Mad Dog Ski: Ski Resort guidebooks for Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland

Planning your trip - Serre Chevalier - France

Serre Chevalier is in a good location in terms of airports, so even if you are planning a shorter trip it can be easy to get from the airport to the slopes. It may be worth hiring a car if you haven’t driven down yourself, as the resort is so spread out, although there are plenty of buses to ship you about if you prefer.

Airport transfer times

Airport Distance to Serre Chevalier Approx. transfer time by road
Grenoble 92km 2 hours
Turin 108km 2 hours
Lyon St Exupery 208 3 hours

Top tips for

Flying

The nearest airports to Serre Chevalier are Turin in Italy and Grenoble in France. These are served by easyJet and Ryanair, so getting there is very easy (if going on timings, Grenoble is slightly more civilised, but you get more of the day by arriving earlier going to Turin). Lyon, Marseille and Geneva are also reasonably close. From Turin airport there are connecting trains to Oulx (in Italy) and from just outside the train station a bus runs to Briancon. There are also buses from Grenoble and Lyon airports to Briancon.

Train

Unfortunately, there are only a couple of trains a week - normally Fridays and Saturdays. Briancon railway station is only six km from the resort and linked by bus or taxi.

A direct night train links Paris Gare d'Austerlitz to Briancon; this is a great little train, but takes ages. Or you can get the TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Grenoble, five hours and then bus or rent a car. The best is to Oulx (in Italy on the Paris - Milan line) on the TGV, a four hour trip. Also the Italian TGV does better sandwiches than the French one.

Transfers

Your accommodation owner may be able to help you arrange a transfer. If not, there are a number of private transfer services who operate from airports and train stations; the English-speaking companies in our listings are good for both value-for-money and reliability.

There is also the option of bus transfers, which are the most economical way to travel to resort from the airport or train station. If possible, try to book your tickets well in advance.

For door-to-door, taxis are a good option, although not the cheapest.

Self-drive

Hiring a car is the most flexible option of travelling to Serre Chevalier but be aware that you may have to use paid parking for your time there.

You can also self-drive, which will take you about 12 hours once you reach Calais or Boulogne. The motorways are the quickest route but you will have to pay around €50-60 in toll charges each way. The best route is via Chambery on the A43 motorway, then through the Fréjus tunnel to Saulce d'Oulx (Italy), and finally the Col du Montgenevre pass arriving in Briancon.

Winter tyres, snow chains and ski racks are normally available at additional costs - make sure you request them when booking.  You are required by law to carry snow chains.



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Serre Chevalier
Report date:30 Apr 2008
Last snowed:na
Fresh snow:cm
Lifts open:na out of 66
Snow depth
Lower slopes:0cm
Upper slopes:0cm
Piste information
On-piste:na
Off-piste:na
Resort runs:na
Snow conditions
Resort is closed for the season