Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - TVG-Lyon to Albertville

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TVG-Lyon to Albertville

I will arrive in Lyon by plane. I am planning to travel by train from Lyon to Albertville (where I will stay at the Roma Hotel). I will be carrying a large bicycle case. From my research, it looks like I will take 2 TGV trains between Lyon and Albertville. Where is the Lyon TGV station in relation to the Lyon airport (connected to the terminal, do I need to take a taxi?)? What types of transportation are available from the Albertville station to hotels? Do you have any other suggestions or information?

Oh boy, Carolyn! This one ain't easy... There are no TGV connections between Lyon and Albertville, it appears there is just 1 connection a day on TERs (regional trains) with a change in Chambery. The train leaves Lyon Part-Dieu (a 15 min bus ride from the airport (www.satobus.com) at 8:06 AM, so probably too early to catch if you are arriving the same day. www.sncf.com However there is a once-WEEKLY ski bus service to Albertville from Lyon airport leaving at 12:30 PM on saturdays through April 21. Perhaps the bus company can give you infos on other transportation options. www.satobus-alps.com Otherwise, I would check with the hotel - there must be some sort of shuttle service... Good luck Andre

The airport is about 45 min from Lyon -- NOT 15 (a Satobus leaves every 15 or so minutes)!! It is best to check out the web site for the Satobus -- it goes to several cities other than Lyon (it's a MUCH cheaper alternative to a taxi into Lyon). There is also a TGV station at the airport, but I don't know if that will help you. There are 2 train stations in Lyon -- Part Dieu and Perrache. They are a 10-15 min taxi ride from each other (and the Satobus stops at both).

Oops! Read the Satobus schedules wrong - Lyon Part-Dieu station (where the trains to Chambery leave from) is actually 30 minutes from the airport, with buses every 20 minutes! www.satobus.com However I still haven't figured out how to get you to Albertville conveniently... There are quite frequent trains from Lyon to Chambery, the second leg is the problem - perhaps there's local bus service between Chambery & Albertville? Even then we're talking about a train and 2 buses - what a pain! Once again: call your hotel for advice and good luck! Andre

I have checked the SNCF "sub-site" (http://www.ter-sncf.com/UK/rhone-alpes/default.htm) where regional trains (TER) are presented. You enter the departure date and time and it proposes you several choices. Having entered March 27th at 11am, I got: Departure Lyon at 12h51, change in Chambery at 14h12, arrive in Albertville at 15h07

That's an awesome site, Phil! www.ter-sncf.com/UK/rhone-alpes/default.htm After playing with it a little, I see that Carolyn (hope you're still reading this...) actually has plenty of connections from the Lyon area to Albertville. There are even 3 daily connections from Lyon airport TGV station (change in Chambery or Grenoble & Montmelian). Tickets for the TGV portion should be booked in advance on the main SNCF site though. www.sncf.com Otherwise, there are numerous connections from Part-Dieu and Perrache stations (1 or 2 changes depending on the route). As mentioned, Satobus shuttles serve both of these stations. www.satobus.com Train travel takes 2 to over 3 hrs depending on the connection. If your bicycle is disassembled and in a carrying case no larger than 120cm by 190cm, you can take it for free on any train (TGV included). If not, you can use any non-TGV train which shows up on the schedule with a link to footnote (1): "Transport gratuit des vélos dans ce train." It's free, but you need to load/unload it yourself in the freight car. Regarding transportation from the station to your hotel, I would assume there are taxis, otherwise your hotel can certainly organize a pickup. Bon voyage! Andre

Thank you for all of your super information and advice. Sorry for my delayed "thank you", I haven't been able to search out my post until today (yippee Fodor’s indexed the forum!). I should add that I will be traveling to watch the Tour de France and to participate in the L’Etape du Tour (an event that allows participants to ride the same course as one stage of the TdF). I would love to hear from others who will participate/have participated in the Etape or TdF fans that plan on seeing/have seen one or more stages.