Above: A beginner's ski slope, the Chantel at Arc 1800
(Les Arcs), with white snow under blue skies.
Easy to reach without flying!
If you
fancy a skiing holiday without the pain of the plane, no
problem. It's easy to reach French ski resorts
such as Les Arcs, Courchevel, Méribel or Val d'Isère by
the special Eurostar ski
train which runs from London St Pancras station every
Saturday during the ski season. In
fact, you'd be crazy to fly, the direct train journey is
so much less hassle and so much more fun than 7 hours of
check-ins, airports, flights & the 3-hour nightmare bus
transfer
from the airport. The train journey becomes part of your holiday, with a great atmosphere on
board. This page explains how to plan and book a ski
holiday by train not plane, either independently or as a
package with ski holiday companies who offer travel by
train.
If you want
the simplest way to ski by train from the UK, start with any
ski resort in the French Alps shown on the map opposite,
including Les Arcs, La Plagne,
Val d'Isère, Méribel, Courchevel & Les Menuires (Trois
Vallées). These French ski resorts are the easiest to
reach from the UK by train as the special Eurostar Ski Train runs from London to this area every
week in the skiing season and many ski holiday packages
incorporate train travel rather than flights to these resorts.
Les Arcs is
the easiest to reach of all, as it's linked by a 10-minute
funicular (mountain railway) ride up the mountain from Bourg
St Maurice railway station at the foot of the mountain. It's
a modern resort, good for beginners, and billed as 'home of the
snowboard'. Courchevel is the traditional haunt
of the Parisian jet set, up-market but not for those on a tight
budget! Val d'Isère is a well-known resort higher
up the valley, better for intermediate and advanced skiers
than beginners. Méribel is a big ski city with
many British visitors. La Plagne is a series of
picturesque villages and tree-lined pistes.
There's a helpful
summary of the pros & cons of each French ski resort on the
Eurostar website.
The ever-popular
Chamonix can also be reached by train, indeed it has its own
station on a scenic narrow-gauge line from St Gervais, but you'll
need to use scheduled trains as it's not served by the
Eurostar Ski Train or Snow Train.
There are four key
ways to reach the French Alps by train:
Eurostar direct daytime ski train.
This is the most civilised way to reach the French Alps.
Every Saturday morning from late December to April, a
Eurostar train runs direct from London St Pancras &
Ashford (Kent) to the French Alps, arriving in the early
evening,
see the map above to see the stations and resorts
served. It is available to independent travellers
and is also included in many package skiing holidays. It's become very popular, so
book well in advance!
Timetable,
information, photos & fares are shown below.
Rail Europe Snow Train.
This was the most time-effective way to
the French Alps, with a party on the train if you wanted
one. It ran every Friday night from January to
early April, but sadly will not run in the Winter
2009/10 season.
The Snow Train consisted of a scheduled Eurostar from
London or Ebbsfleet (near the M25) to Paris then a
chartered overnight train with 6-berth couchette
compartments (bunk beds) and bar-disco to the French
Alpine resorts. A key advantage is that it gave you
two extra day's skiing compared to either a
daytime Eurostar journey or a flight, as you sleep on the train,
arriving Saturday morning and leaving next Saturday
evening.
Timetable, information, photos & fares are shown below.
Eurostar
direct overnight ski train. There is also a
direct
overnight Eurostar from London to the Alps on Friday nights from late
December to April. However, it only has regular seats rather than proper sleeping-berths
(and non-reclining seats, at that) so you can't sleep properly, you really will be sitting
up all night. The Rail Europe Snow Train has
flat-bed couchettes to sleep in, so is a far better option if you want to
go overnight. And that's advice well worth taking!
Details on the Eurostar website.
Regular daily scheduled trains.
Alternatively, you can take regular, scheduled trains running
daily, year-round. Take Eurostar to Paris, change
trains & stations, then take either an overnight train with
couchettes or a daytime TGV train from Paris with the
French Alps. Many extra trains run on
Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays in the skiing season. If
you want to reach resorts not
shown on the map above such as the ever-popular Chamonix
(reached by narrow gauge train from St Gervais) you'll
need to use scheduled trains, not the special ski
trains. Details are shown on the
London to France page or book
online using
www.raileurope.co.uk.
