Poster: A snowHead
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Along with the rest of the UK / Northern France we will be driving to the Alps (Avoriaz) on Saturday. We're setting off on Friday and staying overnight in Troyes.
This is the second time we've driven to Avoriaz, 5th time driven to the Alps and don't like driving overnight so we are kind of stuck with the hordes, I'm accepting the traffic jams etc but wondered if anyone had any cunning plans (that they're willing to share) to make the best of it?
We do at least have a peage doofer but that's our only advantage!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hmm, staying as far north as that, you're a bit stuffed, really. I think what I'd do is have a lie-in on Saturday morning, then a leisurely breakfast. then maybe a leisurely lunch somewhere nice (ie not one of the autoroute service areas and take it easy, aiming to arrive into Avoriaz around 6.30, by which time there should be less traffic.
You could also do some of the route off the motorway. cheaper, more interesting. Personally I would definitely take the route across the Jura - once you're off the motorway it's signposted all the way to Geneva. Even on an ordinary day it doesn't take much longer than the motorway. It's quite a pleasant drive and there are some good lunch stops along the way, and not expensive.
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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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Last time (to Avoriaz) we had some car trouble, plus as we had left late on Friday stayed further North, so were very late getting going. We were horribly held up on the motorway but had no problems at all getting through Morzine and up to Avoriaz since it was around 9pm by the time we got there.
The Jura route sounds interesting, where would you leave the motorway?
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The Jura route sounds interesting, where would you leave the motorway?
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there are a few options, but probably J7 (Poligny). All junctions after that IIRC are signposted to Geneva. You have two options for the last part of the journey to Geneva - I'd normally opt for the St Cergue route. But that will land you on the motorway between Lausanne and you'd need the Swiss motorway vignette. If you prefer to avoid that, you can take the Col de la Faucille into Ferney Voltaire - then straight down into Geneva, around the edge of the lake, then follow the signposting to Chamonix.
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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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Thanks, I can see that route on Google maps.
The problem with the motorway route (apart from the vignette) appears to be that it throws you straight back onto the French motorway that was such a problem last time. I'm not sure I fancy trying anything with 'Col' in the title given recent snowfall, but can we not just drive straight over (or under) the motorway to get to the lake road?
I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried this route at peak times, it would be a bummer to go for a trickier route & find it just as snarled up as the motorway.
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I'd be interested to hear if anyone has tried this route at peak times, it would be a bummer to go for a trickier route & find it just as snarled up as the motorway.
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yes it would, and I can't help with that question. You could go down through St Cergue to the motorway but just drive off the motorway - I'm sure that would be possible. But both routes have "cols". Unless there's new snow, there won't be any problems - I've driven both those routes on fairly snowy days. But I do have snow tyres.
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mind you, even if the Jura route were busy it would be a lot more interesting. And cheaper. Put the toll savings towards a nice lunch.
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We have snow tyres too, but we are in a 12-year old VW campervan. The again we've driven up to at least 1800m in it each time we've been to the Alps, admittedly not that quickly...
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