Driving to the Alps
FROM FRENCH COUNTRYSIDE TO SWISS MOUNTAIN LAKES
driving to the alps and what to expect
Driving to the Alps offers excellent benefits for those willing to take on the journey.
You can travel at your own pace, enjoy the freedom of travelling without those pesky restrictive baggage weight allowances and also avoid lengthy and stressful waits at the airport.
Driving to the Alps is also a lovely way to make your skiing or summer trip into a two-part holiday with an overnight stopover near Dijon to break up the long journey. Our Alpine destination is the Swiss mountain town of Verbier, around 11 hours from London.
This trip I have done many times in the past. Going out with skis or back from a season there. I have done it all in one day, and sometimes I break it up with an overnight stay in Dijon. I met Kate, a good friend in London at 7.00am we were taking her car “Percy” she calls it. After packing everything into the car, just!
First, stop Folkestone for the Eurotunnel. You can either take the ferry which is slightly cheaper and goes from Dover but takes quite a bit longer or the Eurotunnel which is very quick and easy. If you have a long trip ahead, I always advise the Eurotunnel.
Getting into Calais is easy, but now you are driving on the wrong side of the road, the currency is Euros not pounds, and you have lost an hour with the clocks going forward.
Into France
The stretch from Calais to Dijon is around 550 km and just over 5hours driving. What we wanted to do was to stop in Reims for Lunch.
A great spot is Brasserie Le Jardin although a little pricey, we tried to eat at Le Petit Basque however it closes at 2 pm along with most restaurants, so we had to settle for some fast-food chicken and chips, not the best. So make sure you are into Reims around 1 pm to have a good lunch in the champagne region.
Onto Dijon, the motorways in France are excellent and with very little traffic because of the tolls. Tolls are expensive but worth it on a long trip.
There are a load of places to stay around Dijon. We went with Château Longecourt “La Tour” Suite just outside Dijon in Longecourt-en-Plaine with our super host Roland from Airbnb.
The rooms are authentic with period furniture, and a moat surrounds the castle. It is an incredible place, and unlike any other place, I have stayed in before, a feature of the place in the ballroom which looks like something from Buckingham Palace.
Chateau Longecourt
One drawback of Chateau Longecourt is you have to drive out to have dinner there is a place 5km down the road called Cafe de Place, which does good food at an affordable rate.
One thing about staying in Chateau Longecourt is the silence around the place, living in a city for the past three months, falling asleep to the sound of nature outside was a welcome addition.
In the morning was a quick run around the grounds before a simple french breakfast with Roland’s homemade spreads.
Then onto the road and into Switzerland, after Dijon, the landscape becomes more hilly and mountainous and a little more interesting than the flat farmland from before.
Other Choices
I had also been recommended Château de Courban & Spa Nuxe which is 90km north of Dijon and The Rotisserie of Chambertin which is just south of Dijon, so if a castle doesn’t tickle your fancy, then there are other choices.