Book
accommodation-only deals at the resort using operators such
as:
www.neilson.co.uk,
www.skihorizon.co.uk. Most accommodation deals
require an arrival on Saturday, departure the following
Saturday, which fits in with the Ski Train or Snow Train.
Do a dry run on
both websites to check train and accommodation prices &
availability first.
...or (b) Book a ski holiday package
which includes travel by Eurostar Ski Train...
This can be a
cheaper option. Most 7-day or 14-day holidays start on a
Saturday, leaving on a Saturday one or two weeks later. To avoid wasting valuable time with
supposedly 'expert' ski holiday companies who don't offer
sensible train travel to the
French Alps, just flights, flights & more flights, here are
the main holiday operators who do offer travel by
Eurostar Ski Train as part of
their ski holiday packages:
Start with
www.eurostar.com/ski,
which is probably the best place to book a package ski holiday
with travel by Eurostar.
Look for the 'Ski Packages' and 'book now' button below the
train-only booking form on the right. They also offer travel by
Eurostar to Lille or Paris and connecting French Railways
train to the Alps. Look for the trains shown as
'direct' to make sure you book the direct Eurostar to the
Alps.
The most
civilised way to the Alps, especially in Leisure Select
(first class) with complimentary lunch, afternoon tea & drinks! Far more relaxed
than flying, and great scenery too, although it will
probably be dark when you arrive in the Alps.
Eurostar's Ski
Train runs direct from London St Pancras & Ashford (Kent)
to Moutiers, Aime & Bourg St Maurice every Saturday from late December to mid April, with
connections for a whole range of popular skiing resorts such
as Val d'Isère, Tignes, Les Arcs, Méribel, Courchevel and the Trois
Vallées, see the map above.
Choose between
standard class from £149 return or first class
(called Leisure Select) from around £229 return, centre to
centre with no hidden extras.
Leisure Select fares include at-seat airline-style lunch,
afternoon tea and
complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Two
cafe-bar cars are available to all passengers. You're
free to bring your own food & drink, even wine or beer,
but there's a (still generous) booze limit of 1 bottle of
wine or 4 bottles of beer or 50cl of spirits per person on
the Eurostar Ski Train.
You can take
skis or a snowboard free of charge, in addition to your
normal luggage allowance. Skis & boards go in a
designated luggage area at the end of each car.
There's a
60-minute minimum check in for the Eurostar Ski Train.
Transfers are not included in the price.
Buses & taxis link the railway stations with the various ski resorts,
see the
map above (but note that the Eurostar doesn't call at
Chambéry, Albertville or Landry). Transfers are not included in the price,
so see the table of
transfer options below.
The Eurostar
Ski Train has proved extremely popular, and seats get booked
up well in advance, so book early to avoid disappointment.
See
www.eurostar.com/ski for times, fares & online booking.
Sadly, Rail
Europe have just announced that their Snow Train will not
run in the 2009/10 or 2010/11 seasons,
due to the general economic situation, plus the
weakening pound.
The Snow Train is the most time-effective,
hassle-free & fun
way to the French Alps - it's not surprising many people come back
and use it again next time! The fare includes travel by scheduled
early-evening Eurostar from London or Ebbsfleet (just off
the M25) to Paris Gare du
Nord, where there's a simple same-station change of train onto the Rail
Europe overnight charter train to the Alps. The
overnight train has 6-berth couchette compartments (simple
sleeping accommodation with bunk beds,
see the photos below) and a vibrant
bar-disco car. You can party all night or chat quietly
in your compartment over a glass or two, it's up to you. You're not only
allowed but encouraged to take your own picnic & wine
or beer with you - there's no alcohol limit, but this seldom
causes any problems. In fact, there's a great holiday atmosphere on board
and it can be safely recommended for couples and even
families. There are plenty of Rail Europe reps on
board to offer help and assistance. Because you travel
overnight and can spend the first & last Saturdays
of your holiday skiing, you effectively get two extra
days of skiing free when you go by Snow Train as opposed
to daytime trains or
flights. It's stress-free compared to flying, and the journey
becomes part of the holiday. Great Alpine scenery in
the morning, too!
