Lyon Airport Take a bus or taxi into the city centre. There are several trains a day to Valence, which connect with the Briançon trains via Gap to Montdauphin-Guillestre. The total journey time is around 4½ hours. Note that there are two main railway stations in Lyon – Lyon-Perrache and Lyon-Port-Dieu. Lyon-Perrache has the more frequent service to Valence.
From Grenoble Airport Take a bus or taxi to Grenoble railway station, from where there are several trains a day to Gap, which connect with trains to Montdauphin-Guillestre. The train journey time is approximately 3½ hours.
From Geneva Airport Mainline trains operate from the airport terminal. There are two options:
1 Take the train to Grenoble (approximate journey time 1¼ hours) from where a bus service operates to Briançon (a journey of about 3½ hours). From Briançon there are several trains a day to Montdauphin-Guillestre, journey time approximately 30 minutes.
2 Take a bus or train to Lyon-Perrache and continue the journey as described above.
From Turin Airport From the city there are several westbound trains a day to Modane, a journey of about 2 hours. There is no direct train line from here south to Briançon and beyond, so you will need to either take a local bus to Briançon and then pick up the train to Montdauphin-Guillestre, or take the very long train route via Grenoble and Gap to Montdauphin-Guillestre.
On the descent to the Lac de Lauzet (Stage 1)
Another possibility is train via Eurostar (or train and cross-Channel ferry) from London to Paris (or flight to Paris), followed by train to Montdauphin-Guillestre. There are several trains, TGV and other express trains, daily from Paris to Valence and Gap, from where another train connects to Montdauphin-Guillestre.
Train Travel in France
Timetable and booking information for French Railways (SNCF) is easily obtainable online (see Appendix 3). French Railways are generally fast, clean, reliable and offer good value for money. Prices of rail tickets tend to be reasonable (and not exorbitant when buying tickets from the railway station itself on the day of departure, as can be the case in the UK). Booking tickets in advance is advisable if travelling on French public holidays or during the main summer holiday period, but otherwise not usually essential for journeys to the Queyras.
If you are over 60 years of age, be sure to tell the person selling you the train ticket, as you are entitled to a significant reduction, usually 30% off the normal price of the ticket (you may be asked to show your passport). Also, remember that when travelling by train in France, you must validate your ticket by date-stamping it before boarding the train. This simple task is performed using the orange-coloured machines (composteurs) located on the concourse of nearly every French railway station. Failure to do so may result in a fine.
View looking north while on the climb to the Col de Furfande (Stage 11)
Coach or Car
There are two other methods of reaching the Queyras – long-distance coach and private car. Long-distance coach services operate to Geneva, Lyon and further south in France from Victoria Coach Station in London (see Appendix 3). Remember that if driving a private car from Britain to the Queyras, it will be necessary to find somewhere to securely park the vehicle for the duration of the walk. If your first and last nights are booked in a hotel, it is sometimes possible to negotiate with the owner/manager to leave your car in the hotel car park.
Local Transport
Public transport within the Queyras is reasonable for an Alpine region. A main-line train service (SNCF) operates along the Durance valley, north to Briançon and south to Embrun, Gap and beyond. Buses reach several parts of the Queyras, including Guillestre, Ceillac, Saint-Véran, Ristolas, Château-Queyras, Brunissard and Abriès, but services tend to be rather infrequent. Taxi services are available at Montdauphin-Guillestre railway station and in several villages and towns.
Baggage Transfer Service
Transports Petit Mathieu operates a ‘sherpa’ service for the Tour of the Queyras. A baggage-transfer service is offered, with rucksacks and bags collected from gîtes d’étape in the morning and transported to your evening’s destination. Limited space is also available to transport any walkers who are unable (or unwilling!) to undertake that day’s stage. Prices are in the region of €10 per bag or per person.
The company offers this service from mid-June to mid-September. All the standard locations on the route are covered, with the exception of the excursions across the border into Italy. Contact details and current prices are prominently displayed in most gîtes d’étape, refuges and hotels, and staff will usually arrange the service on your behalf. Transports Petit Mathieu is based in Ville-Vieille and also provides a local bus and taxi service (see Appendix 3 for contact details).
Accommodation
Unlike in most mountainous areas of the UK, there is plentiful good, reasonably priced and varied accommodation targeted at walkers and climbers in the Queyras region. The main forms of accommodation are gîtes d’étape and refuges, with hotels available in some locations. The ready availability of accommodation along the route reduces the need for and attractiveness of backpacking and camping on this Tour. Indeed, the lack of shops on the route means that campers either have to carry large quantities of non-perishable food (dehydrated food suitable for backpacking is not readily available locally), or eat in gîtes d’étape or refuges.
Booking accommodation along the Tour from the UK these days is relatively easy, thanks to the internet and e-mail. Many of the gîtes d’étape, refuges and hotels along the route now have websites and/or e-mail addresses to facilitate enquiries and bookings. Alternatively, the main tourist office in the Queyras (see Appendix 3) will also send out lists of accommodation on request. Up-to-date information on gîtes d’étape and refuges is best sourced from www.gites-refuges.com.
The Tour du Queyras is now a popular walk in France, and during the main summer season many of the establishments along the way may be fully booked, so if intending to walk the trail during July and August walkers are strongly advised to make reservations. At the early (mid-June to early July) and late (end of August into September) periods of the season, booking accommodation in advance may not be necessary, but it is always advisable, if possible, to phone for a booking one or two days ahead. If speaking French over the telephone is a problem for you, then either ask the proprietor of your current accommodation to phone ahead for you, or request the staff of a tourist office to do so.
The gîte d’étape (7 Degrés Est) at l’Echalp (Alternative to Stage 5 and Stage 6)
Gîtes d’étape
There are several thousand gîtes d’étape all over France, particularly along the GR trails. These usually privately owned establishments provide inexpensive accommodation for the outdoor enthusiast, especially the walker. It is not necessary to be a member of any organisation to stay the night, and generally no discounts are offered to members of any clubs.
Many gîtes d’étape are sympathetically restored traditional buildings. The typical establishment will accommodate between 10 and 30 people, in a range of small dormitories and sometimes in rooms for two. There are washrooms, showers and toilets, and usually a kitchen where food can be prepared. The dining/sitting room is the social hub of the gîte. These days virtually all gîtes d’étape provide meals of restaurant quality, and local food and regional dishes are often a speciality. The gîte d’étape generally provides very good value for money.
Most gîtes d’étape along the Tour du Queyras are only open for the main summer season, from June until September. A few are open all year and some open for the main winter skiing season.
Refuges
Walking