Self-drive

The drive from Calais or Le Havre to Meribel is a straightforward one.  It’s motorway all the way to Moutiers, and then a 25 minute climb up the hill to Meribel.  Total driving time is usually about 8 to 9 hours, plus stops.  Tolls cost about 60 euros, and petrol about 100 euros.  You'll need to have a safety triangle and high-visibility vest in the car when driving in France - it's a legal requirement now.

Many of our guests break the journey along the route, and some drive right through to Moutiers, and spend a night there before heading up the hill and getting a full day’s skiing on the first day.

You’ll need to have snow chains, just in case the last section of the drive is snowy, although the road up to resort is usually cleared very quickly.  Once in resort, you have various parking options.

If you’re staying at Chalet Snowbel, you’ll be unlikely to need the car during your stay. You can park outside the chalet to unload the car, and then take it to the open air free car park, that’s a two minute walk away.  If you’d prefer, there’s also an underground car park close by, that costs about 80 euros for the week.

If you’re at Les Grands Sorbiers, you may want the car to pop down the hill into town (although it is only a short walk).  There is a small parking area by the front door to the building – if this is taken, then Route de la Renarde is a quiet road, and there is parking along one side of it.  

Car Ferries
There are various car ferry crossings you can take from England to France:
P & O Ferries and Sea France both go from Dover to Calais,
Speed Ferries go from Dover to Boulogne,
LD Lines sail from Portsmouth and Newhaven to Le Havre,
And Brittany Ferries run sailings from Portsmouth to Caen.

Then there's the Eurotunnel from near Folkestone to Calais.

Journey time from all these French ports is similar - between 8 and 9 hours.

Route Planner
For route planning info have a look at Via Michelin

Hotels
If you wanted to arrive fresh at Meribel and still get an extra day's skiing, you could always drive through the day, spend the night at Moutiers, then on the Saturday or Sunday morning drive up to Meribel (just 25 minutes from Moutiers), drop your bags off at your chalet and go out skiing for the day.  A couple of hotels in or near Moutiers you could try are:
Hotel Ibis in Moutiers or Hotel Les Clarines in La Lechere, just before Moutiers.