Fares start at £199
return per person from central London to the Alps, including
Eurostar + overnight couchette sleeping berth each way but excluding resort
transfers. Prices vary by departure, with school
half term weeks being the most popular and selling out
soonest, so book early.
Children:
Infants under 4
travel free as long as they share a berth. However,
there's no reduction for children over 4, youths or
seniors, just the normal adult fare.
Check-in:
In London, you must check in between 15:30 & 16:30 at the
Rail Europe desk at St Pancras. Returning, you
should be at the station 30 minutes before departure.
On-board
sleeping accommodation is in mixed-sex 6-berth couchette
compartments, which convert between seats for evening use
and bunk beds for sleeping, see the photos below.
Sheets, blankets & pillows are supplied. There are
washrooms & toilets at each end of the corridor.
Sole occupancy of a whole compartment is possible, but
expensive as you effectively pay for the other tickets.
But sharing a compartment on the Snow Train is a great way
to meet other skiers...
Bar-disco:
There's a soundproofed bar-disco car in the centre of the
train, entrance free, see the photos below. The bar
serves alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, but
not meals, so remember to bring your own food. The
bar-disco is open until the small hours. It gets
very busy on the outward journey, it's a bit quieter
coming back!
Luggage &
skis: Unlike flying, there are no baggage fees
to worry about on the Snow Train! Your luggage and one set of skis, ski boots & ski poles
per person are transported free of charge. On the Eurostar,
you stow your luggage & skis in the normal luggage racks
at the end of each coach or you can use the special baggage
areas in cars 9 & 10 for larger skis or bulkier
luggage. On arrival in Paris, you get off the
Eurostar and put your luggage & skis on a long line of
luggage trolleys positioned on the platform next to the
train. You're now free to walk off the platform into
the station concourse and spend an hour or so having a
coffee or drink or getting some euros out of an ATM across
the road before boarding the overnight Snow Train on a
nearby platform. You'll find the trolleys with your
skis and bags are now on the platform next to the Snow
Train. Reclaim your bags & skis and stash them on
board the Snow Train. There's space for shorter skis
under the bottom berth in your couchette compartment,
longer skis can be stowed in a locker at the end of the
corridor in each couchette car. On the return
journey when you arrive in Paris heading home, you can either take your
bags & skis with you or leave them for a while on the luggage
trolleys which meet the Snow Train, collecting them again when
it's time to go upstairs to check in for the Eurostar back
to London. That leaves you free to have a coffee
until the Eurostar check-in opens about an hour before the
Eurostar leaves.
Transfers
from stations to ski resorts:
Buses & taxis link the railway stations with the various ski resorts,
see the
map above. Transfers are not included in the price,
so see the table of
transfer options below.
You can also
catch the Snow Train from Ebbsfleet International station,
just off the M25.
Above: The Snow
Train at Paris Nord. The luggage carts ferry your
bags and skis round from the Eurostar platform to the Snow
Train platform while you change some money or grab a
coffee. Just remember to reclaim your stuff & take
it on board the train!
Above: Bunk beds
on the Snow Train. 6-berth
couchette compartment in 'seats' mode
(left, for chatting & sharing a bottle of red) and in sleeping mode (right) with
bunks folded out. Each berth is supplied with a
fresh clean sheet, blanket & pillow. Washrooms &
toilets are at each end of the corridor.
Above: The
packed Snow Train bar...
Above: The
famous Snow Train disco, complete with DJ booth & strobe
lights...
Above: The
Snow Train bar-disco car waits to leave Paris Nord en
route for the Alps...
Above:
Wake up next morning to snowy Alpine scenery...
Above:
The pretty village of Landry, seen from the train...
Above:
The Snow Train arrives at Aime La Plagne en route to Bourg
St Maurice...
