Planning your Trip - How to get there
The Champsaur and Valgaudemar valleys are located in the Southern Alps just on the edge of the Ecrins National Park.
The rail, road and airport networks from the UK to here are all very good so you have a choice of how to get here. Flying or taking the train to the nearest airports or train stations and then either hiring a car or taking a transfer are the most popular options.
Having a car in the valley is generally recommended unless you are on a transport included holiday or ski holiday based in one resort.
We want your holiday to run smoothly and know how frustrating it can be to try and organise your journey. Whichever way you choose to travel we can advise on any aspect of your journey. And we'll always meet you to welcome you to the area once you arrive.
We can arrange trains and hire cars for you but can't book flights. However, we can help you with information about who flies where so you can book your own - please scroll down this page to see flight information.
We can also help with information and advice about
airport parking or
airport hotels
The nearest city is Gap, the nearest airports are Grenoble Geoirs and Marseille Marignane, the nearest TGV stations are Aix-en-provence or Grenoble and the local train station is Gap.
By road Champsaur and Valgaudemar are accessible from the 'Route Napoleon', the main road (N85), which goes from Grenoble to Cannes.
Location Map
By Air
Marseille and Grenoble airports are the closest - both about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away from Champsaur and Valgaudemar by car. The road from Grenoble is an A road which winds its way through spectacular mountain scenery. Marseille is further in distance but is mainly motorway so is a fast drive.
Chambery is about 2 - 2 1/2 hours away with a motorway and mountain drive.
Lyon is about 3 hours away and the drive is motorway to Grenoble and then through the mountains.
Nice is about 3 1/2 - 4 hours drive away depending on whether you go on the motorway via Marseille or if you drive through the mountains, which is a spectacular route.
Search Airlines
We can also help with information and advice about airport parking or
airport hotels
By Rail
Travel greener and reduce your ecological footprint by traveling here on the train. It actually takes about the same time as coming by air - ok a tad longer but.. with less waiting around, no airport stress, no baggage restrictions, fewer delays.....you can just relax in your nice comfy seat, read a good book and watch the world go by as you travel!
Grenoble and
Aix-en-Provence train stations are about 45 mins - 1 hour away by car.
Gap train station is about 15 mins drive away from the valley.
You can get the Eurostar from London to Paris and then get the TGV from Paris or Lille to Grenoble or Aix-en-Provence. The connections are good and it takes about 71/2 hours. From Grenoble or Aix-en-Provence we can arrange a transfer for you or you can get a local train to Gap and a taxi.
There's also an overnight sleeper that goes from Paris to Gap, which you can link up with from the Eurostar. You leave London at about 6pm and arrive in Gap at 7am the following morning - perfect for finishing work on a Friday night and waking up to your holiday on Saturday morning!
Have a look at
the man in seat sixty one site for train info on getting here - it's a very good site.
From the Airport or Train Station to your Accommodation
Transfers
We can offer transfers from GRENOBLE, CHAMBERY AND MARSEILLE airports for our clients. It is not a tailor made taxi service, as you may not be our only inbound or outbound passengers on that particular day. However, if you are our only 'transferees' for that day or you are a big enough group to fill the minibus we try to coincide our transfer times exactly with your flight times.
Transfer prices: (prices are per person, each way)
Grenoble airport: €80 minimum of 5 people
Chambery airport: €85 minimum of 5 people
Marseille airport: €90 minimum of 5 people
If your group is less than 5 people, please
contact us for a quote.
For larger groups of 8 or more people please
contact us for a discounted group quote
In the ski season there are public transfers from Aix-en-Provence, Grenoble and Gap train stations to the ski resorts of Orcieres 1850, Ancelle, Chaillol, St Leger les Melezes and Laye. These are quite cheap and worth taking advantage of. Please
contact us for more information when you book your ski holiday.
2011 - 12 Public Transfer Times
Every Saturday during the ski season from 17 December 2011
Grenoble Airport 13:30 - Grenoble TGV 15:00 - Orcieres 1850 17:30
Orcieres 1850 08:30 - Grenoble TGV 11:15 - Grenoble Airport 12:15
Please note the Grenoble times are still to be confirmed. These times are based on last years timetable
Marseille Airport 15:30 - Aix-en-Provence TGV 16:00 - Orcieres 1850 19:25
Orcieres 1850 07:40 - Aix-en-Probence TGV 11:15 - Marseille Airport 11:45
Please have a look at the
detailed transfer timetable from Marseille and Aix-en-Provence to Orcieres 1850 with some additional times during peak periods.
Car Hire
With low air fares, cheap train ticket deals and hire cars booked through us from as little as
£140 per week, fly or train driving is ideal.
It offers total convenience on your days of travel and will give you more flexibility on your choice days and evenings. Whether you require a hatchback or people carrier, we can arrange a comprehensive car hire package for you.
We send you your car hire voucher 3 weeks prior to departure along with detailed directions to your destination and advice about driving in France. We can arrange car hire from any European airport or city.
Or, go direct to
Europcar and get up to 25% discount.
By Car from UK
When you are used to British motorways, the French motorways or 'autoroutes' are like a dream. However, you do have to pay for them and the toll fees vary depending on the distance you travel. It will cost you approximately £65 in toll fees from Calais to Grenoble. Petrol is about €1.4 per litre and diesel about €1.45 per litre. So it will cost about €100 in fuel to drive the 550 miles in an average petrol car and will take approximately 91/2 hours.
You can travel all the way to Grenoble from Calais on autoroutes and then enjoy a beautiful drive through the mountains on the Route Napoleon (N85) to Champsaur and Valgaudemar.
This site is pretty helpful in working out your journey costs and route if you want to go a different way.
