Travel in the French Alps...end of October ?
 

Does anyone know what the weather may be like for travel in the French alps at the end of October? Could there possibly be snow ( which my husband would hate to drive in )

I am considering that area for 3 or 4 days of exploring after spending a week in an apartment in Beaune. Any thoughts on that would be appreciated.

Could there possibly be snow?

Yes, but you might get lucky and avoid it. Check a weather site for rain and snow averages.

Is your itinerary flexible? Just thinking you could wait and plan your drives after you arrive and know the conditions those particular days. Wouldn't the snow come with the higher altitudes?

This is off season in the Alpes - summer hikers have gone and snow is very unlikely except at mountaintops. You may find a lot of places (hotels and restaurants) are closed - so do some double checking before you head out.

I was there in late September a few years ago and was witness to an incredible snow storm at low elevation. Bottom line, you just don't know.

Most passes in the Alps don't close until November, but there can be blockages in case of early snow. The Michelin maps have the pass closure dates printed on them.

Sorry to jump into your thread here but I was wondering if there is a train from Paris or Strasbourg to Grenoble. We would want to head there for a couple of days and take the cablecar that I have seen in Fodors:See it!

Is it a nice place, would you suggest another place to go? We want to see the alps a bit and take a cablecar (a must)No hiking...just a day of sightseeing.

We are going to Paris for 12 days and then have 8 days to travel around...

>Sorry to jump into your thread here but I was wondering if there is a train from Paris or Strasbourg to Grenoble.

Of course there is a train connection from paris to Grenoble, Grenoble is a big city. If you mean a direct train - most connections require changing in Lyon.

>We would want to head there for a couple of days and take the cablecar that I have seen in Fodors:See it!

You mean the bubble cable car? It's fun indeed. Go from there to the upper castle ruins for even better views.

>We want to see the alps a bit and take a cablecar (a must)No hiking...just a day of sightseeing.

From Grenoble, you will "see" the Alps in the distance. It is not really in the mountains but in a broad valley at their feet.

Hi
We were in Chamonix several years ago and the weather on the ground was good. We took the cable car up Mt. Blanc and it was snowy and extremely windy. Spoke to a couple of hikers who had had a rough time there also, so it's hard to say. We had snow in early Sept. driving in the Dolomites several years ago, it's hard to say.

It was snowing not just in the Alps on the first day of June this year, but also in cities like Besançon...