Travel Advice
Gardoussel, 30940 St Andre de Valborgne
GOOGLE MAPS : https://goo.gl/maps/zQkj2mQ91PU2
GPS: 44.163444, 3.666870
Note: We are in the heart of the Cevennes mountains in France. Travel requires a degree of planning and forthought. Although we are happy to assist with travel plans, we are not a travel agent. The information below is generally acurate. That said, travel providers are always changing from season to season. So please take the time and precaution to investigate your route well in advance!
BEST PUBLIC TRAVEL STRATEGY
1. Travel to the city of Nimes by air (then shuttle bus to train station) or by TGV/train then
2. take a bus from rear of Nimes train station to Saint Jean du Gard (line A12) then
3. take a taxi or a lift to Gardoussel (we can often help here).
From the train station in Nimes to Gardoussel takes about 2 hours.
There are not many buses however, so make sure to study the time tables below under BUSES.
BAGGAGE HOLD IN NIMES
To facilitate your time in the great town of Nimes, note that the Hôtel Abalone (23 Avenue Feuchères) just opposite the main entrance to the train station (link to Google Maps) has a reasonable service for holding baggage.
BY AIR
The easiest way to get to Gardoussel Retreat from the UK is to fly into Nimes from Stansted or Luton (both just outside London) or Liverpool, with Ryanair, then share a taxi or travel up by bus *. You can also fly into Montpellier (Ryanair and British Airways) or Marseilles (Buzz and BA among others).
BY TRAIN
Eurostar runs a TGV ‘fast train’ service from London / Lille / Paris to Nîmes, with the journey Paris – Nîmes taking just under 3 hours. See http://www.eurostar.com for details. You can then organize a taxi share or take a bus to St Jean du Gard. *
Please note,
BY FERRY
AFerry provides access to all ferry services in Europe. Routes direct to France are detailed on this page: www.aferry.co.uk/ferry-to-france-ferries-uk.htm
BY BUS
There are 1-4 buses a day from Nîmes to St Jean du Gard (about 25 mins away from Gardoussel by car). Check for current bus times here or ask us for help.
* We can help to organize taxi shares from St Jean du Gard to Gardoussel and are happy to collect you from the village of St André de Valborgne. If our commitments allow, we may be able pick you up from St Jean du Gard, where the bus from Nîmes terminates.
BY ROAD
All our local airports have hire car depots (see below). Montpellier and Nîmes are each about 1hr 30 mins from Gardoussel, Marseilles is at 2½ hours, Lyon is 5+ hours and Paris about 6-7 hours. Having a car is useful if you want to explore the local area further afield in your free time. If several of you are coming together, it is also a cost-viable alternative to a shared taxi, since the cost of hiring a vehicle can be about the same as the cost of a taxi run. If you are interested in volunteering to hire a vehicle and act as driver, let us know so we can help you organise this.
Get detailed road directions to Abri at Gardoussel, St Andre de Valborgne.
HIRE CARS
Rental company Wallgreen werent.wallgreen.com offers very good rates. They have a depot in Nimes and two in Montpellier, also one in Marseilles. You need to get a taxi from the airport to their offices but at prices from 9€ / day they're the cheapest we've found.
