Travelling by train to French ski resorts

A snowHead

I joked to Mr. O that we should all get the very early one (man loves his bed). He said absolutely not, but that I should go and enjoy myself. He'll follow along with the teens and bags, all I need to take is my own kit. He's a good egg. That all said, we may end up coming down together if the trains decree it.

A snowHead

Heads up for anyone booking with LNER for Easter, reservations are available now… just done mine Cool

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Just to update that my trip to Sainte Foy by Eurostar/SNCF went smoothly. First class on the SNCF legs was a delight. Beware of the lack of luggage storage space in standard. I left myself too long for the Paris transfer (4h!). It was actually very simple on the RER even with a child and luggage.

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@vera16 sounds great, how was the transfer across Paris? We’re breaking the journey on the way down to Val Cenis but going all the way through to Northumberland on the return.
Did you go Plus / Premier on the Eurostar? We’ve not splashed out on that before so interested to know the difference.

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@vera16, great to hear that your trip went well, and especially that you've discovered that getting across Paris on the RER really is very simple and not the mammoth task that some people seem to think it'll be.

One thing that's puzzling me, though, is your comment about lack of luggage space in standard class. Were you on a TGV? If so, there's huge luggage spaces at the end of the carriage and usually part way along. The one time I've seen an issue is with "coffin" bags that don't really fit on those luggage racks in most coaches. I have no issues with either my large holdall or my skis in standard class.

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For me, there's a huge difference in Premier to Standard.

It's a 1-aisle-two layout, rather than a two-aisle-two. So not only are your seats wider (and recline), but the aisle is, too, meaning you're not so close quarters. The carriages have dividers, so you can generally only see the people in the seats closest to you. This is most noticeable if you walk through the train. The first Standard coach you come to, you can see right to the other end. It's immediately noticeable then how noisy Standard is compared to Premier. There's just people and stuff everywhere.

I don't rate the food on Eurostar. It's a bit pretentious, but worse, it's always cold, which is unpleasant. Breakfast is more palatable as it's often a pastry and a yogurt (you can check the menu before boarding).

I like being greeted at the train door by name, and shown to our seats, and I like having unlimited cups of tea.

Getting across Paris is a doddle as long as you've sorted your ticket ahead of time. We just put them on our phone. The Man in 61 has a great explanation https://www.seat61.com/changing-stations-in-paris.htm#how-to-buy-metro-tickets

It's two stops. Inevitably the direct metro line (D - green) is out of action when we go, so we jump on the B (blue) for one stop, alighting at Châtelet, then get on A (red) for one stop. You don't usually have to change platform.

You will need to navigate stairs or lifts, just like using the Tube, given that you are going from over to underground, and back.

Gare de Lyon has three 'Halls', all of which have platforms. Generally, trains to the Alps are from Hall 2, which is up a ramp. But the departure boards are dotted through the concourse, so it's easy enough to work out as long as you don't let the immediate chaos of Gare de Lyon overwhelm you. Once you're in the Hall, and clear of the concourse, it's much less bonkers.

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Oh, and when going through ticket barriers, people WILL tailgate you. I was clutching my British pearls the first time. Londoners would NEVER!

After all it is free

@Owlette, I could see the advantage of paying extra if it meant I definitely wouldn't have to listen to children watching tablets without headphones. I was subjected Barbie last year. I've no idea why parents think this is acceptable, especially with the simple solution of headphones.

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@MotownJunk, the transfer across Paris was really very easy. There are a couple of YouTube videos which lay it out for you visually but would have been easy even without them. In and idle moment on the Eurostar I downloaded an app called 'Bonjour RATP' which allowed me to purchase metro tickets on my phone (loaded them onto a virtual Navigo card). So just showed my phone at the ticket barrier. Very simple.

We went Plus on Eurostar for the outward leg. It was nice and more spacious but I wouldn't splash out for such a short journey unless the price increase was minimal. We went standard for the return leg and it was fine.

