Best Ski Resorts to Drive from the UK

Which are the best self-drive ski resorts to reach from England? Well it’s not rocket science, the usual criteria is shortest drive (so on the north side of the Alps), closest to a fast motorway coming direct from the north and usually not requiring a long climb up a steep, narrow, twisting snow covered road once you reach the mountains! 

Driving from the UK to the Alps has many benefits over flying for your ski trip. In practical terms it means you can take as much as you like, compared to trying to fit all your baggage into an airline’s limited allowance. You can also travel as you like, perhaps adding in a few days in Paris or Disneyland or anywhere else you like en-route. The best self-drive ski resorts will also have the parking you need once you arrive in resort, so you can park up (under cover) on arrival and keep your car safe until the return trip. 

It can be less stressful, without the stop, start nature of traveling through airports and its obviously much better for the environment. Assuming there are two or more of you in the car you usually save money compared to the cost of air travel too.  

The Autoroute motorways from the French side of Channel down to the alps are far superior to British motorways. Smooth, well-maintained and usually quiet; there are regular rest and fuel stops, including electric charge facilities. The downside is you do have to pay tolls to cover all these superior qualities though. In the mountains, roads are well maintained and life doesn’t stop with a snowfall, but you do have to be prepared for potentially snow-covered roads – think snow tires and possibly chains.  

You can save money on tolls by travelling on back roads, perhaps going a longer route down through Belgium, Germany and Switzerland (maybe even buying cheap fuel in Luxembourg) but there is road tax to buy in Switzerland (although that’s about one sixth of the return toll cost) and your extra fuel costs might eat up most of the savings. Plus it will probably add 4-6 hours to your journey time so it depends a little on how big a hurry you’re in to get to the slopes. 

Assuming you do stick to the Autoroutes and other tip is to pull off when you need a midway refuel and fill up at a hypermarket, usually saving about 20% on the motorway price, the same as (usually) a supermarket petrol station in England. 

Having your own car in resort can sometimes be a big advantage too. A family with young kids and lots of paraphernalia not staying slope side may find it easier to throw everyone and everything in the car and drive to the slopes each morning rather than trying to manhandle the family on to a cramped ski bus and find you’ve left one child’s glove or goggles in the apartment. Another benefit is when it comes to shopping if you’re apartment based, being able to bring a lot from home and/or fill up at the hypermarket in the valley with a big saving on resort prices.  

Similarly, you can carry a lot of French wine back with you to England if you wish. Finally there’s the option, if you have a big area pass covering resorts not linked by lifts, to drive to a neighbouring resort on the pass and try it out more easily than doing so with public transport. 

You do have to be prepared though of course, make sure you have insurance to cover driving abroad, breakdown cover too, carry snow chains and meet the other requirements for driving in Europe (the old headlight beam benders and warning triangle carried among other things) and its worth buying the electronic tag that gets you seamlessly through the toll booths on the autoroute. 

So all in all self-driving is usually a good decision. 

Here are some of the best self-drive ski resorts for a ski trip from England.

La Clusaz 

La Clusaz is one of the closest resorts to England once you’ve crossed the Channel and is about an eight-hour drive from Calais, plus rest stops. The road climbs up to the village but at 1,100m it is still much lower than the purpose-built French resorts. 

Chamonix 

Driving to Chamonix via Reims, Dijon and Geneva from Calais is about 900km (560 miles) with all but the final 20km (12.5 miles) on toll motorways. Ski areas in the Chamonix Valley are quite spread out and the big area pass covers more distant resorts too so, although parking can be an issue as the area is so popular, having a car can be a big advantage.  

Morzine 

Morzine is one if the easiest resorts to reach and has good access roads when you are near the resort. It only takes just over 8 hours to drive via the autoroute once you’ve crossed the Channel. If you live in the southeast of England that’s a similar time to travel to and through the airport then flight, arrival processing and transfer from Geneva. 

Flaine 

Flaine is another of the easiest ski areas to reach via Reims, Dijon, then the A39 to Bourg en Bresse, A40 past Geneva and turn off at Cluses. On a good day it takes about eight hours plus stops. There is a modern road up to the resort and it is one of the easier purpose-built centres to reach, but this is one of the French altitude centres so there is a climb from the valley floor and having cains and having practiced fitting them before you leave home is essential and a legal requirement. The ascent takes about 30 minutes midweek but on changeover Saturday can take two hours due to traffic. 

Megeve 

Lying at only 1,100m altitude and located on the northern side of the Alps, Megeve is another of the easier resorts to reach from England via Calais, with an average 8 hour drive time, plus stops. The ski pass here covers a wide area and having a car to travel to the more distant outposts can be a big benefit, Chamonix isn’t far away either.