latania.co.uk - La Tania's unofficial locals site - Bonnet de Douche!
Transfer Information
Get to resort via mini-bus, taxi, coach, train, hire car or even helicopter!
The Airports
Usually you're going to arrive in either Geneva, Lyon, Chambéry or Grenoble airports (and/or
Moûtiers railway station). Turin Airport is
also possible but at 4 hours and through the expensive Fréjus tunnel it's not really
an option. People have also been picked up at Lyon railway station with strange rail/air packages in to Paris and also Annecy Airport where you can fly from Paris Orly Ouest. There is of course the option of flying in to the Altiports at Courchevel 1850 or Méribel if you're loaded! St.
Etienne airport is no longer user by Ryan Air but maybe used again in the future and there are occasional flights to Paris.
Quickest road journeys with no hold-ups are around 20 minutes from Moûtiers railway station, 1 hour from Chambéry (102km), 2 hours from Geneva (180km), 1hr 45mins for Lyon (178km), 1.5 hours for Grenoble (121km) and 2.5 hours for St Etienne (252km). Note that these are the fastest driving times without any delays - journey times can easily double or treble on a Saturday, during bad weather or at other peak times.
Please remember that time tables and prices are always subject to change so check before you travel.
Private Transfer
By far the easiest way of getting to resort. There are three private transfer companies based in La Tania that we recommend: Jon's Three
Valleys Transfers fleet of 4 wheel drive mini-buses plus long time La Tania resident Phil with Snowbound Transfers and finally Mick & Teresa of Alpine Escape Transfers all offering comfortable mini bus journeys from all the nearby airports (and Moûtiers railway station for the Eurostar or Snow Train) to La Tania.
Fully insured with new vehicles and professional,
reliable, British drivers who will meet you at the airport and drive you directly to your
chalet, hotel or apartment and on return will get you back in plenty of time for your flight or train
connection.
Click on their links above for prices and contact details - it's always worth checking even if you're on your own as they may have an empty vehicle traveling to collect people or vice-versa.
Car Hire
A surprisingly reasonable option especially if you're in a group.
Beware all the add-in costs and decide if you need ski racks and snow chains. During heavy
snowfall you will need chains and/or snow tyres (and it is the law to have them, though rarely enforced except when you need them!)- it can be cheaper to buy chains than hire if you purchase before
you get near the mountains and hiring longer than 10 days or so.
Petrol is quite a bit cheaper in Switzerland so fill up in Geneva on your return if you're hiring from there.
We recommend:
Now a full broker dealing with all the major car hire companies (no longer just mini Mercedes!) and always looking for the best deals - seems to be nearly always the cheapest in our experience
You can hire cars on
the French exit to Geneva airport which is usually slightly cheaper (you still have to exit
the airport at the arrivals level on the Swiss side then cross back through the "border" gate
to France on the check-in desk level). You will basically drive from the French side back
in to Switzerland then back in to France.
The down side is that French-side cars won't have a Vignette (a tax disc to allow you on Swiss motorways - so you have to avoid the motorway border crossing where you've a good chance of being caught, see below) and that Swiss cars in Winter always have snow tyres or chains included (and you may get away not having to pay extra for them).
Tolls (each way) from the airports to La Tania
Lyon Airport €14.40
Grenoble Airport €9.90
Chambery Airport €4.70
Tolls are payable to Geneva via Chambéry but usually avoided altogether by using
the far shorter A-roads. Allow loads of time on a Saturday to get back (or on
a Sunday in summer) - it's easy to miss a flight!
Taxi
Jumping in a standard taxi at Geneva airport could cost well over £200 one-way! A standard taxi from the railway
station in Moûtiers to La Tania should cost around €50 (around £35). There are now plenty of shared transfer / taxi companies advertising on the internet, a lot just acting as agents for other companies and not all are reputable - you've been warned!
Hitching
Very difficult and where to start? Can be possible from Moûtiers if you walk along to the junction with
the main road from Albertville but if you've got a load of ski gear forget it.
Bus Services - 2008 Timetables
See desk at the Airport for tickets, book on-line or call
+41 22 798 2000.
There is a limited service at the start/end of season and there may be more departures at peak times. All routes change
at Moûtiers where you may be taxied to resort depending on numbers. Reconfirm
your return 2 days in advance at the Tourist Office in La Tania. Journey time
is around 3 hours including the change at Moûtiers.
A typical week in 2008
is shown - always check.
