Travel, Site Access information & Accommodation

Travel

Visa requirements

You will find all the information about how to get to the ESRF on the EPN campus website.

By air

Grenoble is served by three airports:

• Lyon - Saint-Exupery Airport (formerly Satolas), with an hourly or half-hourly shuttle bus to Grenoble bus/train station (1 hour).  We advise you to buy your tickets online from the shuttle service "Ouibus":  http://www.ouibus.com
   
• Geneva - Cointrin Airport, with several shuttle buses per day to Grenoble bus/train station (2 hours). We advise you to buy your tickets online from the shuttle service "Ouibus" (from 1st March 2018):  http://www.ouibus.com
   
• Grenoble St. Geoirs Airport (seasonal)

By train

Grenoble is well served by trains from throughout France and Europe, including direct TGV from Paris (3 hours).

By car

Reimbursement for travel by car is subject to the reimbursement rules for users receiving ESRF financial assistance. Go to the page Financial Assistance.

Travel booking assistance (only for reimbursed users)

For additional information, consult the "Travel Rules" in the "ESRF User Policies and Rules"

The ESRF Travel Office can provide pre-paid air/train tickets:

• for users subsidised by the ESRF (their home laboratory is located in one of the ESRF member countries),
   
• for a travel from/to the country/town in which their home laboratory is located: in this case, when completing the A Form, the main proposer must tick the appropriate 'Travel Office' box.

Note: For users subsidised by the ESRF who do NOT wish pre-paid tickets, the "Travel Office" box must NOT be ticked. They will claim the reimbursement of their travel expenses after the experiment.

Please note that the Travel Office cannot make bookings for a user if they have not been fully registered as a user via the electronic submission of the A Form.  (The ESRF only receives the name of a user once the user has performed the safety training and validated their Safety and User Declaration Form).

For further details and bookings, please contact the Travel Office (traveloff@esrf.fr - Fax: + 33 (0)4 76 88 20 20, Tel: +33 (0)4 76 88 21 03) at least 2 weeks before the planned departure for the ESRF, mentioning the date and the preferred time (morning/afternoon/evening) of departure, and the date and preferred time for the return journey.  The tickets will then be delivered pre-paid to the airport from which you depart.

Site access information

The site is a restricted area and you will be asked to report in at the site entrance on arrival. You will need to produce proof of identification.

Since 1st September 2018 the driver's license is no longer accepted as ID for entering the EPN site, even for French nationals. A valid passport or a valid national identity card (i.e. not expired) are now the only acceptable form of identification for all those wishing to access the site. Please ensure you have valid identification with you.

Accommodation

For additional information, consult the "Travel Rules" in the "ESRF User Policies and Rules"

Users participating in experiments will be accommodated in the Guesthouse, which is located on site. All practical information concerning the Guesthouse can be found on the EPN Campus website.

Do not contact the Guesthouse directly for a booking. Requests for accommodation must be made through the electronic A Form submitted by the main proposer of the experiment. Users will receive by email confirmation of the booking. 

For users receiving ESRF financial assistance, the cost of the room and breakfast is paid directly by the ESRF.

For users not receiving ESRF financial assistance: the guest has to pay for the stay directly at the Guesthouse (in cash, by cheque on a French bank or by credit card). The price per person per night, when paid by guest, is:

• 35€75 (VAT included) in a single room
• 28€93 (VAT included) in a twin room
• 2€63 for breakfast