All you need to know about driving to the Alps

mainly on toll motorways. You’ll need to add on time for meal or rest breaks, filling up with fuel and potential traffic. Be warned, Saturday traffic can be heavy with long queues on approach roads. Set off early to avoid these, or try to book accommodation Sunday to Sunday. Accessing Italian, Swiss and Austrian resorts takes longer.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN BAD WEATHER? To prepare your vehicle for winter conditions, make sure your car has been serviced, the coolant is topped up with anti-freeze and you have lowtemperature windscreen washer fluid. Pack your car with the essentials, plus snacks and water in case of any unexpected delays. Check for live updates of road closures and weather conditions en route. It is wise to take out European breakdown cover in case of of an emergency and to check if your travel insurance will cover any extra accommodation if you cannot reach your final destination on time.

SHOULD YOU TAKE LESHUTTLE OR A FERRY? LeShuttle is quicker and easier than travelling by ferry. It’s quite pricey if you book directly, but many tour operators have negotiated great deals and include Flexiplus tickets in their prices (worth from £269 each way). Flexiplus allows you to travel at any time on the day of your booking, priority boarding and entry to an executive lounge. Ferries from Dover to Calais take longer than LeShuttle and cost roughly the same. If you live in the north of England or Scotland you may prefer an alternative route, such as the overnight from Hull to Rotterdam.

HOW DO I ACCESS TOLLS? Assuming you’re using the French motorways, the easiest way to pay the tolls is by getting a Sanef liber-t toll tag (sanef.com/en) that attaches to your windscreen. The tag allows you to go through the electronic payment lane, with your account when charged automatically – avoiding the need to have cash or cards to hand. It works for Italian motorways too. To use Swiss or Austrian motorways you need to buy a vignette. These are available online at switzerlandtravelcentre. com and asfinag.at respectively, or locally when you arrive at the border.

WHAT DO YOU NEED IN/ ON THE CAR?

You need to take the driving licence for every driver, proof of insurance (you may need to extend your regular policy to cover driving in Europe), the vehicle log book, reflective jackets, a warning triangle, a spare bulb kit, a first aid kit and snow chains – the latter are legally required when signs say so; practice putting them on and taking them off in the UK before travelling. You also need to put on the car a UK sticker and headlamp beam deflectors.

CAN I TAKE MY

ELECTRIC CAR?

Yes. French motorway service stations are wellprovided with electric charging points. You can use an app such as plugshare. com to locate charging points en-route and your tour operator or accommodation provider should be able to advise on local facilities.