Self Drive Skiing Holidays

Holiday peace of mind has never been more of a priority.

When you let Erna Low arrange your Alpine ski break, you enjoy all the benefits of a snowsports specialist that’s been organising Alpine holidays since way back in 1932, constantly adapting our offering to meet the changing demands of our valued customers and changes in the wider world.

Customer service with the human touch has always been central to our ethos since our founder Miss Erna Low first pioneered the concept of the ski chalet holiday and a long line of innovations have followed in the generations since.

But for Alpine holidaymakers who want to feel safe and secure in the new normal, the self-catering, self-drive holiday to the Alps is a concept whose time has well and truly come.

By travelling to and from your ski resort of choice in the exclusive company of your own group and dining, socialising and skiing independently when you get there, you can have the cathartic, hassle-free ski break you deserve.

Whether you’re an active family seeking solace in a picturesque resort like Sainte Foy, an adventurous couple who want to sample the high-altitude delights of Val Thorens, or an expert solo skier keen to tackle the outstanding off-piste powder of Tignes, there’s no reason you can’t have the terrific break you’ve been yearning for.

Your holiday starts from the moment you leave home and with the open road ahead of you, the comfort of your own car and your family playlists on rotation, you’re in tune with vacation vibes straight away. With a huge network of professional connections, no one is better equipped than Erna Low to arrange every component of your customised ski break ̶ from your LeShuttle tickets (formerly Eurotunnel) to top accommodation and ski passes, equipment hire and even lessons.

You'll be in complete control from the time you roll out of your driveway until the day you return safe and sound.

Sounds superb? Call our booking team on 0203 011 1222 to find out more!

Why choose a self-drive holiday to the Alps?

Convenience is the calling card of a self-drive holiday from Erna Low and it could provide you with the reassurance you’re looking for. Your tailor-made Alpine break has every component carefully customised to fulfil the needs of every member of your group ̶ from travel to accommodation and everything else that helps you maximise your fun on and off the pistes. Here are a few advantages of the self-drive option:

• Our strong partnership with LeShuttle means we can easily source excellent Flexiplus tickets, which offer great value and confer priority boarding and access to the Flexiplus lounge. This is the equivalent of a first-class flight, therefore it offers a touch of luxury that enables you to rest and really get into holiday mode on your way from Folkestone to Calais. However, if it’s your preference you can also remain in your car for the duration of the journey.

• Once you hit the road in Calais, it’s smooth cruising on the extra-efficient French Autoroute network all the way down to the Alps. There’s stunning scenery all the way down and many magnificent resorts are within easy reach, with journey times of 10 hours or less. If you’ve got a capable co-driver you can take turns in order to get some rest, but after a good sleep through the Channel, the journey is perfectly manageable with one driver, while the journey there and back provides some calm, meditative time to transition smoothly from workaday to holiday mindset.

• There are no luggage restrictions with a self-drive Erna Low holiday, so as long as your car isn’t so overloaded that you can’t squeeze in, each member of your party can take a few more home comforts with them than usual. And if you’re experienced skiers with your own equipment, you can load up your gear too and save on ski carriage charges. Furthermore, bed linen and towels are usually included in your ski accommodation deal, so there’s no need to carry your own, and your well-appointed kitchenette are will probably have a dishwasher and all the other mod cons, therefore your accommodation will feel like a home from home with chores kept to the bare minimum.

• When you arrive at your awesome accommodation, you can check in without having to mix with anyone outside your own group and to make things even smoother you can pre-book ski equipment hire and ski passes so there’s no need to queue at outlets when you arrive. Once you unpack, take a nap and freshen up, you can head out to hit the slopes feeling completely calm and collected ̶ the majestic mountains of your winter wonderland await!

• Booking is child’s play ̶ when searching for your resort accommodation, select the ‘self-drive’ option, drop your details in the form and hit search, then we’ll calculate the total cost in a couple of seconds. If you’re happy with the package you can pay securely online, or if more information is required you can contact us online for assistance or give one of our friendly sales advisers a call on 0203 011 1222.

