Getting there

Planes

In the east Geneva airport is the best gateway to the Alps 80km from Chamonix via the toll motorways. EasyJet British Airways and BMI Baby all fly from the UK (www.easyjet.com; www.ba.com; www.bmibaby.com). In the west of the region Lyon-Saint-Exupéry airport receives visits from BA and Air France (www.airfrance. com) from Heathrow and other carriers from throughout France and Europe.

Trains

The TGV speedily links Lyon with the rest of France. London to Lyon takes four to six hours on Eurostar (www.eurostar.com), via Lille or Paris. The Rhône-Alpes region is spiderwebbed with railway lines and bisected by the high-speed LGV Rhône-Alpes, which crosses four départements, so getting around by train is easy, mountain climate permitting (www.sncf.com).

Automobiles

Pick up a hire car at Geneva or Lyon. Make time to enjoy the winding valley roads dotted with timber chalets and vineyard-lined routes overlooked by châteaux and historic towns. Lyon is at the heart of central France’s motorway network linked to Paris by the A6.