A vehicle control device 10 includes a lane determining unit 64 which, in an event there is a branching path 110 or a merging path 112 in a planned travel route 102 of a host vehicle 100, is adapted to determine whether or not a lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling differs from a lane in which the branching path 110 or the merging path 112 exists, and a lane change instructing unit 68 which, in the event it is determined by the lane determining unit 64 that the lane in which the host vehicle 100 is traveling differs from the lane in which the branching path 110 or the merging path 102 exists, is adapted to set a route so that the host vehicle 100 automatically performs a lane change into the lane in which the branching path 110 or the merging path 112 exists.