Advice please - travelling through France to Switzerland

[Juliette_374426764]

Hi All,

We have had our caravan a couple of years, but we are taking it to Europe for the first time next month as my OH is doing a mountain bike race in Switzerland.

He has booked ferries and a site near the race start somewhere near Verbier, but when I asked him about sites for a stop off en route he said we can stop off in a layby in France. I'm not convinced about this idea. Can anybody advise?

Also can we get any English Tv in CH? We have digital not satelitte. Anything else we need to know ie about power fittings etc.

Any advice is gratefully recieved.

Jules

 

[DavidKlyne]

Jules

Its very much an idividual thing whether you stop at service areas overnight. Personally its not something I want to do as I much prefer to be on a site with all the facilities. Where you stop over night will depend on what time you leave the ferry port but the Municipal at Troyes might be worth thinking of. As far as TV you should get Swiss digital broadcasts but UK programmes hardly make it across the Channel. If you want UK TV you will have to move to satellite. Don't for get you will need the motorway vignettes for both car and caravan in Switzerland if you intend to use the motorways.

David

 

[KeithJ]

Jules

David has answered most of your points.

If you are going through France and it is only an overnight stop you are looking for, I would use a Municipal site (virtually every town has one) and you won't go far wrong.

English TV by satelite is easy in Switzerland (mountains permitting), but terrestial is impossible!

You will probably need a Swiss power adapter - they are different to the European ones used in most countries (although some sites do have at least some of the international blue ones). Best to get one from a Swiss supermarket or electrical store, but some sites will lend/sell you one (at a price!).

Buy your road tax in Francs (40 Swiss Francs for the two) at the border - they take Euros but at an inflated price of 60 euros. The same goes for paying in Euros in other places in Switzerland. Best to take a small amount of francs and then draw from local cash mashines, and pay by credit card.

Hope this is useful

Keith

 

[KeithJ]

Sorry!!!

Just noticed my mistake - Swiss Vignettes cost 40 Francs EACH, not for two - so it's 80 Francs (about

 

[TheSleuth]

Juliette

I am astonished that anyone would consider stopping overnight in ANY layby unless in dire emergency and that this question comes up so often.

As other posters have said well run Municipal sites are everywhere in France and generally offer a secure, clean and quiet pitch, if perhaps sometimes a basic standard for maybe a tenner or so.

Why on earth would you risk your personal safety and/or loss of valuable equipment which would ruin your trip for such a small sum? It's peanuts compared to fuel,tolls, vignettes, ferry, insurances, breakdown cover etc etc.

 

[TD42]

Unless you have a reason to travel to switzerland via France you will find it cheaper to go via germany & Luxemburg,as there are no tolls & fuel is much cheaper in Luxemburge & its a shorter route.

Try Via michelin.com Or Mappy for routes

 

[TD42]

Unless you have a reason to travel to switzerland via France you will find it cheaper to go via germany & Luxemburg,as there are no tolls & fuel is much cheaper in Luxemburge & its a shorter route.

Try Via michelin.com Or Mappy for routes

sorry forgot to mention the swiss vignets 1 for car & 1 for caravan cost me _58

 

[KeithJ]

Tony - not sure I agree with you!

per Autoroute 2006:

1/ Dunkerque to Verbier via France = 535 miles

2/ Dunkerque to Verbier via Luxembourg and through France to Strasbourg = 619 miles

3/ Dunkerque to Verbier via Luxembourg and Germany = 682 miles

It's 150 miles further via Luxembourg and Germany. Is it worth it to save French tolls and maybe

 

[Steve_374341117]

Jules,

I have to say, having travelled to Switzerland on four occasions, and having gone via French toll roads, and via German autoban, that the French option is the easiest. Yes you have to pay tolls but this is made up for by a far more pleasant stress free journey where a reasonably constant speed could be maintained.. The German route was very stressful with loads of heavies and all three lanes congested.More like travelling on the M25.

Steve

 

[DianneT]

Never had a stressful journey with caravan on the German autobahns over 6 years of touring there or just with car over 30 years. Find France expensive now and boring roads. This year we spent 9 weeks in Germany/Austria no problems and much cheaper journey for diesel especially and toll roads.

 

[Oldsalt49]

Hi Juliette,

We stopped off at a Municipal camp site at Chalons-en-Champagne. Really nice site, so good we stopped on the way back too. Cost was very reasonable at about

 

[DavidKlyne]

Hi Juliette,

We stopped off at a Municipal camp site at Chalons-en-Champagne. Really nice site, so good we stopped on the way back too. Cost was very reasonable at about

 

[KeithJ]

Are you still there Jules? Hope this info is useful

 

[addle12]

Hi

Just returned from trip to Switzerland via France.

Agree autoroutes are easy but obviously you pay extra. Exchange rates are so poor so take lots of money or buy groceries and make picnics! Coca cola can cost 3 pounds a small bottle easily.

One nice spacious site we stayed in on the way to Lausanne on Lake Geneva was near Dijon - Camping du Lac Kir. (Check their website.) The weather was hot so we swam in the lake at the Lido there, 2 min walk from site.

From there to Lausanne took us only a few hours next day, so to Verbier I expect is another hour or two. This site took a normal caravan power plug.

Swiss motorway driving needs 2 vignettes (for car and caravan! - mail order here for about 25 pounds each). Worth it.

 

[addle12]

Hi

Just returned from trip to Switzerland via France.

Agree autoroutes are easy but obviously you pay extra. Exchange rates are so poor so take lots of money or buy groceries and make picnics! Coca cola can cost 3 pounds a small bottle easily.

One nice spacious site we stayed in on the way to Lausanne on Lake Geneva was near Dijon - Camping du Lac Kir. (Check their website.) The weather was hot so we swam in the lake at the Lido there, 2 min walk from site.

From there to Lausanne took us only a few hours next day, so to Verbier I expect is another hour or two. This site took a normal caravan power plug.

Swiss motorway driving needs 2 vignettes (for car and caravan! - mail order here for about 25 pounds each). Worth it.

 

[addle12]

Hi

Just returned from trip to Switzerland via France.

Agree autoroutes are easy but obviously you pay extra. Exchange rates are so poor so take lots of money or buy groceries and make picnics! Coca cola can cost 3 pounds a small bottle easily.

One nice spacious site we stayed in on the way to Lausanne on Lake Geneva was near Dijon - Camping du Lac Kir. (Check their website.) The weather was hot so we swam in the lake at the Lido there, 2 min walk from site.

From there to Lausanne took us only a few hours next day, so to Verbier I expect is another hour or two. This site took a normal caravan power plug.

Swiss motorway driving needs 2 vignettes (for car and caravan! - mail order here for about 25 pounds each). Worth it.

 

[Juliette_374426764]

Hi Everyone,

Yes I am still here! Thanks for all the advice.

We are recording lots of TV onto a disk this week so we have some stuff to watch whilst we are away (if we have time)so that's sorted .

We have already stocked up on food for the trip, so French prices shouldn't be a problem (Tony needs to eat a very strict diet before his race so don't want to end up eating rubbish)

If I read things correctly if we buy a vignette in swiss francs it will be about

 

[KeithJ]

Hi Jules - just confirming vignettes are 40 Francs each at the border, ie about