Depart Geneva International (Swiss Side):
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu: 12:15, 15:30, 20:00
Fri, Sun: 10:00, 12:15, 15:30, 20:00
Sat: 10:00, 11:00, 12:15, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:45 and 20:00
Returning from La Tania (You must confirm your booking 2 days in advance and check with the La Tania Tourist Office for the exact La Tania departure time).
These
are typical ARRIVAL TIMES in Geneva:
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu: 10:30, 14:20, 17:20
Fri, Sun: 10:30, 14:20, 17:20, 19:40
Sat: 10:30, 12:10, 17:20, 19:40
Fare is €70 one-way, €118 return (2008 prices)
Booking now available on-line. There is a limited service at the start/end
of season. All
routes usually change at Moûtiers where you may be taxied to resort depending on numbers. Reconfirm your return
2 days in advance at the Tourist Office in La Tania. Journey time is around 3 hours including the change
at Moûtiers. Lyon Airport is now know as St Exupery Airport.
A typical week in 2008
is shown - always check.
Depart Lyon St Exupery:
Monday to Friday and Sunday 12:25 15:30 20:00
Saturdays 09:00 11:30 14:00 16:30 19:15
Depart La Tania: Times are from Moûtiers - no information at time of writing.
Monday to Friday and Sunday 07:40 11:35 14:15
Saturday 07:45 08:45 09:45 13:20 15:20
Fare is 62 € one-way, 94 € return (2008 prices)
Booking now available on-line. There is a limited service at the start/end
of season. All
routes usually change at Moûtiers where you may be taxied to resort depending on numbers. Reconfirm your return
2 days in advance at the Tourist Office in La Tania. Journey time is between 2:45 and 1:45 depending on change
at Moûtiers.
A typical week in 2008
is shown - always check.
Depart Chambéry Airport:
Mon 08:45 15:30
Tue 12:30
Wed 11:45 12:45
Thu 08:45 12:30 18:15
Fri 09:00 09:15
Sat 11:15 16:00 20:50
Sun 10:30 16:00
Depart La Tania: (check with the La Tania Tourist Office for the exact departure time).
Mon 05:30 12:00
Tue 09:10
Wed 08:05 09:10
Thu 05:00 09:10 14:50
Fri 05:30 06:00
Sat 05:30 07:15 13:45
Sun 05:30 10:15
Fare is 40€ one-way, 70€ return (2008 prices) - Check for weekday prices.
Scheduled service to Moûtiers - enquire about onward transfers at La Tania Tourist Office. Journey time is around 2 hours.
A typical week in 2008
is shown - always check.
Depart Grenoble Airport:
Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 14:00
Thu 16:00
Saturdays 15:45 19:15 21:45
Sundays 11:30 16:00
Depart Moûtiers: - enquire about transfers at La Tania Tourist Office.
Mon to Fri 9:15
Saturdays 10:05 14:30 17:00
Sundays 06:30 11:45
Fare is 45€ one-way, 65€ return (2008 prices) - Check for weekday prices.
Bus from Moûtiers to La Tania - www.transavoie.com or call +33 479 242158
2008 Timetable - there are exceptions & additions at beginning and end of season - also extra buses at peak times & weekend only services.
Check for any changes and weekend return journeys must be booked 48 hours in advance at the Tourist Office
in resort. Journey time is around 40 minutes, stops at Brides Les Bains and St Bon.
Saturday services
to/from Le Praz (approximately every hour from 06:30 to 19:30) and/or by arrangement with Tourist Office.
A typical week in 2008 is shown - always check.
Depart Moûtiers Sat - 00:15 06:30 07:45 10:45 12:45 13:45 14:30 16:30 17:15 18:15
Depart Moûtiers Sun - 06:30 07:45 12:15 13:30 14:30 16:30
Depart Moûtiers Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu - 08:00 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:45
Depart Moûtiers Fri - 00:20 08:00 11:30 13:30 15:30 17:45 20:30 23:15
Depart La Tania Sat - 07:30 08:30 10:45 12:00 13:45 15:25 18:30
Depart La Tania Sun - 08:10 11:55 14:10 15:25 17:40 18:35
Depart La Tania Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu - 09:45 13:40 14:25 15:25 17:25 19:55
Depart La Tania Fri - 09:45 13:40 14:25 15:25 17:25 19:55 22:25
On peak half term Saturdays in February a bus usually runs every 45 mins from 5:45am to 8:00pm
without regard to normal timetables. Also extra buses for some late TGV train arrivals.
