Bus from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Grenoble

[Cyclophiliac]

Do any of you know if it's possible to get a bus from Le Bourg d'Oisans to Grenoble which takes bicycles? I'm planning an Alps cycling trip where I'd be spending time in Le Bourg d'Oisans and then Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. Internet tells me I can get a bus to Grenoble, then train to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. The train should take bicycles (although I need to confirm that), but I don't know about the bus.

Regards & thanks,
--- Victor.

[biker jk]

Yes you can put your bike bag in the luggage compartment at the side of the bus.

[Cyclophiliac]

Yes you can put your bike bag in the luggage compartment at the side of the bus.

What about bicycles not bagged? I'll be using a hire bike, and need to transport it between the 2 towns, to avoid having to hire 2 separate bikes.

[dalai47]

Yes you can put your bike bag in the luggage compartment at the side of the bus.

What about bicycles not bagged? I'll be using a hire bike, and need to transport it between the 2 towns, to avoid having to hire 2 separate bikes.

Good question. I used the bus both ways from Grenoble, but the bike was boxed and the only person with a bike so can't comment on how other bikes are transported.

Perhaps email the bus company?

[scirocco]

The baggage compartments in those long distance coaches often just have a steel floor. There may not be anything to secure a bike to, so it might slide around which could make both the bus driver and the bike shop owner unhappy.

A lot of cycle tourists in France use a cheap soft bike bag when touring, big enough to let you take the wheels off and stash them alongside the frame. These allow you to take your bike for free as regular baggage on long distance trains without paying a bike fee. They call them a "housse" in French.

That's not applicable to your situation, but my point is they are widely used and the bike shop owner may have one that he'll lend or rent you.

[BugsBunny]

I've done the exact same bus trip but I rented a bike in Le Bourg D Oisan. There is a bus stop next to the Grenoble train station. You can buy your bus ticket there on the day. But it is best you get the timetable a day head so you know what time the departures are. They give out little bus timetable booklets for free at that bus stop - which is manned during working hours.

I can confirm you can bring the bike onto the bus as I met a Spanish guy at the bus stop and he brought his bike onto the bus. He didn't have a bike bag. From memory it was just stowed in the compartment beneath the bus.

Be warned that the bus drivers spoke only French - so communication is challenging. And the return trip back to Grenoble you had better check the routing as the one I took didn't go all the way to Grenoble and I had to change buses - which complicates matters - esp with the language barrier. I recall I was bamboozled because my first bus would arrive at the interchange two minutes AFTER the departure time of the connecting bus - and I was worried stiff - but if I understood them correctly - it was fine and dandy! Go figure! Nonetheless, if you get caught out there, its in the boonies and you would struggle to find a taxi and the taxi ride back would not be cheap.

When are you going? I went in April and some of the routes were still blocked with snow.