[Closed] Les Getz by car, what's the skinny?

How long does it take to drive, realistically?

8 hours from Calais, depends where you are in the UK, but I can get from Leeds to Folkstone in 4 hours

Longer than it takes to fly. Its a long and dull drive too.

Accommodation probably depends on budget but shared chalet/apartment self catering is easy and you can always go out to eat. Morzine is more central to the lift area too so could be a better base.

What riding are you expecting to be doing?

what he said,

first or second week of july

stay in Morzine, it's nicer than Les Gets IMO

don't limit yourself to Les Gets. you can travel to Morzine, Chatel, Les Lindarets, Morgins etc all via the interlinked porte de soleil lift system

8 hours from Calais is a good pace. 10 with a bit of stopping. 90% of it is the most soul destroyingly dull driving ever.

My advice, fly it. So much more civilised.

Stay in Morzine too, its better for riding, and what's there in the town.

Its a long and dull drive too.

Horse for courses I suppose but I don't mind the drive at all. Been doing it (to Samoens) for years, and doing it again next week.

Driving also means you can take loads of stuff!

I would drive as its easier and less hassle and you can take al the stuff. But my oh my its a long boring drive for the first 6+ hours from Calais. Just drove back from Tignes a week ago and it never gets any better. Its a small price to pay for the fun whilst you are there though

It is a dull drive but its way easier than UK motorway driving. If you have a few drivers then its by far the best way. Its about 9 hours from calais including a stop for fuel a bite to eat but we rarely do it one. We normally leave after work, drive until late, stop in an F1 hotel, get up and finish the drive. Gets you there in reasonable time feeling pretty good.

As above, Morzine is the better place to stay. Its a better town with more facilities, more central so easier to ride further afield and most importantly down hill from pretty much everywhere so you can ride until late and not worry about missing the last lift.

Depending on the numbers but a chalet should be cheapest and you get more space and the ability to make snacks and drinks easily. There are loads in the summer for way less than winter prices.

The last week of the lifts is good if you want it quiet. Trails will be a bit cut up but even at the start of the season they are pretty messy. Pot luck with the weather at any time. I wouldn't say there was a 'best' time although sometimes there are other events on that might be of interest (TdF, Tour d l'avenir, mont blanc rally, etc)

We stayed in Les Gets in June and drove down but we’re in Kent anyway so next to nothing to do this side of the channel. On the Eurostar at 6am and there for tea. As above it also meant we could take our MTB’s, Road bikes and a load of spare kit in my mates van.

I liked Les Gets. It was chilled out. We stayed at Alpen sports hotel. Good location, had bike store and bike wash facilities, bar with pool table and a small pool. Would stay there again.

I was always one of the "you can take everything when you drive" people, but in the maybe 8 times I have driven it, i've just taken stuff I never needed. Go with a fully working bike, you can still take tools & enough spares to get through a couple of weeks. There are plenty of shops there full of bits now.

I can be there on a plane before i'm barely out of Calais, without the added bonus of being hanging from driving/being in a car for 12 hours.

Drove down a few days ago, it sucks and I always wonder why I don’t fly, but either is easy, flying with bikes is an extra hassle and it’s not that’s there’s an airport here.

Took me just under 8 hours, there’s no real magic trick to it, for me I fill up in one of the supermarkets just off the ferry in Calais, get on the toll road and set the cruise at 82 (130kph, which is the limit in good weather in France). I don’t hang around in the services too long, 2 pee stops and a slighter longer stop for food.

Driving isn’t cheap, I budget £500 for the crossing, fuel and tolls, if you’re a pair it’s cheaper to fly, break even is 3 usually.

I did Switzerland (just the other side of lake Geneva) to Kent on a motorbike in a day last summer, so sitting in a nice air conditioned car in leather seats with cruise control for the same time is not exactly hard. The French tool motorway network is very, very good which makes the trip easier.

I've just added it up and for me driving works out as £80 each way Eurotunnel or £50 on the ferry, £50 in tolls and £100 fuel based on 30mpg at 600 miles @ 115p a litre. So £200-230ish each way. £400-460 total.

Easyjet comes out at £230 for flights with decent legroom and a single bag along with a single bike, then £70 for parking at Gatwick, then I'm guessing £50 for transfers from/to Geneva. £350 total.

Granted flying is a bit quicker but it's not hugely cheaper and if you drive you can take a couple of bikes and you've got the freedom of your own transport when you're there. It does make a difference being in Kent though, I can be in France in under 2 hours from leaving my house.

Also surely it's cheaper to drive if there's more of you? As the cost gets halved when there's 2 people in a car? Just looking and it's £430 just in flights for 2 people and 2 bikes, so £550 total which halved is £275 each. Driving is still £460 total so £220 each.

I am driving down to Verbier, pros, I can take as much kit as I want, listen to my music, not have to worry about annoyances of other passengers etc. Flying plus transfers isn't actually that much quicker depending on where you start, and you don't have to worry about bikes being on a different flight, or being trashed in transit. Cost wise, there really isn't much in it If more than one, depending on fuel efficiency obviously. The roads are nicer and quieter.

Another points you can pay for the tunnel using club card points so depending it might end up being "free"

I did Switzerland (just the other side of lake Geneva) to Kent on a motorbike in a day last summer, so sitting in a nice air conditioned car in leather seats with cruise control for the same time is not exactly hard. The French tool motorway network is very, very good which makes the trip easier.

