From Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport or Part-Dieu station to the foot of the slopes in Val Thorens, the highest resort of the Three Valleys. One chauffeur, a car equipped for snow and a rate fixed before you leave, including the Saturdays when the whole Tarentaise changes over.
The drive from Lyon to Val Thorens comes in two parts that have nothing in common. The first, from Saint-Exupéry to Moûtiers, is motorway and dual carriageway: towards Chambéry, along the Combe de Savoie to Albertville, then up the Isère valley on the N90. On a clear day it is a little over an hour and a half without incident.
The second starts in Moûtiers. The D117 climbs 37 kilometres and close to 1,800 vertical metres, through Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Les Menuires, up to 2,300 metres. Normally it takes about three quarters of an hour. On a February Saturday, with snow and every rental changing hands at once, that single stretch can take two to three hours.
That is why we never promise an arrival time without looking at the day and the forecast. We work it out with you when you book, and your chauffeur moves the departure the evening before if the weather changes.
The motorway, the Tarentaise expressway, then the Belleville road. Each has its own busy hours and its own traps.
The motorway into the Alps, entirely in France, with no border and no vignette. This is where time is made up before entering the Tarentaise.
An expressway up the Isère to Moûtiers. On winter Saturdays the Moûtiers bottleneck is the first place where the queues form.
Thirty-seven kilometres of bends through Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Les Menuires. This is where winter tyres and chains stop being a formality.
Flight, TGV or city address, number of skiers and cases. We confirm the car and the rate in writing.
Your chauffeur checks the forecast and the D117. If snow is coming, the departure moves earlier rather than leaving the climb to decide.
A name board in the arrivals hall or on the platform, with cases and ski bags loaded for you.
Dropped as close to your residence or hotel as the resort's vehicle access rules allow.
Val Thorens was designed for ski-in ski-out living, and traffic inside it is tightly managed. Vehicles are directed to the covered car parks at the entrance, and unloading at the residences follows set lanes and set hours. Your chauffeur knows the rules, drops you as close to your address as is allowed and helps carry the bags the rest of the way.
Because Val Thorens is in Savoie, the French mountain law applies from November to the end of March. In the listed communes a car must run four winter tyres marked 3PMSF or carry chains in the boot, with a 135 euro fine and possible immobilisation otherwise. Ours are equipped for the whole season, and your chauffeur can fit chains in a few minutes if the signs require them.
On a Saturday morning return you drive against the flow of those coming up, but the Moûtiers bottleneck and the motorway to Chambéry still fill up. For a midday flight from Saint-Exupéry we usually leave very early, and we will tell you so plainly rather than let you discover the queue.
For a couple and a few cases. Quiet on the motorway, sure-footed on the D117 on winter tyres.
For arriving rested after a working week. Over two and a half hours, comfort shows in the second hour.
The car for families and ski groups: seven seats, the cases and the equipment, with no choices to make at loading time.
Confirmed before you book, unchanged by snow or a late flight.
Winter tyres and chains from November to March, chauffeurs who know the Tarentaise roads.
Your flight or train is tracked in real time. A delay moves the meeting, not the bill.
We time the return around your flight and the holiday calendar, not a standard schedule.
About two and a half hours from Lyon Saint-Exupéry airport on clear roads, for nearly 200 kilometres. The climb from Moûtiers alone takes about three quarters of an hour and can stretch considerably on a holiday Saturday or a snowy day.
The A43 motorway towards Chambéry and Albertville, the N90 to Moûtiers, then the D117 through Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Les Menuires. The drive stays in France from start to finish.
From November to March the French mountain law requires 3PMSF winter tyres or chains on board in the listed communes of Savoie. Our cars have both, and road signs can make chains mandatory on the D117 during heavy snowfall.
As close to your address as the resort's traffic rules allow. Vehicles are directed to the entrance car parks and unloading access is regulated, so if the car has to stop a little short, your chauffeur carries the bags to the door.
Yes. Your chauffeur waits on the platform or in the hall with a name board and follows the train times exactly as for a flight.
Yes, at the same firm rate. The return chauffeur may not be the same person, but receives the same instructions, your exact address and your flight time.
Tell us the date, your arrival time in Lyon and the number of skiers. You receive the rate and your chauffeur's name before you confirm.