 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello,
Planning our first ski trip in Europe and am very overwhelmed! We are based in Asia and usually ski at different spots in Japan.
Husband skies and son snowboards. I will just hang out. Looking to spend max 1 week at the resort.
Questions:
1. Which international airport is a better gateway? We are redeeming miles and can fly into CDG or MILAN or MUNICH. This is the first issue since redemption seats move fast. FRANKFURT and ZURICH are very hard to come by.
2. Which ski resort is recommended? Preferably accessible by train or shuttle rather than self drive. We are not budget, but not luxury. Somewhere between 3.5-4*.
Need a resort that can be explored without a car. A village would be nice. We are open to France Italy Austria Switzerland.
Thank you so much!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Austria via Munich, I’d say immediately, as Austrian resorts are more likely to be real villages as opposed to purpose built resorts. You can even access the top of Italy. Not sure about Milan, someone may be supportive of it.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Flying to CGC give access via train to all the Tarrentaise resorts via Bourg st Maurice or Moutiers. The funicular leads directly to Les Arcs from Bourg st Maurice. A car would be a hindrance rather than a benefit.
Options from Milan are a bit more limited, since you will probably be flying into Malpensa and will need a train to the centre of Milan, but there are options from there such as the Aosta valley and, if you are prepared to change trains a lot the Dolomites are within reach. Though personally I would fly to Venice or Innsbruck for them (change in Munich).
I know very little about Austrian resorts since I've only been there half dozen times.
When you talk about 3.5 - 4* are you talking about hotels or self catering apartments? If hotels, then may I suggest the Cachette in Arc1600.
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I'd pick Munich and then the Zillertal. You've got a number of villages along the valley, with a train and bus that runs along there. You're also only a short distance from Innsbruck for a day out using the train also.
Zillertal is also easy to get to from Munich as well.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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hmmm, for a non skier, somewhere like Wengen would be a lovely intro, but really wants Zurich (or Geneva) entry.
CDG obvs opens up France but adds travel.
I know nothing, shockingly, about Austria.
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I would love to say Milan and then ski in Cortina d'Ampezzo with a stopover in Venice on the way but for just one week maybe it's too much hassle.
So the most realistic is probably Munich and either Kitzbuhel or Zell am See. Zell am See would be my choice for a non skier as a proper town with a lovely lake and great 4 star hotels. If the men want more options, Kaprun is a short bus ride away on the same ski pass. https://www.flexiski.com/skiing-advice/skiing-blog/the-6-closest-ski-resorts-to-munich-airport/
CDG is way too much hassle for getting to the French Alps if it's only a short trip IMV.
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| Je suis un Skieur wrote: |
| CDG is way too much hassle for getting to the French Alps if it's only a short trip IMV. |
Agreed. Getting off an overnight long-haul from Asia, even if you've flown at the pointy end, and then doing 6 hours of travel including 2-4 changes of train, and reversing that at to come home (with the attendant "will I make my flight" stress), sounds like a brave way to travel to/from a ski trip. I'd put a line through CDG.
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Murren / grindelwald from Zurich
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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One important consideration is timing. Do you have dates yet? If avoiding crowds and long lift queues is important, there are weeks to avoid in all the relevant countries. New Year will be dire in all of them!
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Prices for accommodation also vary a lot.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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When I lived in Asia Zurich was our preferred option as train connections were great and short transfers as we were pretty tired after the flight.
Munich would probably work as well.
Depends a bit on when your going but Lech is reliable and pleasant for non skiers. Not cheap but you can get reasonably priced accommodation.
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| under a new name wrote: |
I know nothing, shockingly, about Austria. |
Wow and there's me, shockingly, thinking you knew it all
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You know it makes sense.
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| Whitegoldsbrother wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
I know nothing, shockingly, about Austria. |
Wow and there's me, shockingly, thinking you knew it all |
While I thought nothing about anything
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@nadmadnad, I would suggest Zürich is the best option, giving easy access to a wide range of places in Switzerland and western Austria, mostly by train. Geneva is popular around here as so many flights from the UK, though there are some resorts within easy reach eg Portes de Soleil, Chamonix, even Verbier in Switzerland, many well known places such as Courcheval or Val d'Isere are not so easy. Munich is OK, transfer by road to somewhere like Kitzbühel or the Zillertal is relatively painless, likely to be better than Milan or Paris (which is not near any mountains). If you have the budget I would suggest looking at Lech (best from Zürich) lovely spot, great skiing, reliable snow.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
Je suis un Skieur wrote:
CDG is way too much hassle for getting to the French Alps if it's only a short trip IMV.
Agreed. Getting off an overnight long-haul from Asia, even if you've flown at the pointy end, and then doing 6 hours of travel including 2-4 changes of train, and reversing that at to come home (with the attendant "will I make my flight" stress), sounds like a brave way to travel to/from a ski trip. I'd put a line through CDG.
