# Two nights in La Grave from Lyon: cable car to 3,200 m, the Arsine via ferrata and the Emparis lakes facing La Meije Two nights facing La Meije, about 2 h 45 from Lyon by car: the Lautaret garden, the cable car to the glacier, a guided via ferrata and the route to the Emparis lakes. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/provence-alpes-cote-dazur/ecrins/itineraries/two-nights-la-grave-from-lyon · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Écrins National Park La Grave is a small village on the Lautaret road, with La Meije and its glaciers opposite and a cable car that climbs to 3,200 m. With two nights there you have time to do the best of the northern Écrins without rushing: on the arrival afternoon, the alpine garden at the Lautaret; on the second day, the glacier in the morning and a guided via ferrata in the afternoon; on the third, the hike to the lakes of the Emparis plateau before heading back. ## Getting there from Spain By car, take the A9 and the Rhône valley to Valence or Lyon, then Grenoble and the D1091 along the Romanche valley. From Lyon it is about two hours and three quarters. If you come by plane, the airport that fits best is Lyon Saint-Exupéry: hire the car there, because in the valley you will need it to get to the Lautaret, Villar-d'Arêne and Le Chazelet. Past the Chambon reservoir, the road from Grenoble follows a narrow emergency stretch, for cars only: with a motorhome, enter via Gap or the Fréjus tunnel. ## Where to sleep? AccommodationWhereFor whom Hôtel Le CastillanFacing the cable car, three starsFamilies and anyone who wants a pool, sauna and free parking Auberge EdelweissCentre of La Grave, old innCouples who want to dine well; no lift or dogs Alpe de Villar-d'Arêne refugeAt 2,071 m, an hour and a half on footA cheap night in the mountains, cash only ## How much does it cost? Between €350 and €550 per person sharing a room: two hotel nights, the cable car, the garden, the via ferrata, one lunch and two dinners, excluding the journey. The figure rises with the half board at the Auberge Edelweiss and falls a lot if you sleep one night at the Alpe refuge, from €22.50 a bed. ## El plan ### Friday · 9:30 · Leave Lyon Via Grenoble and the D1091. Leave your suitcase at the Hôtel Le Castillan, facing the cable car. ### Friday · 15:00 · Jardin du Lautaret A quarter of an hour by car to the top of the pass. About 2,000 species of mountain flowers at 2,100 m. €9, free up to age 12; free guided visit at 16:00. ### Friday · 19:30 · Dinner at Le Sérac Traditional dining room in La Grave since 1978, with menus at €25, €31 and €37. Service is at a fixed time: arrive on time. ### Saturday · 8:30 · Cable car to the glacier Two sections to 3,200 m, facing La Meije. Ice cave, glacier path and terrace. €37 adults, €25 up to 18 years. ### Saturday · 12:00 · Lunch at La Cabine At the top station: pizzas, tartiflette or La Grave's goat's cheese salad. Go down before 13:30. ### Saturday · 14:00 · Arsine via ferrata With the Bureau des Guides de La Grave: about 200 m up a shaded pillar, an introduction, from 1.20 m in height. €62 per person in a group. ### Saturday · 20:00 · Dinner at Le Faranchin In Villar-d'Arêne, terrace facing the Bec de l'Homme glacier. Trout from Châteauroux, local lamb or the €42 à la carte set menu. ### Sunday · 7:30 · Emparis lakes and return From Le Chazelet, along the GR54 to Lac Noir and Lac Lérié, facing La Meije: 16.3 km, 845 m of ascent, about six hours. Back in La Grave around 14:00, and in Lyon around 17:00. ## Consejos ### Book the ferrata before you go The group outing needs four people and fills up in August. ### Change the order if it is windy If the cable car does not run on Saturday, do the ferrata in the morning and go up to the glacier on Sunday before heading back. ### Set out very early for Emparis Afternoon storms are frequent in summer. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Can it be done with children? Yes, with changes: the cable car and the garden suit all ages; the ferrata requires a height of 1.20 m, and instead of Emparis, do the easy climb to the Alpe refuge. ### Do you need a car? Yes. There is a bus from Grenoble to La Grave, but to get around between the Lautaret, Villar-d'Arêne and Le Chazelet you need a car. ### When is it best to go? In July and August, when everything opens daily. In September the cable car only opens Thursday to Sunday until the 13th. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hôtel Le Castillan**: A mountain-pass road hotel, opposite the cable car Le Castillan is a three-star hotel on the D1091, the great-passes road that climbs from Grenoble to the Lautaret, right opposite the La Grave cable car station. It is the comfortable base for anyone who wants to head up to the glaciers first thing without moving the car, and for those travelling the passes by motorbike or bike: it has free garaging for bikes and motorbikes and charging for e-bikes. In summer it opens from 29 May to 25 September 2026, and in winter from 18 December 2026 to 2 May 2027. The rooms There are 32, among singles, doubles, triples and family rooms, with bath or shower, telephone and television. About half have a south-facing loggia towards the Meije glaciers; the rest look onto the village. Two are adapted for people with reduced mobility. There is internet access. For spending the afternoon, the hotel has a lounge, a garden, a children's play area, a summer pool facing the Meije and a sauna, which costs €12 per person. The restaurant The kitchen holds the Maître Restaurateur title, which requires home-made dishes with fresh produce. There is a daily-changing menu from €26 and a children's menu at €12, plus a summer and a winter à la carte. The chef smokes his own trout and confits the Ventelon lamb shank with lemon. The producers are from the valley: Ventelon lamb, Villar-d'Arêne veal, goat's cheese and honey from La Grave. The bar and terrace face the glacier. Getting there and parking By the D1091, from Grenoble through the Romanche valley or from Briançon over the Lautaret. You park free in front of the hotel; inside the closed courtyard there are two electric-car charging points. The LER 35 bus from Grenoble to Briançon stops at La Grave with advance booking. - **Hôtel Auberge Edelweiss**, desde 150 € / night: An inn centuries old in the centre of La Grave The Auberge Edelweiss is a former coaching inn, privately owned, on rue de Babiole, in the centre of La Grave. The regional tourist office listing places it about five minutes' walk from the cable car. The team is international and speaks several languages, and the house caters both to La Grave's off-piste skiers and to those who ride the passes by bike. The rooms All face the Meije and have a full bathroom with a separate toilet, with duvets on the beds. There are doubles or twins and larger rooms, for up to four people. You can book any number of nights and arrive any day of the week. The whole hotel is smoke-free, including the terrace. There is no lift, and the hotel itself warns that it struggles to accommodate people with reduced mobility. Dinner on the terrace The hotel is built around a large terrace. The restaurant opens only in the evening, from 19:30 to 21:30, with a blackboard that changes daily: starters, mains, cheese and dessert, always with a different vegetarian dish, homemade bread every night and a list of more than 400 wines from France and the rest of the world. They do not serve fondue, tartiflette or raclette. In summer you dine outside if the weather allows and, now and then, there is a barbecue on the terrace. Inside, the bar is small and cosy. Prices and conditions In summer, the double room with breakfast costs from €150, and on half board, with breakfast and a three-course dinner, from €220. The tourist tax, €1.10 per person per day, is extra. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out at 10:00; you can leave your luggage afterwards. If you cancel more than four weeks ahead, the deposit is refunded; between four and two weeks, you lose half, and after that, everything.