The transfer from Grenoble Airport to Val Thorens covers roughly 188 km and takes about two hours forty in good conditions. Most of it is fast road as far as Moutiers; the rest is the long climb through the Belleville valley to the highest resort in the Three Valleys. Montivo drives it privately and door to door, for one price per vehicle fixed when you book.
Being met at Grenoble
Winter flights into Grenoble come mostly at weekends, and a good share of them are from the UK. Once you are through, the driver is waiting inside the terminal and walks you to the vehicle. We monitor the flight, so a late arrival shifts the pick-up to the real landing time; the flight number in your booking is all it takes.
Grenoble to Moutiers
The route takes the A48 to Grenoble, then the A41 up the Isere valley towards Chambery, joining the A43 for Albertville. After Albertville the N90 continues up the Tarentaise to Moutiers. Almost all of it is motorway or fast main road, which is why a distance of this length still comes out at under three hours.
Up the Belleville valley
At Moutiers the transfer turns into the Belleville valley and the real climb begins: past Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, through Les Menuires, and on up to Val Thorens at about 2,300 m. That is well over a thousand metres gained on a single road, and the top can be in cloud and fresh snow while Moutiers is dry. The drivers know the road in winter and set the pace by it.
The Saturday squeeze
On changeover day the Tarentaise carries every resort's arrivals and departures at once, and for Val Thorens that means the N90 to Moutiers followed by the Belleville road, shared with Les Menuires and Saint-Martin. Grenoble's own flights are bunched on the same day. Build in extra time; the Saturday rate reflects the longer day for vehicle and driver.
Transfer to Val Thorensfrom €320 per vehicle, Saturday €475
Price for your dateGrenoble or Chambery?
To be straightforward about it, Chambery airport is closer to Val Thorens than Grenoble is, and if a Chambery flight suits you it will give a shorter transfer. Grenoble makes sense when its flights fit your dates or your budget better. The extra distance is almost all motorway, and from Moutiers upwards the drive is the same whichever airport you land at.
Vehicle, child seats and kit
Standard carries up to eight passengers; VIP carries up to seven in a higher-specification vehicle with more space for each. On a transfer approaching three hours with a high-mountain finish, that extra room counts for more than it would on a short run. Groups too large for one vehicle are priced for as many as they need.
Child seats come free when requested at booking with the children's ages. Declare skis, boards and large bags at the same time, because the equipment decides which vehicle is sent as much as the head count does.
Arriving at 2,300 metres
Much of Val Thorens is traffic-free, so the drop-off is the nearest point to your residence that the resort's access rules allow rather than always the front door. Give the residence name and full address at booking so the driver knows the approach. At this height the air is much colder than in Grenoble and there is usually snow underfoot, so keep coats and gloves in your hand luggage rather than packed in the ski bag.
The early start home
For the flight home we work back from departure time: the long descent to Moutiers, the valley, the motorway and check-in with ski luggage. From this high up the pick-up is earlier than most guests expect, and on a Saturday or after a heavy snowfall it moves earlier again. If you book the way home at the same time as the outbound, it is priced as a separate leg at the rate for that day.
