Every year I head to the Alps for a couple of weeks and it’s become one of my favourite ways to properly switch off.
Mountain biking. Hiking. Great food. Incredible scenery. Attempting to improve my French. And of course… driving.
I’ve done this trip in a few different cars over the years.
A few years ago I took my BMW X4 M down there, which was ridiculously quick with over 500bhp, but it always felt too big for those roads.
The roads in the Alps are tight, technical and full of endless hairpins, switchbacks and long climbs. They suit cars that feel light, agile and properly connected.
And I remember driving the BMW through those roads and thinking:
“A Porsche 911 would be unbelievable here.”
That genuinely became one of the reasons I wanted one.
And now it’s become my go-to Alps car.
For the first week I stayed in Le Buet in an old station building, which was one of the coolest places I’ve stayed.
From there I hired a mountain bike in Chamonix and spent most of the week exploring the trails around Le Tour, taking the lifts up the mountain and riding back down.
You can even take your bike on the train out there, which makes it ridiculously easy to explore different parts of the valley.
Some days were spent riding around Vallorcine and the local mountain trails.
Other days were spent hiking.
And a few involved driving down into Chamonix for food and a wander around town.
The scenery around there is unreal.
Everywhere you look feels like a postcard, and when you combine that with roads that feel like they were built specifically for cars like a 911, it’s pretty hard not to fall in love with the place.
For the second week I moved to a place near Saint-Gervais-les-Bains on the side of a mountain with ridiculous views across the valley.
That week was a bit more relaxed.
More road trips.
More hiking.
And a lot of time spent at Lac de Passy.
And yes… I somehow managed to fit an inflatable kayak into the front of the Porsche 911, which still makes me laugh.
I’d drive down to the lake, inflate it and spend a few hours out on the water before heading back into the mountains.
The only downside of staying halfway up a mountain was the fact my 911 is definitely not subtle.
It’s got a very loud exhaust setup and every drive back to the chalet involved about 15 minutes of climbing endless hairpins while the exhaust echoed across the entire valley.
By day three I was convinced half the mountain must’ve been hearing me come home and thinking:
“Oh brilliant… he’s back again.”
I’d like to think at least a few people appreciated it.
That’s what I love about these trips.
One day you’re driving some of the best roads in Europe.
The next day you’re mountain biking down ski slopes.
Then you’re hiking through incredible scenery.
Then you’re sat on a lake in a kayak.
And somehow the Porsche 911 fits into all of it perfectly.
That’s probably why I keep going back every year.
It’s not just about the driving.
It’s just an incredible place to spend time — and the fact the roads happen to be amazing is a very nice bonus.