Transfer to Alps: The Essential European Ski Resort Guide
Oct 2, 2026 · 23 min · 9 segments
**Planning your winter holiday in the Portes du Soleil?** In Episode 2 of Transfer to Alps Season 2, hosts Liam and Chloe tackle the ultimate logistics puzzle: How to Get to Avoriaz. Because…
Once you are in the van and on the road, the route itself is actually quite spectacular.
You leave Geneva, head south across the border, and hit the A40 motorway, the famous Autoroute Blanche.
You follow that down to Cluses, and that's where the flat road ends and the real mountain driving begins.
That's the standard route, but a professional driver will always have a plan B.
On a busy Saturday in February, the A40 can become an absolute car park.
If that happens, a savvy driver will take the lakeside route instead.
They'll head along the southern shore of Lake Geneva, go through Thonon-les-Bains, and enter the mountains via the Vallee des Alpes.
It's slightly longer on paper, but it completely bypasses the motorway gridlock.
But honestly, those are almost always a trap.
They really are.
On paper, it doesn't look too bad, about a two-hour drive.
Flights are highly seasonal, mostly weekend-only charters.
And because of the lake next to the runway, it is absolutely notorious for weather delays.
If there is even a bit of thick fog or heavy wind, planes can't land, and you'll find yourself diverted to Lyon anyway, watching your holiday time tick away.
You are looking at nearly three hours in a transfer vehicle minimum.
If the weather is bad or there is traffic, that can easily stretch to four hours.
And because the distance is double compared to Geneva, your transfer company is going to charge you a hefty premium.
It just doesn't make sense.
Once you are in the van and on the road, the route itself is actually quite spectacular.
You leave Geneva, head south across the border, and hit the A40 motorway, the famous Autoroute Blanche.
You follow that down to Cluses, and that's where the flat road ends and the real mountain driving begins.
That's the standard route, but a professional driver will always have a plan B.
On a busy Saturday in February, the A40 can become an absolute car park.
If that happens, a savvy driver will take the lakeside route instead.
They'll head along the southern shore of Lake Geneva, go through Thonon-les-Bains, and enter the mountains via the Vallee des Alpes.
It's slightly longer on paper, but it completely bypasses the motorway gridlock.
But honestly, those are almost always a trap.
They really are.
On paper, it doesn't look too bad, about a two-hour drive.
Flights are highly seasonal, mostly weekend-only charters.
And because of the lake next to the runway, it is absolutely notorious for weather delays.
If there is even a bit of thick fog or heavy wind, planes can't land, and you'll find yourself diverted to Lyon anyway, watching your holiday time tick away.
You are looking at nearly three hours in a transfer vehicle minimum.
If the weather is bad or there is traffic, that can easily stretch to four hours.
And because the distance is double compared to Geneva, your transfer company is going to charge you a hefty premium.
It just doesn't make sense.
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