Four villages on one valley road
The tourist office puts it plainly: the destination groups four centres. Briançon, Chantemerle in the commune of Saint-Chaffrey, Villeneuve in La Salle-les-Alpes, and Le Monêtier-les-Bains. They sit in a line along the RN91, in the Guisane valley.
That changes a booking more than people expect. An address that stops at the resort name points to nothing precise: several kilometres of valley and different parking structures separate the first village from the last. So the village name is the first thing we ask for, before the name of the accommodation.
Each centre has its named car parks: Chante Guisane, Coolidge and Les Carines at Chantemerle, Entre les Eaux at Villeneuve, and the Poste car park at Le Monêtier-les-Bains, listed as free with no time limit.
What the train and the bus already do
The fact that surprises French visitors: the handiest railway station is Italian. Oulx is linked to the valley by bus route 76, at 7.50 EUR one way according to the tourist office. Free shuttles also connect the four sectors and the lift departures.
For one traveller with no equipment, that combination is hard to beat. A private transfer from the Riviera earns its place elsewhere: on a group, on bulky equipment, on a flight arrival that connects to nothing, or when the northern approach is disrupted. The resort publishes a road information number reachable around the clock for conditions and closures, and the town of Briançon offers email alerts on the opening and closing of the Lautaret pass.
What the fare includes
The fare, by sedan as by van, covers the 290 kilometres, French tolls, fuel, driving time and the drop-off at the agreed village. It does not cover the Fréjus tunnel if the fallback route uses it, local transport tickets, or long-stay parking.
A word on what we do not publish: the altitude of the Lautaret pass and its ranking among winter passes circulate on unofficial pages. We do not repeat them. What we keep are the two official alert services, which by themselves tell you this road closes.