Fare is €10.30 one-way, €20.60 return or €15.45 day return (2008 prices)
Holiday Charter Transfer Buses
Sometimes available as a surcharge when flying on a flight only deal with them. The days
of bribing reps at the airport for a lift seem to have gone...
Train
Most often from Geneva to
Moûtiers (then a bus or taxi to resort - around 20 minutes with no traffic and good weather). Train station is at the
airport then change at Geneva Central. At least one more change required to get to Moûtiers
- and please note that there is another town called Moûtiers in the west of France, the one
you want is Moûtiers les Salins. Trains from Lyon (and fed by a bus from St
Etienne) and Chambéry are
also possible. From Lyon Airport you
can get a TGV (or take the shuttle bus every 20 mins to the station in Lyon centre for a
normal train) to Chambéry where you change for a local train to Moûtiers - this only costs
around €26
one way. Check out www.sncf.fr for
details.
Helicopter or Plane transfer!
From Geneva or Lyon direct
to the Altiport at Courchevel 1850 or Méribel.
Possible from SAF on +33 479 080091 but is always dependent on weather conditions.
Car Hire Companies and Driving Directions from the Airports to La Tania
We recommend easyCar - They strike the best deal from the major hire car companies of Hertz, Budget, Alamo, Thrifty
and Europcar so you can be sure of the best price. You can hire from the French or
Swiss sides of Geneva airport and nearly all towns, airports and railway stations are covered.
From Geneva the most competitive deals close to flying time from the French side may be with Hertz. We've seen people negotiate with all the car hire companies going from one desk to another
and play one company off against another - Hertz won.
It's also worth remembering that all these companies love their loyalty or corporate
discount schemes/codes/vouchers. Worth checking if you're entitled to any of these and searching
on the internet for them - we've lots of reports that they don't actually check if you're
entitled to them or not!
Directions from Geneva - The French Side (see maps at bottom of page)
French motorway signs are blue and A-roads green.
Swiss motorway signs are green and A-roads blue.
If you don't have a Swiss Vignette (like a motorway toll tax disc) with a French hire car you
should be able to get away with it by heading for France via the motorway and coming off to cross the
border at St Julian - the chances of getting caught traveling up a couple of junctions of the motorway are very small. Remember to turn off after the third tunnel or you could get caught on the Motorway border point (you'll almost certainly get caught on your return using the Motorway border point on the way back in to Switzerland).
Exit the French Side car hire car park - there is only one road out with barbwire fence on either side for about 2km and then you pass through a tunnel underneath the runway. At the end of this road you turn right and within 50m you cross the border in to Switzerland (usually just a brief glance from the customs officers) and go back through the same tunnel.
At the end of the tunnel bare right and then left at the lights following the green (Swiss motorway) signs to FRANCE. Keep left and join the slip road on to the motorway following signs to FRANCE and pass under the Galexpo centre. At the next major intersection keep left following signs to FRANCE, you'll see a sign saying Toll 10km (you turn off before then).
Note that on your return to the French side exit the motorway at the Airport turning (well signposted) and then follow the signs to FERNEY - this will get you back to the tunnel under the runway.
You then pass through 3 more tunnels - beware of speed cameras both inside and between the tunnels, the speed limit is 100km/h:
Vernier Tunnel 1900m
Bernex Tunnel 400m
Confignon Tunnel 1400m
At the exit of the 3rd tunnel you must exit to the right - the PERLY Sortie. Keep right at the lights following signs to PERLY / St JULIAN then straight over next lights through to St Julian passing all the fuel stations and crossing the border in to France (again usually just a brief glance from the customs officers if they are there).
Follow the road over 2 mini islands, then the road bares left (follow AUTRES DIRECTIONS down a small hill to the right and then right at the lights signposted ANNECY.
Follow the road over a large island following AUTRES DIRECTIONS and ANNECY signs and then over the A40 Autoroute (the much longer motorway route - see Swiss side directions below) towards JUSSY, CRUSEILLES and ANNECY.
After Cruseilles (often a hold up here but by-pass work has started) you'll come to the A41 motorway which offers an alternative route to Annecy but as easy to carry on straight over and follow signs to ALBERTVILLE or just head in to the centre of Annecy following signs to Le Lac (the huge lake) - it's then easy to leave this on your left and drive anti-clockwise around the lake on the N508 towards UGINE and ALBERTVILLE. At Ugine follow the N212 to ALBERTVILLE. See from Albertville directions below.
