Travel by train for luxury, ease and longer lasting snow

Photo: slideshowbob of flickr

We've found traveling by train to be the most restful and enjoyable way to the Alps. It is often the fastest, with short transfers, and can give you an extra couple of days skiing if you take a sleeper. We find that by taking a sleeper there is no better way to get there ready to ski. You'll also be helping the snow to last for many more years to come.

However, it is just not immediately obvious how easy it is to get to so many resorts in this way. So we're here to help.

So which resorts can you get to by train?

Some resorts, such as Zell Am See, the Three Valleys, Tignes, Val D'Isere or Flaine, are definitely more well known by train than others. All the same, you will find most ski resorts in the Alps, in particular those in France, Switzerland and Austria, are well served by trains. Chamonix is very simple for example. Overnight sleeper options can even get you two extra days in the snow. Enjoy exploring the options!

Do note that many tour operators, as well as apartment and chalet owners, have no idea of the train options for getting there even when there's a very easy option. But it is worth asking, just in case they do know.

• Look at Google Maps to see which train stations are nearest a particular resort.
• Look at the Ski Club GB website for details of a resort, including the nearest train station (though they don't always have this info).
• Research the train timetable options:
  • For an overview of possibilities, look on the Bahn site for through connections right from London or your home station to the French local station, searching for late trains if you are interested in sleepers
  • to book or inquire about prices, first check on the Eurostar site which days are best for cheap returns to Paris or Brussels, then search for the journey section from there to the local station on the Rail Europe website (it can't cope with the London connection part too, but that's easy to add in as a separate purchase - there are trains all day from St Pancras to the Gare du Nord) or even better, use the train operator's website, such as SNCF. 
  • If tickets haven't been released yet for the dates you want to travel, look at prices on similar popularity dates going sooner.
  • Ring Rail Europe for help if you get lost on their website - and you can always go on to book on line with them or another website to save booking fees.
• Buying your tickets:
  • Be aware that the cheapest way to travel is to buy each single leg of the journey separately when the tickets are released. You can do this on line through various websites.
  • Eurostar tickets are released 120 days before departure (or before the return date for a return ticket). You can buy the next leg from Paris or Brussels at midnight local country time 90 days before your travel date, which is when the tickets get released by the train operator. Some local trains, such as Swiss ones, go on sale only 30 days before travel, or you can buy them as you travel at station kiosks and ticket machines.
  • Cheap fares sell fast, within a few minutes for popular dates, though more expensive and exchangeable ones will usually be available longer. Even first class sleeper tickets can be at great prices early on. 
  • Rail Europe only seems to release the tickets at midnight UK time, which means they will have already been selling on the French, Belgian, Austrian, Swiss and German sites for an hour before that.
  • For last minute travel, go at low season or travel mid-week, as at these times cheap fares are often still available last minute.
• For transfer to your chosen resort, regular buses tend to operate from right outside the station, meeting most long-distance trains. Look up the details on the resort's website. Some resorts even have train stations within them, or funicular and gondola lifts from the station. These include St Anton, Wengen, Les Arcs, Verbier, Chamonix, Agentiere, Zell Am Zee, and many others, particularly in Switzerland and Austria.

Check out the marvellous Man in Seat 61 website for more advice. Don't be scared - your journey should be so much more pleasant travelling this way! Bring an end to endless waiting in airport departure lounges and baggage retrieval, not to mention lengthy traffic-jammed bus transfers to your resort.

French Resorts by Train

The UK is really well connected to France thanks to the Eurostar. From Paris there are many direct trains running through the ski season to stations close to ski resorts, with short transfers by comfy buses that meet the trains.

Eurostar even run a direct service to the Alps. These are the most well known and highly popular with the British. This can be loud and lively. Returns are from about £159 and are released in the Summer - register with Rail Europe or Eurostar to be alerted.

However, once you have got to Paris there are so many more destinations you can connect to, often more cheaply - and it's simple to pop in a taxi to another Paris station if need be. You also can travel most days of the week this way. The French regularly travel to ski resorts by train, so the system is very well set up. You'll be travelling alongside mainly French people, who in our experience make calm, quiet and considerate fellow passengers.

