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Getting to Les Arcs

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 Jerry67 05 Nov 2013
I've got to get to Les Arcs on my own. What's the best airport to fly to and how do I then get to Les Arcs? Does anyone know of a bus company or minibus pick-up type thing that would work?
Thanks,
Jeremy
 yorkshireman 05 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67:

I did it years ago - flight to Lyon, then a coach to Bourg St-Maurice and shuttle bus up to Arc 1800. I'm not saying its the best option, or fast, but it works. The airport is geared to shuttles to all the major resorts.

I assume you're going in the ski season?
 woolsack 05 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67: Don't muck about with a plane, the TGV runs straight to Bourg. Walk across the platform and you are on the funicular railway to Arc 1600
 Chris the Tall 05 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67:
As other have said, Arc 1600 has to be one of the easiest resorts to get to, either train all the way, or fly to Geneva and bus. Then funicular to 1600. Getting to Arc 2000 might be a bit trickier.

And if the snows good, you can ski all the way back to Bourg station !
John Dunne 05 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67: Chambery is the best location to fly to also try Grenoble
 pdone 05 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67:
> I've got to get to Les Arcs on my own. What's the best airport to fly to and how do I then get to Les Arcs?

If you live in the London area then why not get Eurostar to Paris (Gare du Nord), TGV from Paris (Gare du Lyon) to Bourg St Maurice and then the funicular or bus to whichever 'Les Arcs' you want? To cross from Paris Gare du Nord to Paris Gare du Lyon it's two stops on the RER (line D).

If you fly there are buses from Geneva to Bourg St Maurice. I imagine there are also buses from Lyon and Grenoble airports. There are buses from Chambery airport to B St M at weekends otherwise you have to get to Chambery rail station (by taxi?) and get a train to B St M.
OP Jerry67 05 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67: Thanks all for the advice. I'm coming from York, so will look for flights from Leeds, I think.
 Trangia 05 Nov 2013
In reply to John Dunne:
> (In reply to Jerry67) Chambery is the best location to fly to also try Grenoble

Both very prone to closure and diversion to Lyon if the weather is bad. As others have said train is the best option.
 andy 05 Nov 2013
In reply to Trangia:
> (In reply to John Dunne)
> [...]
>
> As others have said train is the best option.

Not from Leeds it's not. Lengthy investigations for next year's half term led to the regrettable conclusion that train to London, hotel in London and then train to Bourg is vastly more expensive than flying and getting a local train from Chambery. For a family of 4 it was a grand more expensive to go on the train...
OP Jerry67 05 Nov 2013
In reply to andy: Have just looked at the train, which I would prefer, but it would be at least £200 more.
 Cuthbert 05 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67:

As a supplementary question, does anyone know how to get to Tignes from Bourg at 830pm on a Friday night?

£146 single for me on the Train to Bourg from Inverness!
OP Jerry67 06 Nov 2013
In reply to Saor Alba: Where did you get that price from?
 Cuthbert 06 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67:

Scotrail for sleeper to London, Eurostar to Paris and SNCF to Bourg. I booked it about a month ago.
 Brass Nipples 06 Nov 2013
In reply to Saor Alba:

If the altibuses aren't running that late, then there are transfer companies who run that route. The bus to tinge / val d'isere is the first stop on the right as you come out the front entrance of station.
 Brass Nipples 06 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67:

Oh yes TGV from Gare d'Est is far cheaper and less crowded, more options time wise.only two stops on RER. A tip is to get a book of 10 tickets at Eurostar terminal at St Pancreas. Biggest queue at Gare du Nord is to get the tickets for RER / metro. About 25 mins from Gare Du Nord to Gare d'Est
 Darron 07 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67:

Don't know whether it still works but whenever I've just booked a flight & no transfer I've found the transfer rep from one of the big ski companies and bunged them a few quid for a lift up to the resort.
 Slarti B 07 Nov 2013
In reply to Saor Alba:
> As a supplementary question, does anyone know how to get to Tignes from Bourg at 830pm on a Friday night?

What date? I think the Tignes buses start their winter timetable 15 Dec and there is a 21:40 bus on Fridays. Before 15 Dec, latest is 18:00.
http://www.autocars-martin.com/

Alternatives:
- Hitch. Drivers much more likely to stop in mountains and you often see hitchers ( I always pick thme up if I have space) but you are arriving late with luggage and after a long days travelling may not be ideal! Also, standard pick up is probably kilometre from station.
- Taxi. May be lucky and share a pick up from the train. See list of Tignes taxis, http://tinyurl.com/phl7hnm, we have used Taxis Regine for many years and they seem ok.
 Cuthbert 07 Nov 2013
In reply to Slarti B:

14th December!

Thanks for the info and will post on Snowheads.
OP Jerry67 07 Nov 2013
In reply to Saor Alba: Thanks for this. I'm going on 5th April and it seems that I can't book that far ahead or even see what time the trains are. I think there's one from Paris to Bourg leaving just after 11pm and arriving at 0740 which would be ideal.
Do you know if I can find train info this many months ahead and if so where?
Thanks,
Jeremy
 Cuthbert 07 Nov 2013
In reply to Jerry67:

I don't know but I think 13 weeks is the norm. Interestingly Rail Europe, which SNCF tries to re-direct you to, does not allow the same connections as SNCF and Eurostar is different again even though they all refer to the same trains.

I designed my own plan but obviously I am risking the trains not working to plan....
In reply to Jerry67:
> (In reply to Saor Alba) Thanks for this. I'm going on 5th April and it seems that I can't book that far ahead or even see what time the trains are. I think there's one from Paris to Bourg leaving just after 11pm and arriving at 0740 which would be ideal.
> Do you know if I can find train info this many months ahead and if so where?
> Thanks,
> Jeremy

Can't help you with booking that far ahead (I've used Rail Europe before and they don't give any details), but I've been on that train from Paris (it leaves from Gare d'Austerlitz by the way) twice in the last year. Once in the winter and once in the summer, so I guess it runs year-round. It's a great way to get to the Alps, and has cost me about £70 single each time. Coupled with a £5 Megatrain ticket from Sheffield-London and a £30 Eurostar bargain and I can leave work a couple of hours early and be on the first ski lift the following morning.

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