Flying into Lyon and starting your ski week at 2,300 m? The driver collects you in the arrivals hall and drops you at your residence in the car-free resort. The price is agreed on quote before you travel.
This route does not go through Grenoble. The A43 runs east to Chambéry, then the A43 and A430 follow the Isère valley to Albertville. The N90 climbs the Tarentaise to Moûtiers.
From Moûtiers, 37 km remain. The D117 enters the Belleville valley, passes Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Les Menuires, and ends at 2,300 m. That is roughly 1,800 m of climbing from Moûtiers.
In Savoie too, winter tyres or chains are compulsory in the mountains from 1 November to 31 March. Our vehicles are equipped for the Belleville valley.
On holiday Saturdays, queues often build between Albertville and Moûtiers. Every Tarentaise resort changes guests on the same day.
Val Thorens is semi-pedestrian. Vehicles may stop outside your accommodation while the luggage is unloaded.
The quote covers the whole vehicle. Sedan for up to 4 people, 7-seat van for a group or plenty of skis.
Almost all of it is motorway or dual carriageway. Only the last stage, after Moûtiers, is a mountain road.
As you leave baggage claim, look for the tablet with your name. The driver greets you and helps with cases and ski bags. About three hours later, you are in the resort.
With your flight number, the driver knows the exact landing time.
If the plane lands later, the driver adjusts. You pay nothing extra.
Ask for a baby seat or booster when you book.
Give the name of your accommodation. The resort takes about twenty minutes to cross on foot, so it pays to be dropped at the right door.
The driver stops outside your accommodation to unload. That is the resort rule: cars do not stay in the streets.
Drivers must use a car park from 15 November to 15 May. By taxi, that is not your problem.
On the same road, 8 km lower. If you are staying there, say so: it is a little shorter.
The valley village, further down the D117. It is also part of the ski area.
Coming by rail? Two stations work. The driver meets your train.
Moûtiers station: the closest, 37 km away, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Many Tarentaise skiers get off here.
Lyon Part-Dieu station: 212 km, about 3h to 3h30. Handy if your TGV stops in Lyon.
Val Thorens is often described as the highest ski resort in Europe. It sits above the forest: no fir trees, just snow and peaks all around.
It lies at the head of the Belleville valley, at the top of the 3 Valleys. This linked area has more than 600 km of runs, with Les Menuires, Méribel and Courchevel. The Cime Caron rises to 3,200 m.
The altitude has one big advantage: the snow arrives early in the season and stays late into spring.
The return is longer than from the Isère resorts. Allow 2 hours at the airport, plus the drive and a buffer:
Early morning flight? The taxi can leave at night, whenever you need.
From the airport you first need to reach a station, then change at Moûtiers for a coach. With skis and children, the connections take time.
You drive 37 km of mountain road, then leave the car in a car park all week. The resort is lived on foot.
No change between the plane and your residence. The price is fixed before departure, for the whole vehicle, whatever the number of passengers.
For Val Thorens, Geneva is slightly closer: 161 km, about 2h45. From Lyon it is 199 km, nearly all motorway. The gap is small, so choose the airport of your flight.
Landing in Geneva? We drive that route too. Skiing elsewhere in the 3 Valleys? See Courchevel.
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