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@sugarmoma666, this thread was a huge help for a first timer so thank you. Yes for the SNCF leg we were on a TGV INOUI train. There was a huge rush when the platform was announced and we ended up in the wrong carriage (standard class) in the confusion. I realised the rush was because of luggage space. It filled out very quickly. When we later found our first class carriage there was more space, as less seats per carriage, so not an issue although the luggage space was still filled. Bear in mind this was the Saturday after Christmas so one of the busiest travel days of the year. I bought the SNCF tickets as soon as they were released so the price increase for first was not astronomical and the return journey fell on my birthday so I fancied treating myself. The two of us were sat in single seats across our own table and it really was a very relaxing way to travel.

What made the journey much easier was not taking the coffin bag as you mentioned. I took the bindings off my snowboard and carried it on my back in a cheap velcro/fabric case. One small suitcase for me plus a backpack and the same (but a bit lighter) for my child. We even managed some sightseeing around Notre Dame with this luggage arrangement.

I would do the same journey again without hesitation but I may be ditching the snowboard and taking skis next time. But that's another story Laughing

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@vera16, good to hear the thread helped. The luggage space is an interesting one. I've been on the TGV at Easter when it's been fully booked and the luggage space hasn't generally been an issue but did need a bit of juggling. One thing I've noticed that can cause an issue is people on the upper deck using the (much more limited) storage space on the lower deck.

As a matter of interest, did you get challenged at all about carrying a snowboard on the TGV? SNCF have updated their conditions of carriage to say snowboards can be no more than 130cm, which rules out all adult snowboards. This is particularly puzzling when the same paragraph says that there is no limit on the length of skis that can be carried Puzzled

My guess is it's to avoid "coffin" bags, but as you've found, a snowboard in a simple sleeve fits fine. (If it is to avoid "coffin" bags, I wonder if they realise that define of them contain skis Very Happy

)

@sugarmoma666, no I did not get challenged on any leg. But the snowboard in a sleeve easily fit on the shelf above the seats (skis would also fit here and I saw several sets). And on the Eurostar it slotted in nicely behind the the last seat before the luggage rack. A coffin bag would be much more difficult to accommodate. I reckon the luggage rack is only about 130cm wide.

You know it makes sense.

@sugarmoma666, I wasn’t aware of luggage restrictions, we’ll be travelling with a coffin bag with a snowboard and skis in at Easter… seems a very odd rule!

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So Eurostar and the snow, how much drama should one expect, now that the initial shock is over? The delays two days ago were ridiculous.

Also I think that 130cm limitation was there since years. No one complained yet. Also, to be safe, bring some long velcro straps or something, then you can put it upright against one of the racks. I've seen others do that.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Thanks, we’ve taken it on trains in Norway and the UK without issues so had foolishly assumed it’d be OK… better to find out now!

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below is my trip report for our latest ski holiday, its a bit long winded but thought i would give it my "walts and all" review

after going to the 3v's the week before xmas via Eurostar/tgv with my 19yo daughter, if I would to do this again i would have to think more carefully about the logistics of it all.

we travelled out on a Friday morning, then returning the following Sunday evening

firstly, i would seriously have to look about paring down how much stuff i took with me, i took far too much "normal" clothes with me, even with using space saver compressed bags for clothes etc my dakine roller ski bag and normal roller bag was rammed, my daughter had a normal ski bag and roller bag as well.

ski boots and helmets take up a lot of room on their own, without any other clobber!!!

there is no getting over it that there is a lot of faffing around when travelling by train when going skiing, with lots of changing tubes/trains/metro etc.
on the way out i decided to pay for a black taxi from Paddington to st Pancras, it hadn't started great as my early morning express train to Paddington was cancelled and had to get the (busier and slower) Elizabeth line instead, and didn't fancy messing around with the tube by then as we were going to be tight for time.

