If you’re heading to Alpe d’Huez this winter by plane, you’ll first need to decide which airport to fly to. There are 4 regional airports to choose from: Grenoble, Lyon, Chambéry and Geneva. Ben’s Bus offers transfers to Alpe d’Huez from Grenoble and Lyon Airports, which are easily the most convenient. Below, we’ve compared the transfer times and prices from each airport to help you choose the best option for your trip.
Once you’ve chosen your airport, the next decision is how to get from that airport up to the resort. This will depend on your priorities and budget. Choosing the right transfer to Alpe d’Huez can save you both time and money. Here are your options for getting from your chosen airport to Alpe d’Huez:
SHARED TRANSFER: This is easily the cheapest and most environmentally friendly option. Shared transfers are often even quicker than public transport.
PRIVATE TRANSFER: Private transfers offer a slightly quicker journey and are door-to-door, but they are significantly more expensive than shared transfers.
CAR HIRE: Hiring a car gives you greater flexibility, but means driving on potentially snowy and busy mountain roads, as well as covering the cost of tolls, fuel and parking.
Ben’s Bus has the most frequent, the most regular and the most reliable shared transfers to Alpe d’Huez from Grenoble and Lyon airports. We are sure our prices for these routes cannot be beaten. All our shuttles stop at 3 locations in resort, as well as in Huez en Bas. We also run a service to the neighbouring resort of Les 2 Alpes.
We usually transport passengers in large coaches, which is how we can offer such low fares. These larger vehicles have more space than private taxis and hire cars.
Known as the ‘Island in the Sun’, Alpe d’Huez is a south facing, high altitude resort in the French Alps loved by UK skiers. The resort is particularly popular destination for families. It offers pretty much everything you want in terms of skiing, accommodation, nightlife and facilities.
From Grenoble Airport, our shared transfers to Alpe d’Huez run every day of the week when there is a scheduled flight, from the 5th December 2026 – 17th April 2027. We have up to 8 buses on a Saturday. If you are travelling in April, visit our Easter / Spring webpage.
From Lyon Airport, our shared transfers to Alpe d’Huez run every Saturday from the 5th December 2026 – 27th March 2027. We have up to 3-4 buses each day.
A Saturday transfer costs £36 Single,£63 Return from Grenoble and £43.50 Single,£79 Return from Lyon. Group bookings get up to 15% off. View our luggage policy here.
The transfer time to Alpe d’Huez depends on the traffic and weather. The journey can take up to twice as long during busy periods, such as the French school holidays, when the roads are extremely busy. With 20 years of experience running these routes, we know exactly when to allow extra time for the journey.
If you’ve already booked flights to Chambery or Geneva, you may wish to consider changing your flights to Grenoble or Lyon so you can take our service.
Grenoble Airport to Alpe d’Huez is 106 km
The transfer time to Alpe d'Huez from Grenoble Airport is about 2 hours
A map and a description of the bus stops will be shown on your eTicket that we send you.
You can select your stop when you make your booking. If you’ve already booked, you can log in and choose a stop. Please note that we are unable to offer any advice on which stop is best for you. You will need to decide this yourself.
We may need to cancel the stops Place Jean Moulin or Palais des Sports when the weather is bad or when the roads are going to be very busy. This is to ensure we don’t get stuck in resort behind other vehicles. We will contact you in advance if we need to do this.
Alpe d'Huez Bus Stops
PALAIS DES SPORTS: At the bus stop outside the main Sports Hall. Three out of the four free resort shuttles pass by here. See it in Google Maps
PLACE JEAN MOULIN: At the roundabout in front of the Sphere Bar / opposite the Residence “Cristal de l’Alpe”. View it in Google Maps
BERGERS: Please wait directly outside the large Residence “Pierre & Vacances Les Bergers”. See it in Google Maps
Alpe d’Huez is a well rounded resort situated in the Southern French Alps area of Oisans, in the departement of Isere. It has a wide range of different levels of hotels and accommodations and has many bars, clubs and restaurants. It is therefore well suited to families, couples and young people alike.
During the school holidays, it can get very busy, as with most ski resorts. It has all the amenities you would expect from a large French ski resort and it’s very popular with the British.
The 48 ski lifts cover 250km of marked ski runs, with 16 blacks, 40 reds, 34 blues, 43 greens, and the longest black run in the world – the 16km Sarenne. The ski area is suitable for all types of skiers, from beginners to advanced to the off piste powder monkeys!
Grenoble Airport or Lyon Airport are the most popular airports for travelling to Alpe d'Huez. Grenoble has a wide choice of flights from the UK and Ireland, but is limited for destinations elsewhere in Europe. Lyon Airport is a very good option, covers a lot of flight destinations with lots of different airlines and has great transport links. Flights into Chambery airport can suffer from delays due to its location right next to a lake, which can result in fog and high winds.
Grenoble Airport (GNB) is the closest airport to Alpe d'Huez at 106 km away and about 2 hours by road, followed by Chambery (CMF) which is 130 km and about 2 hours 15 minutes by road. The third closest is Lyon Airport (LYS) which is 148 km away about about 2 hours 20 minutes by road.
However, Chambery Airport is the least convenient due to a lack of flights, whereas Grenoble and Lyon have a much greater choice of flights and destinations.
How Long Does It Take To Get From Grenoble Airport To Alpe d'Huez?
It takes about 2 hours to get from Grenoble Airport to Alpe d'Huez on a normal Saturday during the winter ski season. This allows for a little bit of extra traffic. The roads can be considerably busier over the festive period and on the 4 Saturdays in February and early March when the French and other Europeans are on school holiday. Ben's Bus has been operating this route for over 20 years and knows when to allow more time to get their customers to the airport in time for their flight.
How Long Does It Take To Get From Lyon Airport To Alpe d'Huez?
The transfer from Lyon Airport to Alpe d'Huez usually takes about 2 hours 30 minutes, depending on the traffic and weather. The journey can take longer during busy periods, particularly at Christmas, New Year and during French February school holidays. The péages (tolls) at the exit to Lyon on the A43 motorway can get very congested at certain times of the day, especially when the Parisians or the Lyonnais are on their holidays.
Ben's Bus has 3 bus stops in Alpe d'Huez. They are conveniently spaced out across the resort. All the free shuttle buses that circulate the resort stop at all our bus stops. This means you can easily get to your accommodation from our drop-off points. We also have a bus stop in the village of Huez en Bas.
Delays happen. We get it. It's why we have processes, systems and contingencies in place to ensure your holiday gets off to the right start. Take a look at our Flight Delay Policy to see what we do to manage this.
To see how much luggage is included in your Ben's Bus ticket, and what to do if you want to bring more, please visit our Luggage Allowance & Policy page.
Yes, children can travel on Ben's Bus but our policy on carrying children depends on the route you are travelling on. For more exact details, please visit our childrens page.
