How to get here?

Looking for information or practical advice? Here are some useful contacts for preparing your holiday in Savoie Mont Blanc.

By road

One of France's densest motorway networks
The French Alps are easily accessible via an excellent network of motorways. From the North of France, use the A6 or A39 motorways to head rapidly towards Savoie Mont Blanc. Savoie and Haute Savoie's towns, villages, valleys and ski resorts are easy to get to, whatever the time of year.

Here are a few motorway distances:

Information about road conditions

More information:
"Bison Futé" (website in english)
For Savoie Mont Blanc weather forecasts from Great Britain:
BBC wheather forecast (look up Annecy, Chambéry, Grenoble St Geoires, or Lyon Airport).
 
For a trouble-free journey to your winter holiday resort, listen to the traffic bulletins on:
107.7: every Saturday from mid-February to mid-March, this local radio station provides traffic reports in English, giving details of motorway driving conditions in Rhône Alpes and, when necessary, safety information.

French Road Safety law stilupates that all vehicles must carry a reflective safety jacket, a warning triangle and a breathalyzer. Snow chains are a legal requirement if you are driving on moutain roads in winter.

By train

From UK, Belgium, Netherland..., you can easily travel to the French Alps outside the ski season, with a simple change in Paris. It takes less than 3 hours to travel from Paris Gare de Lyon to Chambery. A change in Lyon can also be a good alternative.

The TGV stops at the main train stations in Savoie and Haute Savoie: Aix-les-Bains, Albertville, Annecy, Annemasse, Bonneville, Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Chambéry, Cluses, La Chambre, Modane, Moutiers, Saint-Gervais-Les-Bains, Sallanches, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne, Thonon-les-Bains.

Information and bookings from the UK: Rail Europe or http://www.voyages-sncf.co.uk/
Transfer times from the train stations to the ski resorts: here
Visit Snowcarbon website which advices on train options.

Direct trains to the French Alps:

From London St Pancras
Less transfer, less queue, less stress, environementally friendly... Have you tried to travel by train to the French Alps? Eurostar or TGV will take you to the bottom of the pists.

From 19th December 2015 to 9th April 2016 (last inbound service).
Two direct trains a week to Bourg Saint Maurice leaving London on Friday evening and Saturday morning and returning to London on Saturday morning. More information

From Belgium from 19th December 2015 to 9th April 2016,
Each Saturday, Thalys snow trains take you from Brussels-South and Antwerpen railway stations to the bottom of the pists: Chambéry, Albertville, Moutiers, Aime-La Plagne, Landry, Bourg-Saint-Maurice. More information

Shuttles from the railway stations to the ski resorts

• SnowBuzz: It is an efficient shuttle connection. The buses take you from the arrival station of Thalys Snow to many popular ski resorts of Savoie Mont Blanc and back: Courchevel, Méribel, Valmorel, La Tania, Champagny-en-Vanoise, Les Menuires, Val Thorens, La Plagne, Plagne Bellecôte, Belle-Plagne, Les Arcs, La Rosière 1800, Tignes, Val d'Isère. www.snowbuzz.eu
• In winter, regular coach services will take you to your resort from many SNCF railway stations as well as from Chambéry, Lyon and Geneva airports. Contact Altibus for Information and bookings.

By plane

Savoie Mont Blanc is much closer than you think, it boasts direct flights from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds and many other large cities in the UK.
The four major airports serving Savoie Mont Blanc are Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble, Chambery. The resort location will dictate the best one to choose- see the table below for transfer times which helps decide the best airport to travel too.  Charter operators use all of these airports. There are plentiful flights from all major UK cities with both lowcost and scheduled airlines.

Check here for routings: www.skyscanner.fr
Transfer time from the airports to the ski resorts: here

International Airports

• Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport 
  website

Airport-resort coach services:
Altibus provides winter coach services to more than 60 Alpine resorts.
You are strongly advised to reserve your bus ticket at least seven days before you wish to travel. Depending on availability, last-minute tickets can be bought at the Altibus desk at Lyon St Exupéry Airport. The desk is in the central hall on level one.
The tourist offices in the resorts can also book tickets for you.
Contact: Altibus or telephone 0820 320 368, from France, or +33 479 68 32 96, from outside France (the price of an ordinary call from Britain to France).

• Geneva International Airport
  website -List of the airlines companies

Airport-resort coach services:
Altibus provides regular bus services to the ski resorts or to the major towns in the valley. All the buses go through Switzerland, so you will need a valid passport.
It is advisable to book your return journey at least 48 hours in advance. It is also cheaper if you buy return tickets.
More information about means of transports to the resorts
If you miss your shuttle-bus, take the train from the airport, and go to the central train station of Geneva (trains every 6mn), where you can catch many trains to the Savoie Mont Blanc railway stations.

Useful information:
Visitors Center: It's a desk located in the arrival level. Do not hesitate to ask them if you have any queries regarding hotels, bus or taxi transfers...

• Chambéry Savoie Airport
  website - Tel.: +33 4 79 54 49 54

This airport is developing scheduled flights to the many airports in the UK and to Amsterdam and Rotterdam in Netherlands in winter from December to April.
Shuttle bus services to the resorts in Savoie: Contact Altibus

• Grenoble Isère Airport
  website - Tel.: +33 (0)4 76 65 48 48

Many flights all year round to come to Savoie Mont Blanc, from UK, Netherlands and also from Warsaw, Stockholm and Tel Aviv in winter.
Airport-resort coach service: There is also a system of regular shuttle buses or private transport