st Pancras was easy enough, but there was a distinct lack of luggage space on the Eurostar, especially for our ski bags, i had to go into the next carriage to find space, and to be able to stand the bags up and bungy strap them to the baggage rack.
as we had a few hours between arriving in Paris and then our tgv from Gare de Lyon, we waited for all the passengers on the train to leave the platform before exiting, as my ski bag was a bit like an HGV, and was easier to have a clear platform.

we also had the metro tickets preloaded on our phones, must admit we got slightly confused at what lift we could take to get to the RER D, first one we took did not go down to the required platform, we were not alone in the lift with this problem!!
had to go back up and walk around and find the correct one (though we then knew which was the correct one on the return to Paris, and where to be on the platform)

at Gare de Lyon, there did not seem to be a lift that would take you direct from the rer platform to the main ticket hall, went through the accessible gate (along with a couple of tailgaters rolling eyes

) then up the escalators then pedestrian ramp to hall 2.
was fortunate to find a table (everywhere was busy) with a couple of seats in the corner by a cafe/take away, where we could stow our bags out of the way and sit quietly for a couple of hours, taking it in turn to explore/shop/toilet etc .

i had even ordered something from amazon.fr, that i needed last minute, and was able to pick it up from the amazon locker inside the Gare de Lyon

we were booked on the mid afternoon direct train to moutiers, in first class, the train was rammed, and i could not see any spare seats in any of the carriages i walked through to get to the bar or a working toilet rolling eyes

again, luggage space was at a premium and we had to leave our roller bags downstairs but our ski bags upstairs in another carriage, again bungy strapped to a rack).

train journey was pleasant, in no time we were by Lyon, then it was then the leg of the journey that slows down a lot, and it was starting to get dark so not a lot to see outside.

the bar carriage was heaving, with what seems a lot of people spending the whole journey on the lash, the holiday starts then i suppose Very Happy

was a bit of a military operation to be able to get our baggage off across two carriages at Moutier's as the posted waiting time was 3 minutes

we were overnighting in Moutier's, it was the "hotel inn design", basic but comfortable rooms and hotel, 2 double rooms at £50 each per room.

taxi from the station to the hotel was quoted at 20 euros for a 5 minute ride, "as we had ski bags with us", it was 8 euros on the meter, and a normal size car, he just folded down one of the rear seats, but hey ho captive market and all that Shocked

pre arranged transfer on the Saturday morning from the hotel to meribel mottaret, shout out to Jerome at https://ajs-transport-savoie.fr/
was there bang on at pre arranged time of 8:30, and fare was 90 euros, dropped off right outside the apartment complex we were staying in.
had arranged to meet the key holder for the apartment for around 9:30ish, thinking we would not be able to access until later that day, 2pm was on the booking details, but they were not available later in the day.
in the end, they let us in straight away (as she had just finished cleaning), so we were able to unpack, pick a few things up from the local shop then change into ski gear and get out on the slopes.

i was quite impressed with staying in meribel mottaret, though i had skied through there hundreds of times, and socialised there when i worked in meribel, i had never stayed there.
we were ski in/ski out, with a couple of ski hire shops, restos and bars, and a well stocked supermarket in the vicinity, with a pedestrian lift that took you straight from our complex to mottaret centre.

the only downside of when we went (pre-xmas week) was that there were a few places yet to open, and the inter village bus between mottaret and meribel was on a reduced timetable. which was a costly mistake on my part one evening, when we went down to meribel for a bit of a shop, a couple of drink and something to eat, not realising that the last bus up was at 8pm, and not the timetable i had looked at online a few weeks before that said it ran until after midnight!!
result in a 25euro uber ride back Embarassed

skiing was good, though by the end of the week you could see that lots more snow was required, not sure what the conditions would be like now, with from what i can tell hardly any snow fall since!!

