By Car from the UK

Click here for a route guide from the UK, starting in Calais. Be very careful if you rely on any other route planners, as they do not recognise that the shortest routes take you across mountain passes which are CLOSED during the winter.

Geneva to Val d’Isère route guide, starting at the Swiss side of Geneva airport. It does NOT follow the motorway and so avoids both Swiss and French motorway tolls, instead taking a most attractive route through Annecy.

  1. Out of airport immediately onto a dual carriageway – follow green FRANCE sign.
  2. UNLESS YOU WANT THE QUICKER MOTORWAY ROUTE (where you pay tolls), DO NOT follow the blue FRANCE motorway sign at the second set of traffic lights. Go straight ahead following sign to VERNIER.
  3. Then the dual carriageway ends at a T-junction where you turn left for FRANCE GENEVA CENTER.
  4. In about 75 yards, take the right hand turn to ST JULIEN- en-G/LA PRAILLE, which takes you on to what looks like a motorway and goes through tunnels under Geneva.
  5. Initially follow PERLY sign (France/Perly)
  6. Keep on this motorway for about five miles following FRANCE DOUANE (Customs) – green signs. Go through customs post, though you are unlikely to be stopped.
  7. About 400 yards after customs, take 1st turning to the right to ST JULIEN and ANNECY.
  8. Keep right following ANNECY/ST JULIEN until you get to a roundabout.
  9. Go almost all the way round the roundabout and turn off to ANNECY (NOT to ST JULIEN).
  10. Keep going all the way to Annecy. (Next town is CRUSEILLES, then BRINGY).
  11. IGNORE BLUE signs to ALBERTVILLE/ANNECY. Follow GREEN sign to ANNECY.
  12. As you get to the start of Annecy, the road narrows down into a slip road with a concrete barrier on the left, which then opens out to a dual carriageway without a central barrier. Go straight ahead, following ANNECY LE VIEUX and THONES. In about 100 yards, there is another sign to ANNECY LE VIEUX/THONES where you go left across the other carriageway (there is a white left turn arrow on the road).
  13. Keep going straight ahead, through traffic lights and over a small roundabout. (If you see a sign for ALBERTVILLE follow it). At large roundabout, EXIT AT 11 O'CLOCK TO ‘TOUTES DIRECTIONS’. This is a complicated roundabout where traffic lights are confusing; you appear to have to go across traffic entering from your right. Be brave and go for it.
  14. Keep straight on to a T-junction with Lake Annecy ahead of you. Turn left to THONES/VEYRIER LE LAC. (You now just want to keep the water as close to your right as you can, all the way to the end of the lake.)
  15. At VEYRIER, follow sign to TALLOIRES – NOT to THONES
  16. Keep following signs to TALLOIRES. This will take you back down to the edge of the lake; just keep going straight ahead.
  17. At the end of the lake you will get to a roundabout. Turn left following sign to ALBERTVILLE.
  18. Follow BLUE sign A430 to ALBERTVILLE. In Albertville, go straight until you get to a roundabout, which is under the motorway. Go round the roundabout, following signs for MOUTIERS on the (free) motorway.
  19. The motorway stops at Moutiers. Keep in the left hand lane as you get to Moutiers as you want to fork left off the motorway to BOURG ST MAURICE. (Also signed to HAUTE TARANTAISE).
  20. At Bourg St Maurice follow signs for VAL d’ISERE

Route Guide from Calais to Val d’Isère

  1. Take the A26 motorway out of Calais, initially following signs to PARIS. Be careful to follow the Paris signs, there are several junctions within the first few miles from Calais.
  2. Stay on the A26 all the way to REIMS (should take about 2 to 2.5 hours).
  3. At Reims, take the A4 heading to METZ/CHALONS/TROYES. After about 20 miles, turn off the A4 back onto the A26 signed to CHALON/ TROYES/DIJON/LYON.
  4. At Troyes, turn onto the A5 to DIJON/LYON.
  5. At Dijon, you pick up the A6 to LYON. Reims to Lyon is about 4 to 4.5 hours.
  6. As you approach Lyon, follow signs to LYON EST and look for signs to CHAMBERY. Basically you follow the A43, but there are a few turn offs where the signing is very close to the turn off, so keep on the right hand side of the motorway and watch carefully for the signs. You will be on the Rocade Est. You will pass signs to LYON ST EXUPERY airport. Keep following signs to CHAMBERY.
  7. At Chambery take the A43/A430 to ALBERTVILLE.
  8. At Albertville, the peage stops but there is still a motorway standard road, N90, to MOUTIERS.
  9. As you approach Moutiers stay on the left hand side of the carriageway as you will be making a left turn signed to HAUTE TARENTAISE/BOURG ST MAURICE.
  10. In Bourg St Maurice, follow signs to VAL D’ISERE. Lyon to Val d’Isère is about 2.5 hours.
  11. As you arrive in Val, you will see a sign saying Val d’Isère, but you enter at a place called LA DAILLE. There is still about a mile to go to the centre of Val d’Isère, after you see the ski train that goes up the mountain through a tunnel on your right.