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There are direct trains from Paris to Bourg / Moutiers. Lots more with single change on the same platform. Airport shuttle bus direct from CdG to Gare de Lyon (or use the Metro). It wouldn't be my first choice, but it's easy enough to do.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@nadmadnad, depends where you are coming from. I flew to and from Asia every month for about 4 years.
I guess you are not in Japan but near there?
Jet lag seems less on going east. I’d get an early AM flight then aim to get to resort by 8pm and crash.
Munich is an easy airport. Train from airport to the main station then onwards to austria.
Or go Qatar airways to Venice then up to the dolomites.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Lots of good advice here. An option I would add is: fly into Milan, book a transfer to Alagna. Various of the hotels can recommend a local with a car who will do airport pickups (I can provide details of one if you’d like, although I think it’s a minibus so might be expensive for three people). The village is a beautiful place to hang out, with very nice cafés, bars and restaurants. The skiing is great, both on- and off-piste. & there are some lovely little rifugios on the mountain that you can get to by cable car and on foot if you’d like.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
Jet lag seems less on going east.
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We went to Japan by flying East from the UK and then again flying East from Japan to the UK. Jet lag took a day to get over on both occaisions
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@johnE, I meant it the other way .-)
East to west is generally less if you get a morning flight. Or maybe it was just coming home. I would always just need an afternoon nap on the next day and I was fine.
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@GlasgowCyclops, The point I was trying to make was that we went all the way around the world. From UK it was over Turkey and onwards over China. Coming back was over the international date line and Alaska. It was rather funny in that I celebrated my birthday in Japan and again once over the IDL. It was my first circumnavigation 
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Thank you for all the responses. Gives me ideas on where to start searching.
We will be flying in from Southeast Asia....so looking at around 13 hours to a major European airport. The plan is to arrive around January 10. Is that over peak season?
6 hour time difference with Europe is no problem for us. 12 hours with the US, that's always a tough one.
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| Quote: |
The plan is to arrive around January 10. Is that over peak season?
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Yes, but it's mid-week and you might bump up against the fact that much accommodation is let Sat/Sat or Sun/Sun. Not all - but it might reduce your choice.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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US skier who comes to Europe every year. Obviously not coming from Asia, but overseas travel. Some thoughts:
- booking flights using miles from US to Europe in wintertime is relatively easy, and low redemption levels,
since it is off-season for tourism. Is it not the same way from Asia?
- I would consider spending a night in gateway city inbound and maybe outbound. Inbound to help get over jetlag
and lower risk of ground xport issues if your flight is late. Outbound depending on timing of return flight. Most
flights to US leave in European morning and we sometimes cannot get from resort back to airport without leaving
at very early hours.
- trains work great in Europe, but if you are not familiar with stations and might be concerned about lugging large
bags up & down passageways with tight connections, a private or shared shuttle might be a thought. findtransfers.com
is a great way to get offers for shuttles when you don't know the companies.
I would def agree on avoiding CDG as a destination. Connecting through CDG can be a challenge also, but if you can
get to a smaller/closer airport such as Turin or Chambery, it might be worth it.
ZRH is excellent; manageable, modern airport, and train station in basement of airport. Gives you access to everything
in Switzerland and western Austria
MUC is also excellent, but only has access to S-Bahn, which means you will connect to train downtown. But hotels are
cheaper than ZRH and it is a nice place to spend one night. Gives you access to just about everything in Austria and
perhaps the Dolomites.
If you decided to go to French Alps, GVA and LYS are the best airports.
Apart from resort recommendations already proffered, I will mention Ski Welt, which is near Kitzbuhel. Nice large resort
with several towns/villages to stay in, mostly intermediate terrain, pretty nice Alpine atmosphere. Brixen has a train station
and offers easy connections to Kitzbuhel and Salzburg, which would be nice day trips for non-skier.
Lastly, I would say that if you see this as an ongoing ski trip possibility, then it's worth absorbing all the knowledge to self book.
But if this is a one-time thing, maybe going to a travel agency that specializes in trips to ski in Europe from Asia is the better option.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
The plan is to arrive around January 10. Is that over peak season?
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Yes, but it's mid-week and you might bump up against the fact that much accommodation is let Sat/Sat or Sun/Sun. Not all - but it might reduce your choice. |
Pam, those were exactly my thoughts but today a ski mate booked a Pierre & Vacances 2 bedrooms apartment in Avoriaz for a week starting Tuesday January 9th for the same price as Saturday offers. Go figure 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@nadmadnad, mid January is low season and generally a pretty good time to go. Upside less people, easier to find accommodation, downside is that the weather can be poor (likely to be fairly cold, more chance of storms but if you are lucky good snow and sunshine)and the days are fairly short. As @Snowshoer, says if you are going to fly into Munich best assume to stay for a night (make sure actually in the city centre not on the end of an s bahn line or near the airport), it will make onward travel easier and there is plenty to keep you amused for an evening.