due to different issues, after the first couple of days both my daughter and myself needed to hire ski boots for the rest of the week.
her boots were killing her, and mine (10 years old) were nearly impossible to get on and off, it was like they had blown completely out of shape since last using them, even though they had been stored correctly in a dry and warm place with buckles done up Puzzled

am now investing in new pairs for both of us Shocked

original plan on the final Saturday was to pack up and clean the apartment, then ski for a few hours until arranged transfer and early evening train to Paris.
but, as much as we tried, we could not find anywhere in mottaret where we could store luggage for the day, change go skiing then do the reverse later that day before heading down the mountain to catch our train.
i was surprised that the complex we were staying in, as there seemed to be lots of space to allow for this, with a large manned reception.

i was able to change our train to an earlier departure, for a small fee, and was able to cancel our planned late afternoon transfer, again with AJS, and buy tickets (12 euros each) for the midday coach from mottaret to moutiers, the bus stop for this was conveniently right outside where we were staying.

had a couple of hours to kill at Moutier, so picked up a bit to eat and drink at the cafe inside the station, then a few bits and pieces for the train from the shop.

the TGV to Paris was packed again, with luggage having to be spread over two carriages and upper and lower decks again, even in first class!!

as the journey this time was mostly during the day, we had lovely views of the mountains and the journey pas the lac du bourget at aix les bains was fantastic.

again, when we arrived at gare du lyon, we waited for the rush to die down before alighting the train, we had a hotel booked for the evening close to the station, hotel prince albert gare.

nice enough, if basic hotel, with a tiny lift that we could only go up one at a time with a bag each, leaving ski bags downstairs in luggage storage.
good value breakfast with pastries, cold meats, cheese, bread fruit and yoghurts etc.

we were able to leave our bags there for free after checking out on the Sunday, where we then did a bit of sightseeing for the day taking in Montmartre, Eiffel tower, Notre dame and the christmas market at Jardin des Tuileries.
again, we pre-loaded a daily travelcard onto our Navigo app.

picked up our bags from the hotel about 6pm, then walked to the station to get the RER to gare du nord, for our evening Eurostar.

struggled to find anywhere to sit whilst waiting at GDN until being called to check in, managed to find a plant pot for my daughter to sit with the bags, whilst i went to find a better space.

spoiler alert, there isn't one in GDN, compared to Gare du Lyon it is a poo-poo hole!!!

we were on the last Eurostar of the evening out of Paris, check in and passport was fairly straight forward, with Paris better set up to scan ski bags than London IMHO.

i have not travelled back via Paris in donkeys, and must admit i thought Paris seemed to have more space to wait for trains than London, seemed more open anyway.

was a mix up on the train on the way home, we had seats booked in carriage 4 on our phones, but were handed boarding cards when we checked in (but admittedly did not look at them!!).
when we boarded the train and finally stowed our luggage, my daughter came back from looking for our seats to say the numbers did not exist, there were a few other passengers in the same situation.
a eurostar attendant came along and informed us all that the train "make up" had been changed due to operational reasons, and we had been re-assigned seats in carriage 1, hence the boarding cards handed to us, but no explanation at the time!!
i was told to leave our roller bags in carriage 4, and take our ski bags to the baggage hold in carriage 9, so my daughter went to find our seats whilst i took the ski bags further back, and then meet my daughter.

when we arrived in st Pancras, as we were in carriage 1, and bags spread across the train, we had to fight through the passengers alighting to get to our bags, whilst being told by Eurostar employees we were going in the wrong direction Evil or Very Mad

decided on a black cab to paddington again, as could not be arsed with the underground, managed to get the most miserable taxi driver in london, who just sat and watched me load the taxi up and barely said a word, compared to the one the previous friday, who was helpful and chatty.
Sunday night driver asked if i was going to leave a tip, after i struggled getting the bags out again whilst he sat on his back bottom, my daughter stopped me from bombarding him with the few expletives she could see was bubbling up. i had tipped the driver on the previous friday, and the transfer driver up to mottaret, as they deserved them.

