Do most people drive across or take a plane? (I would have thought it's pretty risky taking a bike on a flight). I'd love to go but seeing how easy/dificult it is. Am I right in assuming there a few options for bike specific accommodation?

thanks

I took mine on a plane. Packed it up all nicely in my bike bag and it survived undamaged. Pipe lagging and bubble wrap are your friends!

To be honest though, next time I'd choose to drive as I found it a right faff.

I would have thought it's pretty risky taking a bike on a flight

Why?

To be honest though, next time I'd choose to drive as I found it a right faff.

+1

If you have a car full it is the way to go. Nothing quite like the feeling you get when you first see an autoroute sign, with 600km to your destination! 😆

Car – more economical with the family in tow and more useful once there.

I've flown loads with my bike. No problems – yet…

I really wouldn't fancy that length of drive but I'm tall so tend to get a bit squashed into cars so YMMV

people carrier or van – can carry enough spares to relax. driving in europe is a pleasure compared to the UK, but french autoroutes are pricey. flying with sports kit is too much hassle now unless you can afford BA.

11 of us this year with a Transit minibus and a trailer 😀 Definitely cheaper for us but 20 hours in the bus was boring as hell! Did have room for all the MTB's AND a few roadies too, which was a bonus

can also recommend European Bike Express for CTC members – did a road bike trip years back and though not cheap, it was a relaxing and bike-safe experience.

Bikes in the back of our Transporter 🙂

12 hours door to door overnight, with a lot of energy drinks, on the go sleeping and brutal tiredness.

Wouldn't do it any other way! 2 bikes each, loads of kit, no concerns about my bike being smashed up/not turning up & the ability to get around when there.

have flown many time to europe, states and Oz with no problems, went to geneva last July with squeezeejet, £140 return with bike! transfer to destination and ride ride ride. IMHO its the best way to get to the alps.

Drive – as above 12 hours door to door. Though we went in a mates scooby and it cost us alot more than flying…. the chunnel is great as well as you can get earlier or later trains without any stress. If you are late for your flight its another matter.

Think the tolls are 70 euro each way.

plane – nicely packed in my bike bag
been loads of times without any problems

however, i none of our bikes get weighed (we've used leeds and east midlands airports) when using jet2 or easyjet but i do expect the budget airlines to start getting stricter and when they do i don't know what we will do

it cost be £200 to fly my bike to and from costa rica earlier this year which i thought was expensive considering my seat was £600

just booked next years flight to geneva from manchester and it was only £104 inc bike and taxes

cheers everyone, thanks for advice

I've not done it often, but putting bikes on a plane is not a huge amount of hassle (and I don't drive anyway!). Bike goes in bag, things in the brakes, take the mech off, wrap bubble wrap and lagging round it and something to brace the dropouts. 'Tis fine. (fingers crossed) 🙂

I've done it both ways – one of the drives was done via night ferry then driving down the autoroutes swapping drivers every couple of hours (4 of us in the car). Arrived in Les Gets late afternoon.
The other drive was done via the back roads – evening Chunnel then drove until tired and did a bit of cheeky wild camping. Drove a bit more then stopped for the night at a campsite about 2/3rds of the way down through France, had a relaxing night, went for a road ride the following morning then packed up and drove again til we reached Grenoble.

Both ways have merits, if there's a big group of you then I'd go with the drive option, it works out cheaper.

Depends how many are going.

Cost us in fuel, tolls and Chunnel fares about £350 on our last trip.

Bikes get far more of a hammering on the trail than in a plane!

DT78 – Member

….Though we went in a mates scooby….

Jeesz! How many tankfuls did that drink?

have done both

i prefer the fly & hire car when you get there thing myself
just coz the drive knackers you so much you loose a day of your holiday

flying is easier even paying for bikes most holiday companies include transfers,just worked it out to go to Morzine 6 people in a van, chunnel, tolls and fuel is at least for £480 both ways,plus we were thinking of digs on route?, flights will be about £70/£80 + £25 per bike and quicker

bonesetter – an awful lot. Chaps in the 325 generally had a third of a tank still left every time we had to stop for fuel. It was fun though.

Oh I was in Heathrow on Tues waiting for my luggage to arrive on the belt and all I could see was one lonely bike bag going round and round…..