Directions from Geneva - The Swiss Side (see maps at bottom of page)
As you exit the Airport you'll see green (Swiss Motorway) signs to France overhead.
Follow this straight road for about 1km, turn left at the T junction at the end then first
right (all sign posted FRANCE ) and you're on the motorway.
You then pass through 3 tunnels - beware of speed cameras both inside and between the tunnels, the speed limit is 100km/h:
Vernier Tunnel 1900m
Bernex Tunnel 400m
Confignon Tunnel 1400m
Cross the border in to France (a quick glance is usually all that happens) and you come to the A40 Autoroute. Head West to BOURG EN BRASSE for 1 junction and then take the N201 A-road towards towards JUSSY, CRUSEILLES and ANNECY.
Alternatively follow the motorways all
the way around - this involves heading East towards Chamonix and then picking up the A41 Autoroute to Annecy (which can then be followed all the way to Chambery and avoid all the A-roads until Moûtiers). This is a lot further and tolls need to be paid (UK credit cards are accepted at the manned booths) - it could be an option on main holiday weekends to avoid Annecy but chances are the motorways will back up in to Chambery.
After Cruseilles (often a hold up here but by-pass work has started) you'll come to the A41 motorway which offers an alternative route to Annecy but as easy to carry on straight over and follow signs to ALBERTVILLE or just head in to the centre of Annecy following signs to Le Lac (the huge lake) - it's then easy to leave this on your left and drive anti-clockwise around the lake on the N508 towards UGINE and ALBERTVILLE. At Ugine follow the N212 to ALBERTVILLE. See from Albertville directions below.
Directions from Lyon (see maps at bottom of page)
From St Exupery airport, (Lyon Airport formerly named Satolas) follow the Autoroute A43 and signs to CHAMBERY and then A43 and A430 to ALBERTVILLE. See from Albertville directions below.
Four toll stops in all - 2 to collect tickets and 2 to
pay the tolls. Tolls costs are on the essential costs page. Autoroute's all take plastic (but use the manned booths - not the automatic ones with
UK issued cards).
Directions from Chambery (see maps at bottom of page)
Follow signs to the Autoroute A43 (or E70 European classification) and then signs to ALBERTVILLE. Pick up the A430 to ALBERTVILLE. See from Albertville directions below.
Directions from St. Etienne (see maps at bottom of page)
From St. Etienne Airport at the junction near McDonalds take the A72 and A47 Autoroutes towards LYON and then the A46 (follow signs to Lyon Exupery Airport) to the A43 (or E70 European classification) following signs to CHAMBERY. Then pick up the A430 to ALBERTVILLE. See from Albertville directions below.
Directions from Grenoble (see maps at bottom of page)
The airport is way past Grenoble town and it's almost as quick to head back up the A48 Autoroute towards LYON and pick up the A43 to CHAMBERY and on to ALBERTVILLE on the A430 (as opposed to driving through Grenoble on the A48 and then picking up the A41 towards CHAMBERY and then the A43 / A430 to ALBERTVILLE). See from Albertville directions below.
Directions from Albertville (see maps at bottom of page)
When coming from Geneva follow the main road through Albertville (lots of traffic lights)
passed McDonalds until the big roundabout (underneath a dual carriageway) and then go LEFT towards MOUTIERS
on the N90.
From Lyon (or Chambery or Grenoble) the A43 becomes the A430 to Albertville and then the N90 - simply keep going along the dual carriageway towards MOUTIERS on the N90.
Follow the dual carriageway for about 20km and as you come in to Moûtiers look for signs
to COURCHEVEL / MERIBEL on the D117, follow these and filter right. From here LA TANIA is signposted.
You're now on the windy roads! Take
care. Stay on this road for about 10km past the turn off for Méribel and Brides
Les Bains, through La Perrière until you come to a small roundabout and go right (almost
back on yourself) - signposted Courchevel / Le Praz / La Tania.
Now you're on
the really windy roads. Take more care. Follow this road for maybe 7km - quite a few
hairpins! Drive straight through Saint Bon and keep going until you reach Le Praz (also called
Courchevel 1300). At the mini roundabout turn right - signposted La Tania - follow for about
3km and you'll arrive in La Tania.
Maps from the Airports
Area Location Map - showing routes from all the nearby airports.
Check the resort maps to find your accommodation etc.
Page last updated 10/06/08
