Trompe l’oeil 16 & 17 Les Coches
Getting to Les Coches
The Montchavin – Les Coches web site has information on how to get to Les Coches. www.montchavin lescoches.com/en/winter montchavin/more details/access montchavin.html
By plane: Chambery is the nearest airport to Les Coches with a transfer time of roughly 1hr 30mins. Geneva is roughly 2 hrs 15mins away. Grenoble and Lyon are both roughly 2hrs 30mins. Lyon tends to be the busiest airport, Chambery, and Grenoble the quietest. You have the option of budget and scheduled airlines. There are various companies on the internet offering ski transfers – search for ski transfers from your preferred airport. Alternatively you can arrange car hire from the airport. Make sure that they provide snow chains in the ski season. Do check the snow chains and make sure that you know how to fit them (and that they are the correct size) before you leave the airport. See also driving advice below. If you are travelling by car please ensure that you leave enough time to get to the airport on your return as the road off the mountain gets very busy in high season. On a bad day it can take nearly 2 hours to get to Moûtiers, a journey that normally only takes 30 40 minutes! It is also possible to get a local train from Chambery to the Alps – you can connect to Chambery by train from Lyon, Geneva and Grenoble. Visit www.raileurope.co.uk for information. Get the train to Bourg St Maurice or Landry and pre book a taxi.
By train: The green alternative is to take the train. Eurostar run a direct service from St. Pancras International or Ashford to Moutiers, Aime la Plagne and Bourg St Maurice for the ski season, taking approximately 8 hours on Friday overnight or Saturday daytime. This sells out very quickly so you need to book early. Visit www.eurostar.com for details. When the direct service is booked then you can use an indirect service, taking the Eurostar to Paris and picking up the TGV down to the Alps. You may need to change station in Paris which can be done via a pre booked taxi transfer or via the metro. During weekends in the ski season the TGV stops at Landry, the local station. At other times the nearest stations are Bourg St Maurice and Moutiers. For more information visit www.raileurope.co.uk .
By car: Self drive to the alps is the most flexible option, allowing you to travel when you want and the only luggage restriction is the size of your car! You will also have the freedom to use your car while in resort if you fancied a trip down to Bourg St Maurice or Moutiers to do some shopping. There are various ways of crossing the Channel including Eurotunnel www.eurotunnel.com , P&O www.poferries.com or SeaFrance www.seafrance.com . Eurotunnel is more expensive but much quicker at 35 minutes and not subject to weather conditions in the channel. The ferries take 75 – 90 minutes. Les Coches is about 625 miles from Calais and takes 9 10 hours, depending on road conditions; the queues at the auto route tolls can be very long on holiday weekends. You
MRB & LRA Page 1 of 3 printed 18 Nov 2011
Trompe l’oeil 16 & 17 Les Coches can take the auto route the whole way – the A26 now runs around Reims so you don’t need to go through the centre. Expect to pay about €75 one way in auto route tolls. It is quickest and easiest to pay by credit card at an automated booth. The last couple of times we travelled the pay booths were mostly unmanned so you either used a credit card or hoped the machine had change! Overnight stops are easy to arrange beforehand using the internet. Formule1 are the cheapest and many are located within easy reach of a motorway exit www.hotelformule1.com . Also try www.accorhotels.com for a range of hotels including F1. Refilling the fuel tank can be quite expensive if you use the motorway filling stations but you can check for stations off the auto route using the French government web site www.prix carburants.gouv.fr . This also gives you prices so is a very useful resource.
We usually drive so here is the benefit of our experience, such as it is. Carrefour at Calais is not too much of a detour if you want to do some shopping or fill up the car with fuel. Look for signs to Cite Europe. From Calais take the A26 to Reims. From Reims swap to the A4 until you can rejoin the A26 to Troyes. Calais to Troyes is about 3½ to 4 hrs. From Troyes take the A5 towards Dijon, where you can either take the A31 and A6 via Beaune, Macon and Villefranche sur Soane or take the A39, A40 and A42 via Dole and Bourg en Bresse. The latter is only about 8 miles longer and avoids the A6 in peak holiday travel periods. It also joins up with the A432 to the east of Lyon taking you directly onto the A43 direction Chambery and (I think) Grenoble.
If using the A6, after Villefranche and before you reach Lyon take the A46 going east, north of Lyon. Take the new section of autoroute to join the A432 to the east of Lyon, past St Exupery airport to the A43 direction Chambery. This is an easier route than the N346 (direction Marseille) around Lyon and only about 2€ extra. Probably slightly quicker as well. It’s about 8hrs from Calais to the A43 junction south east of Lyon.
Continue on the A43 to Chambery – if you need fuel when you get off the autoroute at Chambery then take the turning to La Motte Servolex and go into the industrial zone (ZI des Landiers) on the other side of the road. There is an Elf service station and a Carrefour with a service station. From Chambery take the A41/A43/A430 to Albertville and from there the N90 to Moutiers. There is a Carrefour in Moûtiers (ZI les Salins) so take the first exit into Moutiers if you want to stock up – also has a service station for fuel. Continue on the N90 towards Bourg St Maurice, also signposted to La Plagne and Les Arcs. Don’t take the turn to Aime la Plagne or La Plagne instead continue on this road until you come to a sign to Landry, Montchavin and Les Coches. The road crosses the river and then climbs up the mountain to the resorts.
MRB & LRA Page 2 of 3 printed 18 Nov 2011
Trompe l’oeil 16 & 17 Les Coches
For advice on driving in France see www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas www.rac.co.uk/driving abroad/france Key points • Drive on the right (obviously) • You must have your driving licence, registration and insurance documents on you at all times • You must have at least one reflective high visibility jacket or vest in your car and preferably one per person, as well as a warning triangle • You are advised to have a spare bulb kit • You must have snow chains (or snow tyres) when driving in the Alps in winter. You can be refused access to the mountain if you do not have them. Practise putting the chains on before you go. They go on the drive wheels so if hiring a car make sure you know whether the car is front or rear wheel drive. • A shovel, torch and gloves are advisable. • When in resort park facing downhill. Leave the car in gear with the handbrake off and the windscreen wipers out.
MRB & LRA Page 3 of 3 printed 18 Nov 2011