I have also flown loads with bike and different airline companies. Get the decent padded bike bag, bubble wrap and pipe lagging, take off discs so they don't get bent. Takes 15 mins to get bike back together once you're used to doing it. Fly Easyjet Luton – Geneva for around £120 (sometimes as low as £60) transfers the other end £40 return (loads of transfer companies) and LOADS of chalets to hire out for the week (if going with buddies). It's easy, leave the house in UK around 0300 to get early 0630 flight on the trails by 1300 extra half a day makes massive difference to how long holiday feels.
Do it you won't look back! 7 years I've been going to Morzine .. however after this years broken knee (mr MC) and 5 days spent travelling ot hospital next year it's Colorado instead 😉

4 of us went by car to Les Arcs last year, took everything (and the sink) with 2 bikes on the towbar, 2 on the roof along with a roof-box.

Luckily I had a company car (with fuel) as at 90mph it was doing 19mpg, and single figures once over the ton…

Bit different because we had kayaks and not boats but we always used to drive to the alps as students as you needed to take lots of kit and boats. People have started to fly now as you can go further and waste less time getting to your destination – very important if you have 2 weeks and not months to play with.

I've heard someone say that they just wheeled their road bike upto check in with no protection. They decided it was better to show that it was a bike and not an object as people would be more carefull with it. Might have been in jest though as it's a brave choice.

JonB until about 5 years ago the cheap airlines didn't want the bike boxed, you would just wheel it up take the pedals off and turn handelbars and they would take it on! we turned up to fly to Morzine as previously mentioned to be told they had to be in bike boxes! The airport had one spare and I had to get a taxi to the local Halfords and bang their door down (flight was at 1000 hours) and luckily they had a small (child sized box!) however we couldn't get my welded on pedals off so just rammed it in the box and hoped for the best! it seemed to work though, it was that option or abandon my bike in the hallway until our return and rent one out there!!

substandard – Member
just worked it out to go to Morzine 6 people in a van, chunnel, tolls and fuel is at least for £480 both ways,

I think you've got a broken calculator there!! We drove from London, via chunnel, to Huez for the Mega, then onto Morzine and back to London for £400 in the van.

Included using the toll roads, European breakdown cover and an overnight stay on the outward journey.

Even adding on extra mileage to get to, say, Newcastle that would be only another £80.

Always drive whenever possible. Take all the gear never worry about all the airport hassle etc. Even when we drove to Leogang in Austria!! and thats quite a way. Driving is way better for families..

Airports take your freedom away & you get treated like cattle!! Much happier driving even if it cost twice as much!!

6-8 bikes front wheels and pedals off, 4 or 5 people sharing driving plus loads of luggage and go down to Morzine over night and return during the day a week later

not sure how you fly with heavier bikes and kit

even BA is charging now plus there's transfers of about 40 euros each way so driving much cheaper £400 between 4 or 5 and accommodation for 120-150 euros a week

if you shell out £400-£500 you normally get picked up but still have to buy flights

can do a few road trips when there as well

Done both. Much prefer driving, less hassle and you can take what you want within reason. Flew this year and found it hard to pack bike, spares for 2 weeks + clothes into the ever decreasing luggage allowances. 20 kg limit for excess baggage on Jet2 now which was almost entirely taken up by the bike bag, bike and minimal packaging alone.

Door to door times were not dissimilar from Leeds to Les Arcs by car or by plane.

Alpe Du Huez to Manchester via channel tunnel including dropping one passenger off in London = 12 hours. No fuss.

Flew the year before last on easyjet (east midlands – geneva)
Got a cardboard bike box, prepped the bike as per I think the trailaddiction site (wasn't going with them) plus tiewrapped the bike bits + riding bag toegther, then agritaped (like duct tape, only gray .. ) all the edges/corners for durability, then wrapped the box in clign film (if it rains while your box is on the tarmac, the bottom of your box could drop out ..), then more tape on the edges

This year I took the train (actually one to london, another to the otherside of london and another to where I wanted to get to) down to a friends to meet up and car-share (via a ferry) to the alps
Aside from having to move a bike, 70L rucksak, camelbak + helmet between trains etc I think thats the best way
Some parts of france can get really dull to drive through though. Just gently rolling big fields with the odd generic settlement for 100's km

Personally we've driven for the past two years, and really not found it too much of an effort, still lively enough for a ride the next day. My concern with flying is possible damage to the bike, saw the outcome of bad handling on a bike in my local shop – basically frame written off!

I love the drive down there but from here in NE England it's really a two day job – It's doable in one blast but not pleasant & I'm all for doing pleasant things when I'm on holiday
So that's 4 days in travelling & I really don't want to use that much more annual leave for just travelling
In an ideal world where time wasn't a factor, I'd probably drive every time