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