Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Bourg-Saint-Maurice is a town in the French Alps. It is at the foot of the Les Arcs skiing area, a group of pistes which can be found just below the Aiguille Rouge summit. In the summer, hiking and white water sports are available: the town was host to the ICF White Water Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002.
The town of 7,300 people (2017) provides varied accommodation with cinema, two swimming pools, and an international train station. There is also a new high speed, high traffic link to La Plagne.
Get in
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Bourg-Saint-Maurice's train station is served by TGV and local train services all year round. In addition, during the winter season Eurostars run direct from London (£225 return), and Thalys trains from other parts of Europe.
Flying in, the nearest airports are Geneva (2 hours by car; 4 by trains) and Lyon (4 hours by car; 5 by coach; 4 by train). Budget airlines operate to both airports, with lots of services during the winter season.
The town can be accessed by road via the N90 road, although the use of cars in the town is being discouraged.
Get around
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Some bus services are available for getting around in the village; some of these are free, others require fares. There's a free shuttle bus that services Bourg-Saint-Maurice. More info and timetables here.
The pistes are well served by ski lifts and cable cars. To get to the slopes in Les Arcs, free shuttle buses run from the town to the bottom of the ski lifts; these operate 07:30-19:30. For access from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Arc 1600, there is also a funicular railway that is a lot quicker than taking the bus. The bottom station is near Bourg-Saint-Maurice train station. In summer 2022, the funicular is closed due to maintanance work (take the bus instead). More info and timetables here.
The whitewater course is in the centre of the town.
See
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Mount Blanc can be seen from the town, and hiked to during the summer. Of course, the natural views of the Alps are always spectacular.
The town's whitewater course is one of the training grounds of choice for European national teams.
Do
[edit]Winter sports
[edit]The Les Arcs skiing area is renowned for the quality of both piste, and off-piste runs. The pistes, put into the groups of the Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000, together provide 420 km of piste skiing and snowboarding, between altitudes of 810-3,800 m. The majority of runs are more suited to the beginner and intermediate. All of them are easily accessible by cable car or ski lift, with free buses taking skiers back to the town at the end of the day.
Summer sports
[edit]The town's world renowned whitewater course was rebuilt after a devastating flood in 1996 destroyed much of the course. It has hosted the International Canoeing Federation's World Championships in 1969, 1987 and 2002.
Hiking is also a popular sport; Mount Blanc is very close to the resort, as are several other peaks.
The area is very suitable for cycling (ATB as well as road cycling). There's a smooth cycling path along the Isère river.
Entertainment
[edit]The town has a cinema, two swimming pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and several shopping outlets. It is the largest town for some distance away; for more advanced needs Geneva and Lyon are the nearest cities.
Buy
[edit]Ski equipment purchase and rental is available in the winter; hiking and kayaking equipment purchase and rental in the summer.
On Saturdays, there is a market where locally grown vegetables, fruit and other produce are sold.
Eat
[edit]There are several restaurants available in the town, with lots of tastes catered for.
Drink
[edit]There are also several bars in the town.
Sleep
[edit]There are several hotels, apartment rentals and chalets available. These range from cheap and cheerful to 4-star.
Go next
[edit]Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the largest town for some distance. If greater needs are required, Geneva is 2 hours by car, 4 by train; Lyon is 4 hours by car, 5 by coach and 4 by train. Chambery is 2 hours by train.