Prices are from as little as £12 seated overnight one way from Paris to your resort's nearest station, or from about £30 in a couchette. The cheapest fares go soonest and are mid-week. These are available to book 90 days in advance. A return to Paris from London can be as little as £59 and is available to book up to 120 days in advance. Thus the train tickets could cost as little as £83 return from London, with a couple of quid extra for the RER (tube) in Paris, or a bit more for a taxi. A more realistic estimate if you want a couchette and to arrive on a Saturday is £150-230 return.

France: which resorts can you get to easily?

You can get to most French ski resorts by train. Here's how to find how.

• You can learn about some of them at the Snow Carbon website, though there are more resorts well linked to trains.
• look at the map of the stations and resorts that Altibus links to as a good starting point
• look at the Ski Club GB website for details of a resort, including the nearest train station
• research the train options:
  • Optionally for an overview of possibilities, look on the Bahn site for through connections right from London or your home station to the French local station, searching for late trains if you are interested in sleepers
  • to book or inquire about prices, first check on the Eurostar site which days are best for cheap returns to Paris, then search for the journey section from Paris to the local station on the Rail Europe website (it can't cope with the London connection part too, but that's easy to add in as a separate purchase - there are trains all day from St Pancras to the Gare du Nord)
  • or ring Rail Europe for help if you get lost on their website - they'll make it easier to buy it all in one go.

Photo: QuintanaRoo of flickr

You tend to get a good price by booking the Paris return and then the Paris to resort station return separately, and you can do both through Rail Europe or another UK rail specialist travel agency. Additionally, special through deals to various popular European destinations from London are listed on the European Rail site.

French resorts you can get to by train and Altibus

LES ARAVIS: La Clusaz, Grand Bornand, St Jean de Sixt, Manigod. LA MAURIENNE: Albiez, Aussois, Bessans, Bonneval sur Arc, Bramans, La Norma, La Toussuire, Le Corbier, Les Karellis, Sollières, Termignon, Val Cenis, Valfréjus, Valloire, Valmeinier. LA TARENTAISE: La Plagne, Plagne Montalbert, Montchavin les Coches, Champagny en Vanoise, Pralognan en Vanoise, La Tania, Courchevel, Brides les Bains, Méribel, Val Thorens, Les Menuires, St Martin de Belleville, Valmorel. LA HAUTE TARENTAISE: Tignes, Val d'Isère, Les Arcs, La Rosière. GIFFRE - LE GRAND MASSIF: Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoëns, Sixt Fer a Cheval, Praz de Lys, LES BAUGES Le Revard & La Féclaz, Annemasse. LE PAYS DU MONT-BLANC: Genève, Praz sur Arly, Megève, Combloux, Sallanches, Les Contamines, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains, Chamonix, Les Houches. LES PORTES DU SOLEIL: Châtel, Abondance, La Chapelle d'Abondance, Les Gets, Morzine, Avoriaz.

Other Countries

Many other European countries have resorts accessible by train, particularly Austria, but also Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Andorra and Italy. We find tour operators often have little idea of train options, so if they say there aren't any, it's still worth doing some research. Here's how to investigate:

• You can learn about some options at the Snow Carbon website, though there are more resorts well linked to trains than those they list.
• look at the Ski Club GB website for details of a resort, including the nearest train station, though they often forget to mention them, even when there's a station in resort!
• Look on Google Maps for any resort that interests you and see if there is a train line nearby, by zooming in on local towns. Then use the station names on the Bahn website below.
• For an overview of possibilities, look on the Bahn site for through connections right from London or your home station to the station near the resort, searching for late trains if you are interested in sleepers.
• The websites of the resort or ski area you are interested may also have information on public transport options.
• Some fellow vegans have posted a guide on Veggie Snow to Wengen, which includes how to get there by train.

Author: Sophie Fenwick-Paul

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Story posted by on 2009-01-21 13:48:19.

Story last updated by on 2011-01-27 12:28:25.

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Travel by train for luxury, ease and longer lasting snow

We've found traveling by train to be the most restful and enjoyable way to the Alps. It is often the fastest, with short transfers, and can give you an extra couple of days skiing if you take a sleeper. We find that by taking a sleeper there is no better way to get there ready to ski. You'll also be helping the snow to last for many more years to come.

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