If you are a committed non skier it is worth choosing somewhere from where you can do day trips to Salzburg & (possibly) Innsbruck. There is a train line that runs through Kitzbühel & Zell am See amongst other places that makes getting to Salzburg straight forward.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@nadmadnad, can you fly to Geneva or Zürich? Will give you lots of good options by train / short transfer eg St Anton / Lech from Zürich, Chamonix, Verbier or Zermatt from Geneva. If you’re coming all that way you want to go somewhere memorable!
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I'm not a great fan of Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) but that's due to changing flights there. I can't see the same issues with flying direct.
A quick internet search suggests that getting into central Paris from CDG is straightforward and relatively cheap. For a family group a taxi sounds like a good option. From central Paris there are good train services to the Tarentaise Valley, giving options including the 3V, Val d'Isere and Tignes. On a weekday, I think you're likely to need to change trains at Chambery but that's a small station with few platforms. You'd also need to get a bus or taxi up the mountain from the station (other than Les Arc which is accessed by a funicular).
Personally, if I was coming as far as you I'd spend at least a night in whichever big European city I flew into.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'd go Munich to the Zillertal probably. Mayrhofen is a lively enough town for mooching and a train for a day trip into Innsbruck for the non skier quite feasible or other way to Worgl for Kitzbuhel etc.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Remember that the * system is about facilities, not quality. If a hotel doesn't have a swimming pool, it's not 6*. Doesn't mean it's not the best hotel you've ever stayed in. I vote for St Anton from Munich. One change, 4 hours. Great skiing, and over the last 30 years they've really improved the non skiing options.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@nadmadnad,
Zermatt would be a good fit - car free, accessible by train. Plenty of scope for you to join family on the mountain for lunch.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Kenzie wrote: |
@nadmadnad,
Zermatt would be a good fit - car free, accessible by train. Plenty of scope for you to join family on the mountain for lunch. |
Whilst its a great place and the town is nice (esp if you want to buy a high end watch). its not necessarily the best value option as the OP said “ We are not budget, but not luxury. Somewhere between 3.5-4*. ” Other places might offer better value?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| nadmadnad wrote: |
Thank you for all the responses. Gives me ideas on where to start searching.
We will be flying in from Southeast Asia....so looking at around 13 hours to a major European airport. The plan is to arrive around January 10. Is that over peak season?
6 hour time difference with Europe is no problem for us. 12 hours with the US, that's always a tough one. |
Would be much easier to find accommodation weekend to weekend, but worth checking sunweb website.You could maybe consider 2x shorter breaks in 2x resorts.
Sunweb do packages that inc. a lift pass & tend to work out a bit cheaper.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| ster wrote: |
| Kenzie wrote: |
@nadmadnad,
Zermatt would be a good fit - car free, accessible by train. Plenty of scope for you to join family on the mountain for lunch. |
Whilst its a great place and the town is nice (esp if you want to buy a high end watch). its not necessarily the best value option as the OP said “ We are not budget, but not luxury. Somewhere between 3.5-4*. ” Other places might offer better value? |
nadmadnad says she is not skiing/boarding but "I will just hang out". Zermatt has plenty to do for a non-skiier, which is more than can be said for most ski resorts. This would be especially true if the pedestrian link to Cervinia is running - a cheap lunch in Italy!
Try looking at opt.co.uk -I used them the two times I skiied Zermatt.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I don't think that midweek to midweek will be a problem in January. It may reduce the options slightly, but there should still be plenty of options. We normally ski mid-January, and have quite often split a week - e.g. Sat to Weds in one resort, then Weds to Sun in another. The exception to this is catered chalets, which will stick pretty rigidly to their standard changeover days (Sat or Sun)
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If it was me... well if you can get direct into Zürich, then I'd go there. The airport's nice and the city's worth a stroll around. Then catch the trains to Zermatt when you're ready.
Munich's a nice city too and a decent airport, Frankfurt isn't an airport I like much, and you'd need another flight really. My only experience of Munich is using hire cars, but it's a way away from skiable terrain. Paris.. I'd be looking at a connecting flight anyway, and CDG is up there with Frankfurt as an airport I like to avoid.
I'd avoid connecting flights if at all possible, which are a risk for snowboards, and a drag with jet lag when stuff goes missing.
Milan... I'd look at specifically which airport you're going into and the connexions from there.
For a non skier, Zermatt's hard to beat.
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| phil_w wrote: |
| My only experience of Munich is using hire cars, but it's a way away from skiable terrain. |
It's closer from Munich aiport to Mayrhofen by car than it is from Zurich aiport to Zermatt by car....
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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have finally made booking for Corvara. Need to find a space to rest for 2 nights between arrival in Munich Airport and departure to Corvara. Am deciding between Venice, Innsbruck and Salzburg. Any recommendation? And any chance we can get to Corvara without a car, but on a shuttle/train?
Thank you.
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Zermatt. Rail into centre of village. If you can get the flights!
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