fairly uneventful late train back to Berkshire from there on.

so my take on train vs other forms of transport, especially driving which we are more used to doing.

cost wise, if like me, you will be responsible for all travellers costs, if going solo, it would be a no brainer to go via train, along as you can plan ahead (with the discount cards), though this is not always straightforward with the way sncf release the seats.
Eurostar can bought fairly cheaply in advance, with the benefit of moving the train date and time fairly easily if plans change.
for 2 passengers, am going on 1 adult and 1 youth (so nearly same cost as an adult), driving out would have been just slightly more expensive, but you have the benefit of just loading up at home and going out and unloading at the apartment, and same in reverse.
3 or more, and it is considerably cheaper to drive.

when i go skiing i want to try and get as much skiing time in as i can, so try and get to resort for Saturday morning then leave the following sat afternoon.

so if going by train, this needs a lot more planning, you need to find a resort that has guaranteed luggage storage, and changing facilities to be able to ski whilst not in the apartment.
for the 3v's, this is available in val thorens and les menuires, but not in meribel (there is a ski locker under saluire gondola, but i don't think this is will suffice for large baggage) or meribel mottaret, not sure about courchevel or la tania?

i think you need to be ruthless, and take as little luggage as possible as well if you can

you need to be prepared to lug your baggage around different train stations and underground/metro lines, and need to keep an eye on them whilst waiting for trains etc, ok if 2 or more people, bit more problematic if solo.

obviously, if you are happy to just ski for 6 days, you could easily (if you are close to London) get a Eurostar Saturday morning, afternoon tgv and be in resort for early evening then the reverse the following Saturday, so this negates the logistic issues of hotels, luggage storage etc.
this is also true for non standard trips, travelling out and staying with friends already there, own apartment etc.

don't get me wrong, lots of it was very enjoyable, especially sitting on the train, enjoying a few beverages and watching the countryside roll by, in the company of my daughter was lovely.

there is even a possibility that i will be travelling back via train after a ski trip in march, myself, my two daughters and one of their boyfriends will be driving out to VT mid march, with me possibly staying on an extra week in either VT or les menuires, with some mates, whilst the others drive back to the uk.

but i will not be able to confirm this for a few weeks, due to work commitments.

so the cheapest option for me would be the train back all the way through to london on the last saturday of that week.

i have already booked the bus to moutiers/TGV and eurostar for these dates, but they all have free cancellation, apart from the Eurostar, but this was only £50 and can be kicked down the line until i want to use it.

obviously, this is just my own opinion following my experience, and as you can see from above, i am not totally against travelling by train, and i take my hat off to all the people who do it with young families.

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Because of the need to change in London and Paris, I bought two huge cases. I'm 5'0 and I can fit in them, and have them zipped up. Everything bar my skis go in those. I'm militant about packing light. Everyone has a fresh top to wear of an evening, and fresh underwear/non-ski socks, but only two pairs of trousers (the ones you travelled in and a spare), and then all the ski related clothing/two pairs of ski boots/4 helmets.
Kids and I have a normal backpack each for the train containing food for the whole day/iPads/Kindles/Switches and my skis are in a thin, shoulder bag.
Means we only have to find storage for the two large cases as the skis and backpacks fit on the overhead racks (though backpacks are usually by our feet for easy access) and wheeling them through the stations is a doddle. This will be the first year I'll have the skis, too. Husband has suggested anchoring the bag to one of the cases with straps so it just wheels along with it. It's no taller than him (6'2) when we try it, so hopefully it'll work.

These are the cases. https://amzn.eu/d/0QQmZum

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@terrygasson, you had a Dakine bag and another wheelie bag! That's a lot of stuff. For travelling by train, lose the "coffin" bag. As you've found, they really are a pain on trains (and escalators, lifts, cars, dvd pretty much anywhere else) for you and other passengers. See comments on this in OP of thread.

