The Ultimate Ski-by-Train Travel Hack – the Secret Cake Shop in Bourg Saint Maurice

Come with me and discover the town's best kept secret; a boulangerie that is well worth the diversion to find.

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I love taking the train to go skiing; I’ve not ahd the opportunity to do so much in the past few years, but this December I was once again back on the train from St Pancras to the French Alps.

Over the years I’ve learned a few things about making the journey as awesomw as possible. This includes knowing how to pack your bag, which seats to choose on the train, and which routes to take.

But there is one travel hack that I love more than others. I will now go out of my way to make this happen, it’s that good. So read on to find out about the secret cake shop in Bourg Saint Maurice and how to plan your ski-by-train odyssey around it.

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The Route

Travelling via Bourg Saint Maurice is one of the most popular ways to reach the Alps by train. It is the railhead hub for several major resorts in the Tarenteise, including Les Arcs, Sainte Foy, Tignes and Val d’Isere.

On top of this, direct trains run on winter Saturdays and Sundays from both Lille and Paris, and outside of these weekends it can be reached with one change via Chambery. I won’t quite say that all roads rails lead to Bourg, but if you’re heading to some of the most popular ski resorts in the Alps then it just might be the case …

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Bourg Saint Maurice

The station lies at the centre of town. If you are heading to Les Arcs, then you walk out of one end of the station to the funicular that runs directly into the heart of the resort.

For all other destinations, walk out the front of the station and you will land in the “gare routiere” or bus station. From here, Auvergene-Rhones-Alpes – the region of France where we are – has a superb coach network that links you to the myriad ski resorts lying nearby.

The coaches are timed to meet the trains, and will wait if your train is late – how brilliant is that?!

To book your tickets head to altibus.com; return fares can be as little as 18€.

By the way, who was Saint Maurice, from whom the town is named? He was an Egpytian soldier who served in the Roman Army who, along with his Theban Legion was executed by the Romans for refusing to attack Christian rebels in the Alps. He's now the patron saint of mountain troops and the House of Savoy - historic rulers of the region where Bourg is located. He lends his name to St Mortiz in Switzerland, too.

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The Secret Cake Shop

Having discovered this hack, I will book my coach at least an hour after I arrive in Bourg – i.e. miss the “connecting” bus designed to meet my train.

Then, I leave my luggage at the “baggagerie”, the left luggage hut run by Les Arcs just outside the station. It costs 2€ per bag for 4hrs, so wonderfully cheap even if you’re only leaving a bag for an hour.

Stroll up Bourg’s delightful semi-pedestrianised high street and you’ll arrive at Boulangerie 3G; you’ll be immediately tempted in by their sweets and chocolates, but they offer cakes, pastries, sandwiches and coffee. Take a seat, fest, and watch the world go by for an hour or two before finishing off your journey!

Grab some pastries for tomorrow morning to make your first ski day amazing, or a sandwich to eat on the train home. Some chocolates to treat yourself on the last leg up the hill, or a coffee to wake you up after an early start.

I now go out of my way to make it to Boulangerie 3G when either coming or going by train – often both. It’s a wonderful flourish to begin or end your ski trip, and welcome you to the Alps in style.

So the next time you’re passing through Bourg Saint Maurice, make the time to visit the secret cake shop and discover the ultimate ski-by-train travel hack.