A self-drive French Alps winter holiday has all the elements you need for a hassle-free family break, with comfort and convenience built in from the get-go.

Delightful destinations

You’ll find superb skiing conditions and facilities across every Erna Low resort and since we’re snowsports specialists who have visited over 100 resorts and have all worked in France during the winter season, we can personally vouch for the high levels of customer care you’ll experience. But the strength of the French Alpine ski sector lies in its diversity, so there’s an ideal resort for every individual party, based on criteria like your skiing style and aptitude, whether you’re a mixed ability group or all at a similar level of development, travelling with kids or older relatives and your preferences for apres-ski, cuisine and off-slope facilities and amenities. To give you an idea of what’s on offer for your self-drive winter sports holiday, here’s the lowdown on just a handful of first-rate resorts:

• Val d’Isère is 1001.9km from Calais and, traffic permitting, the drive takes around nine and a half hours. The jewel in the crown of the expansive Tignes Val d'Isère ski area in the Haute Tarentaise, this famous resort is the first choice for many British visitors, sits at a lofty 1850m altitude and offers high-altitude skiing on slopes that exceed 3400m under the Pointe du Montet. With a history as an operational ski resort that stretches back to the 1930s, it gained global prominence during the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics when its famous La Face run hosted the Super G and Giant Slalom competitions. There’s probably more to offer intermediate and expert skiers here, but if you’re travelling with children or less experienced adults, they’re catered for with ski schools, nursery slopes and green runs. Finally, if you want to venture out of your chalet for an evening, the apres-ski is some of the best in the world.

• Courchevel 1850 is 959km from Calais and if driving conditions are decent you can get there in under nine hours. Part of the Three Valleys ski area, which is the world’s largest lift-linked ski domain, this pristine powder playground actually comprises four different resorts set at different altitudes. The Three Valleys has a whopping 600km skiable area to explore that’s full of on- and off-piste opportunities for skiers and snowboarders alike, but even in the immediate vicinity of Courchevel there are 150 km of slopes suitable for all aptitudes at an impressive range of altitudes from 1224 right up to 3248m. Kids are well catered for with several ‘Zen Zones’ which have gentle nursery slopes and child-friendly chair lifts, while much of the accommodation here offers ski-in/ski-out convenience as well as complete comfort. Courchevel is also a great choice if you like to occasionally treat yourself to the finer things in life ̶ there’s retail therapy in chic designer boutiques and a feast for foodies with seven Michelin-starred restaurants and many other excellent eateries offering everything from haute cuisine to tasty snacks.

• Samoëns is a gorgeous Gran Massif ski resort 871km from Calais and with a good run you can reach there in just over eight hours. Nestled in the heart of the Savoie Mont Blanc region, this classic French mountain resort is classed as a national heritage site, therefore it oozes charm from every nook and cranny and boasts a beautiful 12th Century church and pedestrianised village centre where you can stroll around taking in the awesome architecture and timeless ambience. There are lots of lovely blue and red tree-lined runs for intermediates here but the huge 14km Les Cascades run and off-piste powder in the Gers bowl satisfy advanced skiers. A respectable resort height of 1600m and favourable microclimate mean Samoëns is snow-sure throughout a season that runs from December through to April and there are several outstanding accommodation options close to the slopes and town centre facilities.

A self-drive skiing holiday from Erna Low satisfies all of your requirements in terms of safety and security, enables you to have the time of your life on some of the world’s most wonderful ski slopes and helps you enjoy a therapeutic holiday amidst breath-taking scenery.

Whatever the size and composition of your group, we can customise every element of your holiday so that everyone feels completely fulfilled and ensure that your travel arrangements create a reassuring corridor taking you there and back again.

When you want self-drive holidays to the Alps with a certain je ne sais quoi, Erna Low inspires confidence whenever you get behind the wheel.

Tempted by self-drive skiing holidays? Contact us for a chat!