Above: The Snow Train arrives at Bourg St
Maurice. Walk forward through station
building to the forecourt for transfer buses or taxis to
resorts such as Val d'Isere, or to the rear of
the train & over the footbridge for the funicular to Les
Arcs.
Transfer to Les Arcs: There
is a funicular (mountain railway)
from Bourg St Maurice up to Les Arcs, a 10 minute ride
up the mountain. The funicular station is right
next to the mainline rail station at Bourg St Maurice.
Fare around 6 euro. There's a ski pass bureau &
cash point at the funicular station.
Watch the Snow Train video...
This promotional
video shows you what a Snow Train journey is like...
If you book a
package ski holiday this will probably include transfers from
rail station to ski resort. But if you're travelling
independently, tickets for the Eurostar Ski Train or Rail
Europe Snow Train don't include transfers. For most
resorts you can either take a bus (cheapest) or book a taxi
(quicker, but expensive unless there's a group of you to share
the cost).
Taxi prices shown
here are for the whole taxi for 1-4 people. Slightly
higher prices apply for a minivan for over 4 people.
Bus fares are per
person, there's a 50% discount for children under 12, children
under 4 free.
Resort:
Station:
Transfer
options:
Courchevel
Moutiers
Buses run by
www.transavoie.com link Moutiers with Courchevel
(45 minutes, 10.60 euro) every hour or two.
Alight at Bourg St Maurice
and walk back towards the rear
of the train and over the footbridge to the funicular
(mountain railway) station which is right next to the
mainline station platforms. Bourg St Maurice is at
the bottom of the mountain on which Les Arcs ski resorts
sit, and the funicular links Bourg St Maurice station with
Arc 1600 every 15 minutes or so, fare around 6 euro one
way or 11 euro return, journey time about 10 minutes.
Free shuttle buses ("navettes gratuites" in French) link
the funicular station at Arc 1600 with Arc 1800 & Arc
2000. If you're skiing at Les Arcs, 10 minutes up
the hill by funicular from the railway station is so much
easier than a cramped 4 hours transfer by bus from the
airport! There's an ATM if you need euros and a ski
pass bureau at the funicular station.
Méribel
Moutiers
Buses run by
www.transavoie.com link Moutiers with Méribel
(40 minutes, 12.50 euro) every hour or two.
You'll need
to hire skis, ski poles & ski boots, or a snowboard & snowboard
boots, unless you have your own. You hire these when you arrive, but it's best
to pre-book.
There are many beautiful
ski resorts in Switzerland, including favourites Gstaad, Zermatt, Grindelwald, St
Moritz, Davos. All of these have rail stations at the resort. Package operators
generally don't offer skiing holidays to
Switzerland with train travel, only flights, so you'll need to buy train
tickets and arrange accommodation separately.
Swiss ski resorts & how to
get to them by train...
You'll need
skis, ski poles & ski boots, or a snowboard & snowboard
boots. You hire either these when you arrive or pre-book. Try
www.skiset.co.uk or
www.skiholidayextras.com.
Insurance with winter
sports cover is a necessity,
not an optional extra! Try
Columbus Direct.
www.inghams.co.uk offer some package skiing
holidays to Switzerland with rail travel from the UK, so they are
worth a look.
There are many
popular ski resorts in the Austrian Tyrol. Package operators
don't offer skiing holidays to Austria with train travel, only
flights, so you'll need to buy train tickets and arrange
accommodation separately.
You'll need
skis, ski poles & ski boots, or a snowboard & snowboard
boots. You hire these when you arrive, but it's best
to pre-book. Try
www.skiset.co.uk or
www.skiholidayextras.com.
Insurance with winter
sports cover is a necessity,
not an optional extra! Try
Columbus Direct.
Andorra has plenty of good
ski resorts, and it's easy to get to by Eurostar to Paris, overnight
couchette train from Paris to l'Hospitalet près l'Andorre then a scenic
bus ride over the mountains. No package operators offer skiing
holidays to Andorra with train travel, so you'll need to go
independently, booking train tickets and ski resort accommodation
separately.
