Hubbie and I are planning on driving the Routes des Grandes Alpes this summer . We want to overnight in Evian des Bains, then drive to Thonon des bains to start. We realize traffic will b
Hubbie and I are planning on driving the Routes des Grandes Alpes this summer . We want to overnight in Evian des Bains, then drive to Thonon des bains to start. We realize traffic will be insane in the summer....but we have no other option. So......we were wondering if any one had any advice on little villages or passes that should not be missed. We were just in Zermatt this past summer(hubbie is Swiss). I have checked viamichelin.com.....but i think the times they post are not accurate for the alps in the summer. I have also checked the website for the Route des Grandes ALpes....but the times they post (ex. 4 hours to do 80km) seem very long. Therefore, we just would like to do certain parts of the route . We were thinking Thonon des Bains, Annecy (overnight?), Chamonix(overnight?)....possilby Megeve and Val d'isere....but we're thinking it might take too long. We wanted to drive only 4 hours or so a day. And be in Menton, or Nice in 3 days or so.
Thonon - Chamonix is very well possible and you have time in Chamonix to make the trip to Montenvers and see the Mer de Glace. A next stop could be Val d'Isere but that is already a more mountaineous part of the road. From val d'Isere towards the Meditterean you have to expect at least two days.
I have traveled the route a few times by motorcycle. It is fantastic! I enjoyed Isola, Valloire, Annecy, Grenoble (larger city), and Sisteron. Annecy will have the most traffic as it's a summer play ground for most everything. My priority was of course the high mountain passes with unbelievable scenery.
You will probably be fine in the summer months, but I would make sure to have a chip and pin credit card for gas. Many of the small towns (at least when I was there in 2008) had automated gas stations and you were stuck if you did not have a chip and pin card.
