How do you do it? It will be our first time, and we can't decide between the train at Ashford, or the ferry at Dover or Portsmouth. Also, the best way on driving down to the Alps once there? Aiming for Ventoux.

What's the cheapest way? The quickest? And which way for the least driving?

How do you do it?

get in your car & head SSE

Realman, Mont Ventoux isn't in the Alps, it's in the South of France!

RealMan – Member
How do you do it? It will be our first time, and we can't decide between the train at Ashford, or the ferry at Dover or Portsmouth. Also, the best way on driving down to the Alps once there? Aiming for Ventoux.

What's the cheapest way? The quickest? And which way for the least driving?

Get in a car, fill it with fuel and set your satnav for the Alps.

But as you're a "Realman" you wouldn't need a simple thing like a satnav to show you the way, you'll just know when you get there.

Cheapest – company car avec fuel card/lift off a trucker heading down that way.

Quickest – I seem to remember it's a Aston Martin Vanquish according to JC.

Least Driving – fly/get your chaufer to take you

Ventoux in the Alps ? lol!

At the risk of actually providing some useful information – I've been to the Alps (not Ventoux) by car loads of times. The best way to do the crossing is on the Eurotunnel at Folkestone as it's MUCH quicker and less hassle. Payage roads are much quicker and easier but will cost you about 100 Euro each way at least.

It really does depend on how many are going & how much stuff you want to take

IMO 3 in a car is ideal & it's an easy 12 hour drive from Calais
not sure what the train options are but it's a lot of changes

I've driven a couple of times from Calais to Le Grand Bornand in the Alps. It's about 500 miles so easily do-able in a day (I did all the driving). But Ventoux isn't in the Alps so it's a bit further.

To get to the South of France I'd get the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre (LD Lines are cheap) which will sail overnight and get you to France for 7am and cut out a significant stretch of driving. It's still a long way from Le Havre but it's much easier than driving from Calais.

Depends where you're starting from too. We got the Hull Zeebrugge ferry. Drops you off after a good nights sleep at 0930 with an 8 hour drive to do (heading for Les Gets though not Ventoux). We did it with a 3 year old and it was OK in a day.

Ventoux is Provence – a very long way south. Near Avignon rather than Geneva. Don't underestimate the distance – it's a long way to drive in a day, roughly 800 miles (alps are more like 600).

Also avoid Paris any time (easy enough if you head for Reims and Dijon) and the A6 or A7 on a summer Saturday.

Ferry from Dover to Dunquerke (sp.?), head south, follow your sat-nav.
800 miles in a day was a piece of piss in a Pug 406 last Summer. Unless you're driving an Austin Maestro you'll be fine.

As Hairychested says Dover to Dunquerke. Went Last year with the car and it cost £50 quid return and that was in July/August.

I've been to the Ecrin Alps nr Grenoble, which is just north of Mont Ventoux. We usually do it overnight none stop, sharing the driving. ferry is about £70 and crossing times are usually flexible if you arrive early or late. We've done the payage, but also driven down on the A roads, which can be quite pleasant to drive at that time of night. Not done the tunnel yet, mainly because they don't have flexibility in travel times, you have to travel the times you booked.
View of Mont Ventoux peak enclosed

3 up in a car , will cost 150 euro each . fuel and tolls and tunnel.

Ive driven to les gets three times now. once in a car and twice in a van.
We used Norfolk Line ferries as the prices were very good.
Took around 2 days of steady driving.
Payage's are a pleasure compared to the british motorways.
Sat Nav is also a good idea as it takes alot of the hastle out of driving. 😀

Drive overnight. We did it (4 drivers in a big camper van) last year. 2 hrs driving each, jobs a good 'un!

Eurotunnel, saves you a good bit of time over the ferry and if you book in advance, and travel off peak won't cost much more at all. The reality is they're pretty flexible about departure times if it's not too busy turn up early, you'll probably end up on an earlier train.
viamichelin will give you an idea of travel times versus cost- fastest route, cheapest route etc.

We go via the Shuttle – bike on the top, nipper in the back and drive down over night. Get to Morzine in ~8 hrs from Calais. Eurotunnel very convenient actually, as vinney says. Worst bit of the drive was Berkshire to the bloody train in the UK to be honest.

Done alps & Ventoux lots. Dover-Calais P&O which is cheaper than the tunnel & actually only about 30 mins longer by the time yoiu've been delayed at the Tunnel & it's not underwater ;o) 3.5-4hrs on the paegae to Troyes where we overnight in the Novatel (about £60 for a 4 bed room) & then another 5 hrs in the morning to the north end of the Alps or turn right at Dijon & it's about 6/7 hrs (total from Troyes) to Provence.

So that's Calais – Reims – Dijon – Lyon – Ventoux

lol at B.A.Nanas image.

Did the alps in 24 hours, 2 drivers, from Glasgow. Ferry. Cheap as chips, pleasant drive.

Always gone on the ferry from Dover to Calais, but will probably go via train/tunnel next time as it apparently shaves 45/60 mins of the journey.

French motorways are bliss compared to UK motorways. Calais to Les Arcs around 600 miles in under 8 hours (including pi$$/fuel stops).

Tunnel is pretty slick, but you do end up sitting in your car for the journey – and you'll be doing enough of that over the following 9 hours.

We usually aim for an early ferry, get some breakfast on there and it breaks up the journey a bit. Likewise evening ferry on the way home, head straight up to the posh restaurant and have a decent meal before doing the last leg.

We do it lots. If with the family, we tend to take in a stop at a Logis De France place. Get to see loads of ace places off the motorway by doing this, but it's doable in a day.

Don't underestimate how much longer it takes to go off the payages/motorways – it is really completely massively slower, but you do get to see some nice countryside

Don't underestimate how much longer it takes to go off the payages/motorways – it is really completely massively slower, but you do get to see some nice countryside

Depends what you class as slower, I think it only took me an extra 2 hours on the return journey (did motorways on the way down) and we stopped off for lunch in with that?

Payage motorways are 130 (~82mph) non payage 110 (~68mph), and the A roads 90 (~56mph) out of towns. If you aren't right up against the payage speed limit (or over it) then it won't make as bigger difference going on the A roads

Correct 🙂