Travelling to the French Alps

[peter8]

I was hoping that I might be able to get a bit of advice of the best way
of getting to the French Alps. I was thinking of starting from Saint Jean
de Maurienne and doing a short tour.

I was hoping to travel by train. However, this does seem to be a bit problematic
in terms of transporting the bike in that it often needs to be boxed in order
to travel on most French trains.

Can anybody who has experience of this give me a bit of advice as to the best way
to do this, whether by plane or train?

[pal]

Some (but not all!) of the TGVs which head towards the French Alps will take an un-bagged bike (a quick look at Capitaine Train suggests that one option is the 12.45 from Paris Gare de Lyon to Chambery, changing there for the 16.36 up to St. Jean de Maurienne; but there may well be other possibilities). Capitaine Train has a nicely user-friendly way of making bike reservations on French trains -- easier to deal with than the SNCF site.

There was some talk on other threads of it becoming less easy to take an unbagged bike on Eurostar once their new rolling stock comes into service (early 2016?), but I'm not sure exactly where things stand on that front. For now, anyway, you could do this by taking the Eurostar to Paris in the morning (with an un-bagged bike as checked luggage), a quick leg-stretching ride from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon, early lunch at the Gare de Lyon, and pedalling off into the Alps by teatime...

[peter8]

Thanks for this it is very helpful.

However, I wondered if it was definitely possible to take a bike on this train
To Chambery as, from looking at capitaine, there is nothing to suggest that
You can.

Also, as far as I am aware you cannot take an unboxed bike on the Eurostar as checked luggage.

Do you know something I don't?

Anyway, thanks for your assistance!

[bikes4two]

A couple of years ago, two of us flew to Geneva, then 1/2 days ride to the start of the Grande Tour de Alps then flew back from Nice. I know you're looking for train info, but just my peneyworth and to say how straightforward flying was.

[nirakaro]

I took a TGV from Paris to Grenoble with an unbagged bike a couple of years ago, and looking at Capitainetrains it seems you can still do that.

[pal]

The Chambery train should be fine: you can't reserve a place, but bikes are allowed.

Eurostar: as things stand (and in spite of what the website currently says), unboxed bikes can be taken as registered baggage. It costs £30 (if you want to reserve your space; a bit cheaper if you turn up on the day - but then there's the risk that your bike will travel on a later train than you); you have to drop your bike off at the parcel office (who then load it onto the train for you), but there's no need to box it. BUT the fly in the Eurostar ointment is that when they bring in the new trains, they are (so they say) going to lose the capability of carrying unboxed bikes. Their website isn't very helpful on when this will happen - best to give them a ring, perhaps?

[Rich_Clements]

I did a week long tour in that area a few years back, I flew to Geneva (as suggested above) and then caught the train to Grenoble and cycled from there, I did stay in SJDM one night and saw a really spectacular electrical storm.

I forgot to add the French train from Geneva was a regional train and had a cycle storage area where you hung your bike from a hook I think there was space for 5 or 6 bikes