HI All

We are about to book Eurostar to Bourg, to get to Les Arc 1800 for 10th April as the drive option seems a bit scary and not that much cheaper?

What’s the best way up from Bourg to 1800?
We will be 2 adults and a 5yr old + 2xskis!

Anyone have any useful tips for a Eurostar virgin with a child? esp re food options etc

cheers

Mike

(my first post)

Ah! it bring it all back traveling on the night train with a 5 year old and tons of luggage. When we went by train we used the snow train and could eat a hearty meal on the ferry before settling down in the couchette for the night.

As to getting from the station to Arc 1800

The least expensive option and perhaps the best is to go out of the station to the funicular and take the funicular upto 1600 - depending on the time you may have to buy a ticket or at least a lift pass (the rules are complex and I cannot remember them but on Friday and Saturday evening you used to be able to buy your next days pass at the bottom and use it to get upto the resort. Of course if you are on the night train then you will want to buy your lift pass anyway.) Then from the top of the funicular turn left and catch the navette bus to 1800, which is free. The Navette stops at various points on the way so choose the one nearest your accommodation. These are marked somewhere on the Les Arcs web site and on the Navettes themselves.

Alternatively there are buses from outside the railway station to Les Arcs. Just follow the signs to the bus station as you leave the station and locate the Les Arcs bus. These are not as frequent as the funicular and of course slower, but will probably involve less lugging.

BTW what is scary about the drive option? When our son was 5 it was the easy way to go (and still is - I am setting off in a couple of hours to drive to Les Arcs). Our son would be asleep when we were barely at the end of the road and then sort of wake up on the road from Moutiers.

Hi Mike,

Although I have yet to try the train option to Bourg-Saint-Maurice ( I have only done the Fly/drive or drive all the way options since buying there several years ago) I can only back up what John has said really. From the station there is either the Taxi/Transfer bus option or to go to the funicular station ( luggage with wheels on will be very usefull) which is roughly about 5 - 8minutes walk away ( if you come out of the station and take the road that goes behind the station and not up the main road).

At the funicular station you can thn either buy your ski pass at the funicular sation ( this will have the funicular included in the price ,for as many trips as you wish while the ski pass is valid) or just pay to travel up on the funicular and pay for your pass in resort. As John says the taxi/bus transfer option will save the walk to the funicular but may take some time, also if you take the funicular option and are arriving in BsM late in the evening the funicular only runs until about 8.30pm ( it could be 9pm but not 100%)

If you are ok for the funicular once at the top the transfer buses ( which are free) are to the left just pass the train kiosk ( they are posted) where the funicular arrives at. The buses are marked on the sides as to where they travel to.

You have picked a good time to go as Les Arcs (along with almost all resorts) are having a great season ,I’m out there myself from 15th - 20th April for a last minute blast.

What John says about driving is also true, it may sound scary but in fact driving is pretty easy , and if you have someone to share the driving with it’s fine, all along the french motorway system are rest stops/toilets and seating areas which are named and have a prefix or “Aire”  Aire du Glieres for example and thse are every 10 - 15 km or so.

For BsM/Les Arcs it’s also quite a staright forward drive , from Calais take the A26 and just follow the signs for Riems ,Troyes, Macon,Dijon,Lyon,Chambery,Albertville,Moutiers and Bourg-Saint-Maurice and then up to Les Acs.

I hope some of this helps and wish you all an enjoyable and safe trip to Les Arcs

All the best

Jon.

Just got back from St. Martin de Bellville (about 15 minutes nearer Calais than Les Arcs). We left the resort at 19:00 yesterday and were home for 08:00 this morning. A fairly easy 14 hour journey of which about 12 were actually driving.. The snow conditions were fantastic.

John

Regarding the funicular up to Les Arcs, we discovered by chance last year that there’s a free shuttle bus (onSaturdays, I don’t know about other days) which goes from the station to the funicular and back. It’s not advertised at all, but go out the front of the station and round to the right and the bus is usually waiting there. At the bottom of the funicular it waits in the car park! Even if the bus isn’t there though, it’s much easier to walk along the road rather that take the signposted route involving climbing a long set of stairs to go over the railway line.

We did drive in the end and it was painless

Considering driving again this xmas (dec 2011)

cheers

we are driving again after last success. Considering an overnight in a cheap hotel in Reims to avoid the “snow chains in the dark scenario”