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Usually fly on our annual trip to BV in Les Arcs, but looking at possibly driving this year, travelling from the mountainous region of Northamptonshire, would anybody roughly know what the French road tolls would cost in doing so, or where I'd look to find out? Cheers
Off the top of my head ~ £60 each way.
I did it last July, was £160 for tolls there and back. £340 for fuel (2 litre petrol turbo hatchback, driving from Surrey) averaging 80mph on the motorway. It took 13 hrs door-to-door, including breaks, via Eurotunnel.
As per Rachel’s post ViaMichelin is excellent.
Personally I ball-park £550 cost per vehicle for crossing/tolls/fuel based on a car with bikes on the roof or small van.
Yep, £500-600 round trip as above.
Have done the BV trip from Scottishland several times now, both summer and winter (renting the whole house and fill with folk in winter) and have found it goes well enough. Prices as per Michelin on the lovely empty autoroutes. We will be doing this again in the coming July too, then adding in a few days of extra riding over in Italy before the drive home.
I did it last July, was £160 for tolls there and back. £340 for fuel (2 litre petrol turbo hatchback, driving from Surrey) averaging 80mph on the motorway. It took 13 hrs door-to-door, including breaks, via Eurotunnel.
Agree with this. Pretty much what it cost us last July in a 2L Qashqai. We stopped at a F1 on the way down for the night but did the return in one hit.
Depending on what time of day/night you are travelling I wonder if the additional time taken on the "free" roads would be all that much. Google says only 2 hours more, but that's with no traffic. £160 vs 4hours more? Prob a bit less than £160 as 4 hours more gas, but prob not at 80mph.
Have you budgeted for many Service area espressos?
Aside for that all of the above sounds about right to me having done the drive to Tignes, which is just a bit further up the valley.
Prepare to be a dribbling wreck when you get there.
The last time i drove from Northamptonshire to Les Arcs, we started by driving 100 miles north to Shropshire thanks to a passport related brain fade from a STW member who shall remain nameless.... 😉
In reality, it's an easy journey, the worst traffic will be in Surrey and Kent, and once over the watery bit t'wix us and the Frenchies, just set the cruise at 80 to 85 and play "count the windmills" till you get there! As mentioned, round trip tolls were around £120. We tend to book a late tunnel (say midnight) on Friday eve, get a decent way into france, then stop and kip at a rest stop in tent/campervan (usually around 2.30am) and then push on early the next day to be in Les Arcs not long after lunchtime on Sat
So 5 blokes in some sort of transporter should be about £100 plus food n bev- how much is accomodation likely to be for a few nights?
A bit off topic, but its well worth getting a tag for the peage. It means that you don't have to open any windows, wake the passenger, faff around with cash and - best of all - you can use the 20Kmh "fast" lane.
We've had ours for about 6 years and its brilliant.
If anyone wants one let me know because if I recommend a 'friend' I get a discount.
Note: That's not why I'm posting. They're just really handy when its raining, 2AM, and everyone else in the car is asleep.
LR
Accommodation on the way or when you are there?
F1 are cheap or cheaper than Travelodge
A full run on the Alps is about 1000 miles each way from Surrey so my costs are about the same as Akers - but £100 less fuel as I must drive slower.
We do keep an eye on Google traffic and sometimes jump off the autoroute on the way back as the traffic from the other resorts start joining the motorway. We do it because it can save time - any money saved is a bonus - but we try to take the opportunity to grab some proper food.
Stayed here last year.
5 mins from the funicular.
5 in a Vito, shared driving.
Worked out at £250pp all in accommodation and fuel/tolls
A bit off topic, but its well worth getting a tag for the peage. It means that you don’t have to open any windows, wake the passenger, faff around with cash and – best of all – you can use the 20Kmh “fast” lane.
Not to start an argument, but to counter that slightly.
There’s 3 tolls you need to pay between Calais and the Alps generally. They’re hours apart. The first has ticket machines on the right. They all have contactless machines.
In 10 years of doing it worst queue I’ve seen is 2 cars.
What Pjay says is true, the queues at the tolls on the way to the alps generally aren't that bad, further south they can be crazy though!
We still have a tag though as i do quite enjoy playing the game of cruising through the posh lane at the toll whilst the people who razzed past me are stuck in the queue so they have to razz past me again and again and again (childish but it makes me smile)