BOURG ST MAURICE: A Rough Guide

Bourg St Maurice rightly markets itself as the gateway to the local mountains, summer and winter.  Although it has some picturesque parts, it is unlikely to satisfy anyone looking for a cute town to base themselves in.  However, it does have a number of things going for it - Les Arcs, La Plagne, La Rosiere, Ste-Foy, Val d'Isere and Tignes are all within easy reach, and it's not too far to Valmorel, the 3 Vallees, or indeed the resorts near Albertville (eg Crest Voland and Areches Beaufort).

The town itself has seen its population rise in recent years - from 6750 in 1999 to around 8000 now (more facts and figures here).  It does face some "challenges" though, as the local army base, home to the Chasseurs Alpins, will shortly be closing, with the troops moving to Grenoble.  The town beat off competition from Chamonix to be the site of the new National Ski Training Centre for young skiers coming through the ranks, but the net effect on the local economy will clearly be negative.

There are endless arguments up the mountain about the management of Les Arcs, and indeed the local politics can be a bit tasty.  Bourg St Maurice council put its foot down and put an end to free parking at 1800 a couple of years ago, given that it was cositng several hundred thousand euros a year to maintain.  This did not go down too well with the locals and proprieteres.  Like Macot and Aime down the road, there are lots of discussions around long-term plans (Bourg St Maurice 2020); it's clear that Les Arcs is the "anchor brand" which will be at the centre of the area's PR and marketing.

On to more practical things.  You are likely to pass through if you are visiting the Haute Tarentaise, so here are a few tips:

1. If renting a car from a French airport, you can do one-way hires and leave the car/collect at Europcar in the main street (opposite the cinema).  You may find you can save money by doing this if you are staying for a week or so.  The downside, if hiring from Geneva Airport, is that you have to fiddle around going through customs to the French side, won't have a vignette for the Swiss motorways (cost is about 40 Euros), and will have feeble summer tyres rather than Swiss winter ones!

2. Parking at the funicular is free - they tried to introduce charges a few years ago, but the locals took the payment barrier down.

3. If you are passing through, stop for a French lunch at Le Tonneau on the roundabout by the bus station, or indeed for an American lunch at McDo's just a bit further on.  There is a v large sports shop by McD's, as well as Intermarche, Super U etc over the roundabout.

4. There are loads of buses of course to Tignes and Val d'Isere.  But there is also a free bus to La Rosiere which leaves from the funicular 2 or 3 times a day.  It drops you off at Les Ecudets lift - click here for more about La Rosiere.

5. If arriving/leaving on a Saturday, a quick tour of the market (from 8am) and coffee in one of the bars on the main street provides a reasonable interlude.

Bourg St Maurice is online here.

Also, one of the locals has set up a "TV station" which will give you a feel for the area, including summer activities.  There's also more about the area once the skiers have left here.

Eurostar to St Pancras during winter weekends