than the more easterly route past Dijon and Bourg en Bresse.
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We never encountered a peage queue of more than 4 cars but they are probably busier on ski changeover days.
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they certainly can be - miles and miles of stationary traffic, sometimes. when it's like that, having a péage badge doesn't make much difference; you sit in the queue with everyone else until the last minute.
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You know it makes sense.
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Oh - and for us, the tunnel is much cheaper, because apart from using Tesco clubcard points, a crossing which took a lot longer would probably mean an overnight stopover, so would be a false economy. We take ham, cheese and salad rolls and some bags of fruit, and stop just for coffees.
I wouldn't waste time chasing round off the péage to find a hypermarket to buy petrol. The marginal saving isn't worth the time lost. I find I can do the journey in one hit provided I don't faff around.
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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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pam w,
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I wouldn't waste time chasing round off the péage to find a hypermarket to buy petrol. The marginal saving isn't worth the time lost. I find I can do the journey in one hit provided I don't faff around.
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If you can get to Chambery on one tank the Hyper market petrol station is just off the motorway after the toll booths. (Assuming you are going via Chambery of course!)
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Poster: A snowHead
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I go via geneva, not Chambery. I generally fill up at the hypermarket in Sallanches, before driving up the mountain (there are no petrol stations in our neck of the woods; doesn't do to let the tank go too low). We did once decide to just "pop into Dijon and fill up at a supermarket". Big, big, mistake which I'll not repeat.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There is an enormous LeClerc right next to the new motorway in Reims and we filled up with petrol there on the return journey. There was no detour involved as we were heading off the motorway into Reims for an overnight stop anyway.
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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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There's also fuel stations close to the A4 Epernay exit, and further south at the Nuits St George one on the A6 if you use that route. None involve any extra driving compared to a service station. I would say our attempt at finding one near Langres was a small mistake if it were not for the georgeous cheese I picked up while I was waiting.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Feast, we did the Norfolk line crossing earlier in September as it seemed quite a bit cheaper at the time of booking - we always check them all out and if not much in it then by choice we would use P&O Dover/Calais.
But our recent trip made us think that the not huge saving probably wasn't worth it - disgusting scrambled egg - but having said that when I took it back some more was made freshly and that was fine - OH doggedly ploughed his way through the less savoury first time round version on his plate. And dinner on the way back in the Bistro was ok, but only ok, and for the same price I reckon the food is better on P&O.
Our favoured way of doing it is to take the tunnel over, either rolls etc in the car or stop a bit later for breakfast, which can give us an early start - we are a good two hours drive from Dover - but we do like to take the ferry back if doing the trip in one day - bit of a rest after the drive and hopefully something alright to eat.
And if the price is ok, as it sometimes is, and particularly if I am on my own, then I like to do the Le Havre back to Portsmouth crossing, but those ferries can be very expensive.
Using the tunnel in December - but OH forgot we could use Tesco so he has paid for that in 'real' money. But a P&O for a trip in November.
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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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Pamski, when we used Norfolkline last Easter, it seemed to make a huge difference to our journey time.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hells Bells, yes, I think we would agree. Just that bit longer on the crossing, and then we went into Majestic to pick up a few bottles of wine in Calais and it seemed like the morning had gone before we went anywhere. Didn't matter particularly as not in a rush but I wouldn't want to do that in the winter and waste precious holiday hours - I have plenty of time to waste nowadays so not an issue.
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