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. As such, travel requires a degree of planning and forethought. Although we are happy to assist with travel plans, we are not a travel agent. The information below is generally acurate. That said, transport services often change from season to season. So please take the time to investigate your route well in advance.
BEST PUBLIC TRAVEL ROUTE
1. Travel to Nimes by air (then shuttle bus to train station) or by TGV train
2. take a bus from Nimes train station to Saint Jean du Gard (line A12)
3. get a taxi or a lift to Gardoussel (we can often help).
The journey from Nimes to Gardoussel takes about 2 hours.
Note that there are not many buses, so make sure to study the timetables below (BY BUS).
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 with Ryanair from Stansted or Luton (both near London), or Liverpool, then 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 Nimes, with the Paris – Nimes leg taking just under 3 hours. You can then organize a bus or taxi share to St Jean du Gard*.
Trainline is an excellent source of train information both into and within France.
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 Nimes to St Jean du Gard (25 mins from Gardoussel by car). Check for current bus times here or ask us for help.
* We can help organise taxi shares from St Jean du Gard to Gardoussel and are happy to collect you from our local 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 Nimes terminates.
BY ROAD
All our local airports have hire car depots (see below). Montpellier and Nimes are each about 1½ hours away, Marseilles is 2½ hours, Lyon is 5+ hours and Paris about 6-7 hours. Having a car is useful if you want to explore further afield in your free time. If several of you arrive 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 single 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.