Not bothered how easy or hard it is when I choose, plane just means less stress, less hassle and I arrive without having driven for a day. Got so used to flying with the bikes in Oz it's just second nature really

Not bothered how easy or hard it is when I choose, plane just means less stress, less hassle and I arrive without having driven for a day. Got so used to flying with the bikes in Oz it’s just second nature really

See for me flying equals more stress and hassle. The worry of leaving my car for a week in a car park, whether the airline will lose/damage the bike and/or bags, then getting through airports and transfers with a large bike bag and another big bag, and finally not having your own transport when you're there.

Versus: pack my own car with what ever I want, drive onto the eurotunnel, fill up once in france, stick whatever music I want on, air con on, cruise control on and waft down to the Alps with ease with barely any traffic on empty smooth roads. Toll stops take literally 30 seconds if that too. Yeah it takes about 10 hours total door to door, but flying is still 6 hours door to door.

We've just driven back from Morzine - 2 of us doing the driving in 2 hour stints on the way down we managed it in 9 hours with only one decent stop; don't want to talk about the way home.

It was £70 in tolls each way

I’ve done Les Gets drive a couple of times with the family and flown a couple of times (usually with the cycling buddies). I like the drive but I do like a road trip. The French motorways always seem quieter than the UK ones and there are many more stopping off points.

I’ve also done the drive to Bormio (Italy) solo and I’m going back in early September. That’s a far more interesting drive. Some amazing passes.

i always have copies of all my documents with me and all the requirements for the French police (like hi-viz jacket in the car). Also I use the Sanef tag which is good even if you have others in the car - you can go through tolls without having to wake someone up!

It’ll be a group in a car and a van (probably) and possibly some eBikes, so no flying.

We've done it the last 2 years by car & Van ( 8 of us )

As others have said, the motorways are dead easy - whizz down at 90MPH with a few slpash & dash stops. We stayed in Ashford over night and got the early chunnel, we were there by 7pm.

Share the driving and get a Sanef toll card . We stayed here:  https://www.aiglonmorzine.com/

Perfect place about 300 meters from both lifts ( highly recommended ) and the riding there is awesome.

Make sure you have European break down cover though  - Again vital !! ( I know sadly )

I always think plane is not as quick as you reckon.

It's a 1.5hr flight for sure but you've got quite a bit of end to end faff. Also we were once delayed 5 hours going to Morzine.

I don't mind the drive after the UK side. And you do have your car avaiable when you get there.

I like to mix it up to be honest, I'm happy to get to France irrespective of the choice of travel.

It’s a 1.5hr flight for sure but you’ve got quite a bit of end to end faff. Also we were once delayed 5 hours going to Morzine.

Yeah I spent 3 hrs in hideous traffic getting out of. The alps one year.

Last trip was from Cumbria, train to Manchester Airport (as quick as driving that far), arrive 2hrs before check in, that wouldn't have got me to the coast, arrived in gva before I'd have got off the tunnel.....

I've been dropped at lhr by a mate who was driving before, I had a night in the crown plaza few beers and dinner before getting the morning flight, I think we were an hour behind him after they drove flat out through the night to get there.

I used to buy the spares thing but I have a well built bike now.

I used to say there wasn’t really a ‘wrong way’ to do it fly or drive, neither is easy, neither is cheap but they both have their pros and cons, but chatting to a Swedish lad on the lift yesterday I discovered there really is a wrong way.

There’s only two of them, but they reckoned that they didn’t fancy the drive in their cars, so they’d kill two birds with one stone, rent a camper and get transport and digs in one. It cost them €2000 to rent it, then it took them 22 hours to drive down, and €300 in diesel (one way). They’re booked into the site in Les Gets, but there’s a 4x4 jamboree on at the moment, English wasn’t his first language of course, but he described them as disgusting, stupid people - they’ve parked all over the place rather than how they should so there’s no way to get the the power or water hook-ups and the shower / toilet facilities are ruined. So they’re spending their evenings in their Van, it’s about 40c in their he reckons and no power.

I mentioned I’d rented a 4 bed apartment for €700 and he could have flown in Geneva and got a transfer for about €50 and he looked a bit heart broken. He’s having a great time though, but best year he’s flying.

I've driven to the Alps for biking, kayaking and boarding. Flying is OK but you can only do it during the day. Drive down and back overnight and you can gain 2 days on the Trails rather than waiting at an airport.

Also having a car/van makes it easy getting to different areas.

Depends where you start from - I'm in Edinburgh and Les Gets is 7h door to door - we go about 8-10 times a year as we have a property. Driving i'd barely have got to the tunnel if even that far ! This as always assumes no delays but touch wood we've only had two this year - 2:30h last week on flight and a slightly shorter one on a ski weekend. I'd love to drive more but the UK end of it means two very long days driving or a newcastle/amsterdam ferry and then a monster drive. There's no right way.

EDIT: I use Avis preferred which speeds car hire up as well and in summer usually have a bike, that slows it down a bit but much worse in winter with skis.

I’ve driven to the Alps for biking, kayaking and boarding. Flying is OK but you can only do it during the day. Drive down and back overnight and you can gain 2 days on the Trails rather than waiting at an airport.

Depends where you are, I can go from work on a Friday night and be in Geneva that evening, Morzine etc before midnight, up after a good nights sleep and riding. Then I could fly home last thing Sunday night, be back at mine by 11pm and back to work Monday without having to miss 2 nights sleep.

On the hire car Hertz gold was my choice, not sure over here but keys in the ignition and ready to drive out in most places