Transportation

INRIA Rhone-Alpes regularly hosts visitors from outside the Grenoble area and has a helpful Web site (http://www.inrialpes.fr/visiteurs_eng.html) describing transportation to Grenoble and between Grenoble and INRIA. On this page, we provide some additional information.

GETTING TO GRENOBLE (BY AIR)

In general, the Lyon Saint-Exupery (LYS) airport provides the most convenient air connections to Grenoble. It is especially well-served by Air France, but also hosts many European, North American, and international airlines. Travelers coming via London should investigate the daily flights to LYS by EasyJet from London Stansted, which can be very inexpensive but can only be reserved by EasyJet's own Web site.

From LYS, Satobus provides hourly service to Grenoble's Gare Routiere (bus station). A round-trip ticket costs 30 euros and is purchased from the Satobus desk in the "Centre" area of the terminal's check-in level.

If you are unable to find a reasonable price on flights to Lyon, alternatives are

- Fly to Paris and take a train to Grenoble (some high-speed trains go to Grenoble directly from Paris's CDG airport)

- Fly to Geneva and take a train (2-3 hours)

- Fly to the "Grenoble St. Geoirs" airport (40 minute bus ride), only served by Air France

- Fly to London on a major carrier, transfer to London Stansted for the EasyJet flight to LYS

GETTING TO YOUR HOTEL

We presume that you will arrive in Grenoble at the train or bus station, which are adjacent to each other. A number of hotels are within easy walking distance of the train station. The remaining hotels listed on our accomodations page are near Grenoble's tram line.

There is a tram stop next to the train station and the trams operate until shortly after midnight at a frequency of at least every 15 minutes. We recommend that you contact your hotel to determine which tram stop is most convenient.

• the tram/bus site
• the tram/bus map
• the tram Line B schedules

GETTING FROM YOUR HOTEL TO INRIA

We, the DocEng organizers, have given a lot of thought to the transportation needs of DocEng conferees. On Thursday, 20 November and Friday, 21 November, we recommend that conferees take public transportation from Grenoble's center to INRIA, using a combination of Tram Line B and the Navette ZIRST (ZIRST Shuttle). On Thursday, we will organize meeting points with guides to help DocEng attendees navigate the public transportation system. On Saturday, 22 November, we will provide special bus service between a location in Grenoble's center and INRIA. Details will be made available prior to the start of the conference.

The simplest way to reach INRIA Rhone-Alpes from the center of Grenoble is to first take Tram Line B toward the University and then take a bus to INRIA. There are two buses that go to INRIA. The Navette ZIRST (ZIRST Shuttle) operates during commute times (7:20-8:50 and 16:20-18:50) between the Grand Sablon tram station and INRIA. The Line 6070 operates hourly from 06:00 to 19:40 between the Universités tram stop and Montbonnot, stopping at INRIA roughly in the middle.

Unfortunately, the town of Montbonnot has not joined the public transit system, so both of these buses cost an additional 1,50 (one-way). The bus drivers sell these tickets.

USING GRENOBLE'S TRAMS AND BUSES

The trams and buses operate on a form of the honor system. It is assumed that you have purchased a ticket and have validated it before boarding the tram. Once validated, a tram ticket remains valid for boarding any bus or tram within the next hour. The tram system has inspectors who sometimes check that passengers have validated tickets and issue substantial fines to those who don't.

You can purchase tram tickets from automated vending machines at every tram stop, from the tram office (ugly dark brown building next to the train station) during normal retail sales hours or from bus drivers. A ticket for a single ride costs 1,20 euros. A card valid for ten rides costs 9,50. Tourist cards valid for unlimited rides in a single time period cost from 3,20 (one day) to 11,00 (5 days). To buy tickets from the automated machines, you must either have sufficient euro coins or a French debit card (carte bancaire).
You validate your ticket for the tram at machines at the tram stops