Heading to des alpes end January and hiring a car from Lyon Airport to do so. Anyone had experience of similar and whether chains would be supplied at that time of year or have to be ordered?

Or in fact whether they are compulsory in France (at altitude) or indeed necessary? Would winter tyres be on hire cars automatically at that time of year?

Thanks

You won’t get winter tyres as standard. Some mountain roads will be mandatory for carrying chains. I expect you will need to order them but they should have some available, sometimes its automatic but not mormally. Very glad we had them on out last trip to Italy. Barely got out of the underground car park’s steep ramp even with them on.

Which resort are you going to?

Yes I’m pretty sure you’ll need them at 2A, compulsory up there. This won’t be an issue though, just ask for them at the kiosk when you get the hire car. IME, you will actually want them too. Depends a bit on your flight times though.

You’ve got a couple of options though; I’ve always managed to blag a 4×4 at the hire desk at Lyon or Geneva. There is also park and ride at 2A to the very top, if you’re not needing the car up there I’d use that.

Ah, Les Deux Alpes? Soz.

When the Gendarmes block the road and only let through cars appropriately equipped then chains are obligatory in that you can’t go further without.

When the road is black with no obligation signed they aren’t obligatory.

The odds of a car hired in Lyon having Winter tyres are somewhere between highly unlikely and no chance. As for chains, just buy a set, they can be had in big supermarkets or Norauto for not very much.

As Wallop says, which resort? The odds of getting into les Gets on Summer tyres are higher than Val Tho’.

I’ve always managed to blag a 4×4 at the hire desk at Lyon or Geneva.

It’s always 4x4s, mainly Range Rovers, you see in ditches along the ski road where the owner thinks he doesn’t need chains and carries on regardless…..

No ditches on the road up to the resort today. Leaving the road would have resulted in either rattling between barriers, dropping about 75m into a ravine (a couple of workers from the resort survived doing this earlier this year), hitting rock, hitting trees, hitting a rock wall… .

As it was the road was ploughed, salted and mainly dry. Which it usually is even in Winter. But when it isn’t… .

Lachainemeteo.com will give you a good idea of what weather to expect even two weeks before.

Ok thanks all – will pop into a hypermarket type place and pick some up. Guess that will be cheaper than hiring from the car rental place.

nickdavies – how does one go about ‘blagging’ a 4×4!!?? Give me some charm tips!

Only place I’ve ever had to drive in resort was Chamonix and the main road there was well travelled so no problem. Getting out of the car parks was another matter…

uhmmm my French is poor but using the Narauto website it looks like I could be looking at 70 – 100 EUROS for chains. Just guessing using a Kangoo as an example hire car. Maybe the rental guys will be cheaper…

Always get them (snow tyres amd chains) on hire cars from Geneva, I check they are included when renting.

@cb Chamonix is so low most of the resort is “no chains” – the chain signs appear a bit up the road towards Argentiere. Resorts have a sign on the access road at the point they become necessary to carry. We use socks on the wife’s car although I think strictly speaking only certain brands of socks qualify as legal. I am not sure where on the web to find the chain info but you can see the signs on google street view

I’ve paid 20-30 euros for snow chains in supermarkets before. It was a few years ago mind.
At least if you do ask the rental company for chains you should actually get ones that fit.

Christ! Europcar want 210 Euros for snow tyres!! Might just get a helicopter from the airport!

^^ did you ask about chains too ?

Chains would be 52 Euros – looks liek the option to go for – assume I don’t need chains on top of snow tyres?

Chains are very good in deep snow. Winter tyres are better than other options for packed snow, ice etc I’ve only once needed chains in 9 years in Canada but I’ve got a 4×4 and winter tyres. I suspect though that if the road is “chains only” then only chains will do to the person manning the barrier….