Serre Chevalier Apartment

Serre Chevalier is easily reached from Turin and Grenoble airports. Car Hire is perhaps the best option for a group of 3 people or more.

A twice-daily coach service runs from Grenoble railway station, and a shuttle service connects it to the airport. Details at http://www.grenoble-airport.com/-Scheduled-coach-transfers-.html

Direct bus transfers are available from Lyon St Exupery, using Satobus, and can be booked online. Further details of transfers from all of the airports can be found using the links section on the right of the page or using the following link.

Driving is easy, via Calais, Boulogne, or Dunkerque. The Autoroute d’Est is quiet, and you can make the journey in 10 hours from the Channel ports. SeaFrance have some great fares throughout the year, and a nice bistro for a relaxing meal

Best of all is an overnight stop on the journey, preventing tiredness and accidents. We have several favourites, many of which depend on where you start your journey in the UK.

From Northern England/Wales/West Country.

It is probably best to stop in Northern France, a couple of hours away from the Channel. Reims and Epernay area are as good a place as any, and if you fancy it, you could even fit in a trip to a Champagne producer at the same time.

Many of the hotels we book in this area, can be booked online via Logis de France . Our favourites are

Auberge Champenois a small family run hotel in Moussy, a few miles outside Epernay, with a nice restaurant, and a really good breakfast. Free carpark. Dogs are very welcome.

Hotel Pot d’Etain in Chalons-en-Champagne. This is only a short detour from the airport, and is in a main square in the town. It doesn’t have a restaurant but there are several on the same street. Breakfast is a large selection of home-made bread and pastries, the owner previously owning a boulangerie. Parking outside or garage.

Hotel Bristol is in the centre of Reims, but is very convenient for the autoroute. There is underground parking at a reduced rate in the public car park. The bistro is very good, but don’t book the half-board option if you want to appreciate the cuisine. Oysters and mussels are a speciality.

Finally, and maybe the best option for familes, as it has large family rooms, and a friendly welcome is the La Loge,
a beautiful Chambre d’Hotes in the champagne house of Marcel Richard. Mme Richard can offer you champagne tastings, and a choice of supper, either a cold table with salads, pates, cold meats, cheese and dessert, or a three/four course cooked supper with half bottle of champagne per person. Breakfast is served at a time convenient to yourself, with homemade jams, fresh bread, croissants and local cheese.There is a garden and a swimming pool in Summer.

Those of you wanting a quick start will find a large selection of French chain hotels close to many of the motorway exits.

From the South of England

A stop around Dijon or Lyon seems to be the preferred option for many. Beaune and Nuits-St-George are both close to the autoroute, and have a good selection of hotels and restaurant. We have only stayed in the area on a couple of occasions, at Le Tilleuls , a Chambre d’Hotes in the countryside, a few minutes from the autoroute, and Nuits St George. Recently we stayed in Beaune at the Hotel de La Paix just outside of the city walls, and close to several good restaurants.

For the vegetarians, Les Batees offers comfortable accommodation and evening meals.

Good standard vegetarian meals are difficult to find in France. Another option further north in the Champagne region is the Auberge St Vincent in Ambonnay. The superb restaurant offers a vegetarian ‘menu’ and some ‘a la carte’ dishes.

If you wish to stay closer to Lyon, the Hotel St Romain in Anse has beautiful rooms and a good restaurant. In the summer you can eat in the garden.