It's not unusual for Eurostar to change the seat configuration and give out boarding cards or little slips of paper with new seat numbers. They don't always remember to say, although it's sometimes in the tannoy announcements. If I'm given a something I'm not expecting, I'm curious and look at it, but clearly not everyone does Very Happy

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Hi All

I'm arriving off Eurostar at Bourg 17:45 this Saturday 10th Jan & aiming for the funicular to Les Arcs 1600.

The agency where I have to collect my keys *before 19:00* from is located in the Arc 1600 shopping mall, opposite the pharmacy.

Looking on Google maps, the estimate is a 9 min walk.

Is it reasonable to think that the funicular will work after the heavy snow recently & that this planning will work?

I'm not hoping for a guarantee, just no one saying that it's a bad idea Very Happy

After all it is free

@BASE849, agencies normally have a back up method for late arrivals - have you asked?

@BASE849, I don’t think heavy snow is likely to affect the funicular. What might be more of a problem is if the Eurostar is running late. My girlfriend was on that service before Christmas and it arrived at Bourg at 6.19pm. It takes a bit of time to exit the Eurostar and walk (with luggage?) to the funi station. The funicular runs every 20 minutes at that time of day, so you might have to wait for close to 20 minutes if the timings aren’t in your favour. I think if everything runs according to schedule you should be OK to get to your key collection, particularly if you exit the Eurostar promptly and get to the funi station as quick as you can. But there’s plenty of potential for the timings to go awry, so I’d want to know what my back up plan is in case the agency wants to close its office at 7pm.

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Thanks very much.
They have a back up- just ring before 18:00 to make arrangements.
I'll store the number now.
Really appreciate the local knowledge.
First time to Les Arcs, so it's really helpful

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Has anyone travelled using travelski express first class? does it include lounge access in the business premier lounge in st pancras? On my documents it just says lounge access, which doesnt show if you were to book standard class. But i'm wondering if it is the business premier lounge or another one that i dont know off.

@terrygasson, Interesting to read your report, sorry to hear it was a bit of a faff. Useful information for future train travellers though.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@BASE849, I would stay in 1800. But then I'm biased having done that for 12 years on the bounce.

1800 is slightly higher up for snow cover at that time of the year and has more bars and restaurants that you can enjoy with your son. If visibilty is poor then you have easy access to Peisey slopes from 1800 via the mid station on the Transarc.

It is a 15 minute free bus journey from the funicular to 1800. They are reliable and a decent option for getting about. The only negative is on arrival day there can sometimes be a melee to get on in the queue. But I've only had this 2 times. 1800 also gives you easy access to the 2000 bowl via the Transarc so can access the better snow easier if there's limited early season snow.

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Morning all, looking for SNCF tickets for April but can’t see any “new” availability on any websites yet.
I’d assumed the new timetable would become available at midnight, is it likely to be later this morning?

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@MotownJunk, I got an email from sncf this morning at 7.18 saying tickets are now on sale for spring through to 3 July

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@andy1234, Thanks, I got a notification on the SNCF app at 7am. We’re going to / from Modane at Easter but it looks like we’re going to have to change at Chambery on the way back, which I was hoping to avoid to save some time. Alas no new trains have appeared!

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The web page booking for my journey on the 4th April to Bourg is still showing as 'additional trains will soon be added to this journey' so I am assuming they are being released in phases......

After all it is free

@MotownJunk, the timetable is generally visible long before he tickets are on sale. I've never noticed and new trains appear on ticket release day.

Do the times of the direct trains not work for you?

@MotownJunk, from a cursory look at Paris - Modane it looked to me like you could go direct on the outward but possibly have to change at Lyon Part Dieu on the way back.

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@sugarmoma666, @andy1234, we’ve got a direct train on the 4th but change at Chambery on the return. Heading all the way home on the same day so was trying to buy a bit more time for the Eurostar connection. We’ll have plenty of time really, I just didn’t want to change Laughing

Help!!

Travelling by train to French ski resorts

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