Where are the best places to buy diesel when driving down to Morzine as last year the service stations off the motorways didn’t seem much cheaper than the cost of fuel in the UK.

Just got back from the French Alps: Supermarkets about 1.30-1.35 Euro for diesel, motorway services 1.45-1.50. If you’re driving through the night motorway services are your only option. Given the fairly small difference in price I couldn’t be bothered with the faff of leaving the motorway.

In any case, it’s the tolls that really sting – 80 euros each way!

The cheapest fuel we found was in the Supermarket in Taninges, just after you turn off the Autoroute about 45 mins from Morzine. It was 25c/litre cheaper than the motorway services in france, and is right on the route the satnav will take you. We also stopped off in a supermarket in calais on the way home which was similar.

The supermarkets seem to be a bit cheaper, but its still not a huge difference in price.

Having just come back I think I paid about 1.4Euro a Ltr..

To be honest fuel in France is not much cheaper wherever you go. If you use 2 tanks getting down there at 50 Litres and save yourself 5p per litre going off the beaten track to find somewhere cheaper, you’ll save yourself £5.

If you were doing a 10,000 mile journey, it might be worth penny pinching, but you’re not.

But I saved 25p/litre and didn’t go off route at all!!! thats €25 free beer tokens!! Or put another way, paid for my Chunky Monkey/Smorgasbord Alps tyres 8)

I never bother. With 3 or 4 in the car, the fuel split+saving isnt much.
Going to PdS is a damn site cheaper on French tolls than Tarantaise. 50 euros each way, although you do need a Swiss Vignette (40euro or thereabouts), dont stick it to windscreen – can sell on after. Our Partner combi with 4 bikes and people did it on less than 1 tank e/w (from Calais-Chatel).

My tip is the Carrefour at Reims Tinqueux, right off the Autoroute, if you’re in a diesel car you should be able to fill up there and make it all the way to Morzine.

Pretty sure there’s 24/7 card machines there too…

With the 24hr automatic petrol stations, don’t empty your fueltank if you are relying on them, some of them don’t work with foreign bank cards. As long as there’s a visa sign or similar they’ll obviously work, but some only have French bank card signs.

some of them don’t work with foreign bank cards.

…this used to be very common but I’ve not found it much of a problem in recent years personally if you’ve Visa or Mastercard.

Isn’t Chip & Pin a European standard now?

With the 24hr automatic petrol stations, don’t empty your fueltank if you are relying on them, some of them don’t work with foreign bank cards. As long as there’s a visa sign or similar they’ll obviously work, but some only have French bank card signs.

Had that problem a few times on motorbike hols! Nightmare, have to hang around for kind Frenches to accept some cash in exchange for them using their cards.

normally just use the motorway unless I’m heading off somewhere else. For a diesel car the extra time was never really worth the saving. Shopped around before leaving and planned the Rhiems hypermarket for Wine & Cheese importing and a top up.

…this used to be very common but I’ve not found it much of a problem in recent years personally if you’ve Visa or Mastercard.

Isn’t Chip & Pin a European standard now?

Only found two this time that wouldn’t take my VISA card, and loads that would (did almost 3000 miles in total). So it isn’t a big risk, but worth keeping in mind.

It isn’t that they don’t have chip and pin, it’s that they don’t have Visa, Mastercard or Maestro, they only had whatever the French debit card thing is, something like ‘Link’ over here for cash machines.