TRAVEL

Local airports:

Local AirportsGrenoble (Isere) is our closest airport (1 hour 20 min drive)
Birmingham – from December with Easyjet and Ryanair
Bournemouth – From December with ThomsonFly
Bristol – from December with Easyjet
Dublin - Ryanair
Edinburgh – from December with Ryanair
Glasgow – from December with Ryanair
Kerry – from December with Ryanair
Liverpool – from December with Ryanair
London Gatwick – from December with Easyjet
London Luton – from December with Easyjet
London Stanstead – Ryanair
Newquay – from December with Airsouthwest
Nottingham – from December with Ryanair
Plymouth - from December with Airsouthwest

Chambery (1 hour 30 min drive)
Birmingham – from December with Flybe
Belfast – from December with Jet2
Local AirportsBristol – from December with Snowjet
Edinburgh – from December with Jet2
Exeter – from December with Flybe
Leeds – from December with Jet2
London Gatwick – from December with Snowjet
London Stanstead – from December with Snowjet
Manchester – from December with Snowjet
Newcastle – from December with Jet2
Norwich – from December with Flybe
Southhampton – from December with Flybe

Lyon (Saint Exupery) is a little further away, but not much (2 hour drive)
Birmingham – from December with Air France
Dublin – with Aer Lingus
London City – with British Airways
London Gatwick – with Ryanair
London Heathrow – with British Airways
London Stansted – with Ryanair
Manchester – with British Midland

Geneva Switzerland)(2 hr 30 min – 3 hour drive)
Geneva receives flights from over 25 destinations in the UK. For flight timetables and carriers download the 2008/2009 pdf here

Cross channel ferry
There are several ferry companies who sail to France from various destinations (see 'LINKS' page for more details):
Ski LandscapeCork – Roscoff (Brittany Ferries)
Dover – Boulogne (Speedferries)
Dover – Calais (Hoverspeed, P&O, Sea France)
Dover – Dunkerque (Norfolkline)
Dover – Ostend (Hoverspeed)
Dublin – Cherbourg (P&O)
Guernsey – St Malo (Condor)
Jersey – St Malo (Condor)
Newhaven – Dieppe (Hoverspeed)
Plymouth – Roscoff (Brittany Ferries)
Poole – Cherbourg (Brittany Ferries)
Portsmouth – Cherbourg (P&O)
Portsmouth – Le Havre (P&O)
Portsmouth – St Malo (P&O)
Portsmouth – Caen (Brittany Ferries)
Weymouth – St Malo (P&O)
Travel time from the port of Calais to us here at King of the Mountains is around 8-9 hours.

Eurotunnel
Euro TunnelThe Eurotunnel train service shuttles between Folkestone (Kent) and Calais. Trains depart every couple of hours and the journey time is around 35 minutes. Travel time from Calais to us here at King of the Mountains is around 8-9 hours.

Eurostar
The Eurostar train service can be taken from London St Pancras to Grenoble. There is, however, a change necessary in Paris via the underground system between Paris Nord and Paris Gare de Lyon stations.  This is a very good way of getting down to the Alps and should be considered at the same time as considering flights.   Total travel time around 7.5 – 8 hours (see 'LINKS' page). Hire cars are available on arrival at Grenoble train station.

Car hire
During the ski season there is a fair bit of demand for hire cars; it is strongly advised to book your car well in advance, remembering to pre-book any extra winter equipment you may require such as snow chains or snow tyres, ski racks, roof racks and SatNav. If your hire car is not fitted with snow tyres (pneus contact or pneus de neige) then it is advisable to ask for snow chains.

Car rental is available from all of the airports listed above as well as at Grenoble train station directly opposite the station to the LHS on exiting the front of the building (see 'LINKS' page for suggested rental companies).

Maps and Directions

For general maps and directions please feel free to email us where you are coming from and we will email you some detailed directions. Alternatively you can view maps and general directions here

Travel SignDriving in France
Whether driving your own car or a hire car in the Alps in winter, it is pretty much essential to have a set of snow chains. You can ask for snow chains or snow tyres on your rental car, this will cost a little extra but it is a must. If you are driving your own car, you can rent chains for the duration of your holiday (see 'LINKS' page), buy them before travel or on arrival in France (NB: pay careful attention to buying the correct size for your vehicle/tyre size).

Snow chains do come with full instructions but it is well advised to practice fitting your chains to the drive wheels before you need to use them in the snow. It's also a good idea to keep a pair of gloves with the chains too to keep your hands warm and dirt free when fitting them. Rubber gloves are good for keeping everything clean – it's a bit of a miserable job sometimes!  Often on the way to ski resorts there are specific laybys  marked 'aire de chainage' which are the designated spots to pull off and fit chains if needed.  It is better to stop there than get stuck and block the road further up the hill!

Ski racks can be fitted to hire cars on request for a small extra charge. If driving your own car, racks can be hired (see 'LINKS' page) or bought before coming to France.

All vehicles driven in France, including vehicles registered outside of France, are legally obliged to have one high visibility reflective jacket and one warning triangle in their vehicle. The reflective jacket must be inside the car – not in the boot.

You will need to carry your full driving licence and, if driving your own car, the original Vehicle Registration Document (V5).

If using the very good but slightly costly) toll roads (peage), be prepared for charges by having Euros to hand and/or a credit card.