Les Arcs - transfer guide

John Beague, Les Arc funicular

How to transfer from Bourg St Maurice to Les Arcs

Les Arcs is a short transfer from Bourg St Maurice station.  The resort is blessed with a unique funicular railway that links Bourg St Maurice station to the village of Arc 1600.  From there, free connecting buses link the other villages – Arc 1800, Arc 1950 and Arc 2000.  There are also bus and taxi services directly from Bourg St Maurice to all the villages too.

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Bourg St Maurice - Les Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000

Les Arcs villages

The ski resort of Les Arcs has four different villages: Arc 1600, Arc 1800, Arc 1950 and Arc 2000. 

Here are your options for how to access them from Bourg St Maurice:

Arc 1600
Funicular from Bourg St Maurice
Bus from Bourg St Maurice
Taxi from Bourg St Maurice

Arc 1800, Arc 1950 and Arc 2000
Funicular from Bourg St Maurice + free connecting bus
Bus from Bourg St Maurice
Taxi from Bourg St Maurice

You can access them either via the funicular railway that runs to Arc 1600, or directly from Bourg St Maurice by bus or taxi (without taking the funicular). 

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Funicular railway - new film

This is a new film that Snowcarbon founder Daniel Elkan made about Les Arcs' unique funicular railway, in partnership with Les Arcs tourist office, to show exactly how to use the funicular and connecting buses to transfer easily between Bourg St Maurice and Les Arcs. Thank you particularly for the little dog that made such a timely appearance to help show the way!

 

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Funicular transfers - Bourg St Maurice - Les Arcs

Manu Reyboz, Les Arcs funicular in scenery

The funicular train takes you between Bourg St Maurice railway station and Arcs 1600, making the 800-metre climb in just seven scenic minutes. This is the fastest way to get to or from Arc 1600 (and to the other villages, by connecting buses) and there are great views as you ride.

The winter timetable is simple.  The funicular departs every 20 minutes, every day from 7:30 am to 9:00 pm.

As the film above shows, the entrance to the funicular is at the end of the train platforms, or accessed by shuttle bus (a two-minute journey between Bourg St Maurice and the funicular).  If you walk down the platform (which is the shortest route) you'll need to lug your bags up the steps of the bridge. Think of it as good exercise, and at the other end of the bridge there's a lift to go down. Or walk alonside the platform, or take the shuttle bus or a taxi.  Either way, it's easy.

If you are staying in Arc 1600, then all the accommodation is a short walk away from the top of the funicular - literally metres.

Accessing Arc 1800, 1950 and 2000 from the funicular
If you are staying in the villages of Arc 1800, Arc 1950, or Arc 2000, then there is a free shuttle-bus service organised by the tourist office.The buses run every 20 minutes and are timed to meet the arrival of the funicular, so you won 't be waiting at all. You just turn left out of the funicular and about 100 metres awy you'll see the buses waiting. There are always enough buses to collect all the people coming by funicular (so there is always space).  It takes about 15 minutes to reach Arc 1800, 20 minutes to reach Arc 1950, and 25 minutes to reach Arc 2000.

Instead of taking the funicular, you can book taxis from the station at Bourg St Maurice. But you can’t book a taxi only from the top of the funicular, because all the taxis are based in Bourg and are only bookable from Bourg (or from the resort to go all the way down to Bourg).

Funicular prices
Single ticket : €3 per adult; €2.50 per child (from 5 to 12 years old)
Return ticket : €5 per adult; €4 per child (from 5 to 12 years old)
People age four and younger, or 75 and older, can ride for free.

Free funicular tickets if you come by train
Les Arcs let's people to travel to the resort by train ride the funicular for free. The resort tourist office says: 'Customers should show their train ticket at the funicular desk or at the ski pass desk and they receive a free round trip funicular ticket.'

Free with a valid ski pass
If you have a valid ski pass can ride the funicular for free. However, if you are arriving into Bourg St Maurice on a Saturday, for example, but your ski pass starts on the Sunday, this won’t give you free access to the funicular. If you have taken an overnight train and are arriving with a voucher for the ski pass to ski the same day, you can give this to the lift pass office at the bottom of the funicular and they will issue your ski pass (so that you can ride the funicular for free).

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Bourg St Maurice - Les Arcs: funicular timetable

Here's the winter 2023-24 Bourg St Maurice to Les Arcs funicular timetable. As you'll see, it runs between 07:30 and 21:00 in each direction, every day. Apart from Thursdays, when it runs until 23:00.

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Charlie's factory, Bourg St Maurice

Charlie's FactoryPhotograph: Daniel Elkan

If you are waiting for a funicular, a wonderful place to get tea, coffee, delicious snacks etc is Charlie's Factory, just opposite the funicular.

It's run by Charlie and his partner, who are the most friendly, welcoming people.

Great little place, great little vibe.

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Taxi transfers - Bourg St Maurice - Les Arcs

Daniel Elkan, Bourg St Maurice station

Here are some prices from local taxi companies, researched in 2019. Prices may vary a little for this winter, therefore.

 

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Bus transfers - Bourg St Maurice - Les Arcs 1600, 1800, 1950 and 2000

Buses at Bourg St Maurice stationPhotograph: Daniel Elkan

In addition to the funicular and the free connecting buses from Arc 1600 to the other villages in Les Arcs, there used to be bus service connecting Bourg St Maurice with all the villages in Les Arcs.

This meant that if you preferred to get a bus from Bourg St Maurice station all the way to your village in Les Arcs, you could do so.

Not anymore.

The service isn't operational for 2023-24 winter, which is a loss.

The funicular and it's connecting buses is a wonderful thing. But more transfer options, rather than fewer, are always going to be better.

Hopefully the direct bus service will return in the future.

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Bourg St Maurice station waiting room

Bourg St Maurice waiting roomPhotograph: Daniel Elkan

As well as restaurants opposite the station (see below) the station also has a shop and a waiting room, so if there's a gap in arriving at the station before your train leaves, you can always stay warm.

Apart from being quite large, the waiting room is unremarkable.

It would be lovely to be able to write that a free spa treatment and pamper is available while you wait, but that just isn't the case. Not yet, anyway.

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Bourg St Maurice station information & restaurants

Daniel Elkan, Restaurants at Bourg St Maurice

Bourg St Maurice station has a waiting room, ticket hall where you can buy tickets for buses if you haven't pre-booked.

There's a small shop (open from about 6am) that sells newspapers, magazines and croissants and sandwiches.

The bus station is located right outside the railway station, as is the taxi rank. So you can wait for your transfer bus in the station waiting room or ticket hall.

Just a few metres from the station there are plenty of restaurants, so if you want to have breakfast, lunch or dinner before catching your train then you have lots of decent options.