driving through the alps in may!!

My husband and I are planning to drive via %26quot;la route des alpes%26quot;. Apparently, many of the passes are closed till early June??

Does that mean that the drive is not possible? Alternatives? Would appreciate any advice.

Thanks

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The phrase %26quot;the pass is closed%26quot; means that the road through the pass is closed. This is not unusual in mountainous areas. You will have to find a different route at lower elevations, or travel in a different month.

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This sounds like fun, but yes, May is too early too drive the complete route.

First stop, if you haven%26#39;t already, check out the website: http://www.routedesgrandesalpes.com and on the English version, then click on the +info in the middle - the site gives lots of useful information.

The pass the I would think will definitely be closed (the highest in Europe I think) is the Col de l%26#39;Iseran above Val D%26#39;Isère - I drove it in mid-June a couple of years back and it was only just open and you could see snow all around.

It depends where you want to end up as to how to avoid it, but you may well have to go via motorway from Albertville to the Maurienne area (or vica versa if you are coming up from the south) - this means you will also miss out on the Cornet de Roselend.

Be warned also that in many of the mountain villages, there are only a few restaurants/shops open in May, or none in the smaller ones as it is out of season. La Clusaz, which I know well, is pretty dead (or beautifully quiet - depending which way you view it) at that time, but there%26#39;s always something open there.

Good luck - you will be driving through beautiful countryside whatever route you take between Lake Geneva and the Mediterranean.

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PS: sorry just realized it also goes over the Col de la Colombière near Le Grand Bornand - this is always closed until the end of May - to avoid it, if coming from Morzine, you will have to drive up to La Clusaz from Cluses/Bonneville (A40 motorway).

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