 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi SnowHeads!
My partner and I are planning a two-week skiing trip to Zermatt and the 3V (St Martin de Belleville). We'll spend one week at each resort, arriving in Zurich on 1/3/2024 and departing from Geneva on 16/3/2024. We're considering two options and have a few questions.
Option 1: Train week 1, rental car week 2
Mar 1: Land in Zurich
Mar 2: Train to Zermatt (A$190, 3-4 hours)
No car needed in Zermatt, it's a car-free city
Mar 9: Train to Geneva, Pick up rental car
Train A$180, 3.5hrs
Pick up car from Geneva Airport - A$400*, and drive 2 hrs 10 min
*for 1 week, Fiat 500 or similar
770 AUD 470 EURO
Option 2: Train only
Mar 1: Land in Zurich
Mar 2: Train to Zermatt (A$190, 3-4 hours)
No car needed in Zermatt, it's a car-free city
Mar 9: Train to Moutiers (A$264, 7 hrs) 3 changes
*does not include transfer to the hotel
Mar 16: AlpyBus to Geneva Airport (A200, 3 hrs)
$650* AUD total 400 EURO
*does not include transfer from Moutiers to the hotel
Questions:
- Any suggestions or recommendations on the itinerary? (accommodation and flights already booked)
- Is there a benefit to having a car in St Martin de Belleville for non-ski activities? (We're staying at Lodji, and we believe parking would be free there)
- How can we get the best/cheapest Swiss train tickets?
Thanks for your insights!
Cheers!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Malbec85, train for week 1 definitely, but then I’d get the train back to GVA airport from Zermatt and either do the car hire option or pick up a bus transfer to St M. I don’t think there’s much need for a car- assuming your “non-skiing” activities are still ski resort sort of things like walking etc. There are free buses between the 3 resorts in the valley, though I doubt you will use them unless, like me, you want to take a walk one way along the valley. St M is tiny compared with Zermatt, so everything is walkable, and if you're staying half board you won’t need to do any significant grocery shopping- and even if you do, the village shop plus the boulangerie should be more than enough.
Yes, parking is free in St M.
Taking the train from GVA to Moutiers and then a bus up (or an extortionate taxi) is a complete faff- and the least attractive of all of your options.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Malbec85, agreed re transfer from GVA - aside from the faff, French TERs will feel like a real downgrade after a week in Switzerland!
For Swiss train tickets, you can buy them from the Swiss railway website (https://sbb.ch/en) - make sure you don't select a half-price travelcard as that's for residents. Looks like "Saver Day Pass" is available for both journeys - these are handy as they don't tie you to a specific train, but they are cheaper the earlier you book so I'd do that ASAP. Sometimes there are Supersaver tickets too, but they are for a specific train and not necessarily cheaper.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 10-01-24 13:07; edited 2 times in total
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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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Option 1 would be my preference by some margin. Much less transit time and more convenient. The transfer from moutier to your hotel is going to be more costly than you might think if you take option 2, so i'd bet option 1 is cheaper overall.
To add option 3, i've never done it myself but google maps makes it a 4ish hour drive from Zermatt to St Martin de B. You could save a bit of time and money by hiring in Zermatt and driving the whole way. The route takes you through Chamonix and should have some spectacular views which you might like especially if you are travelling from afar. That's what i'd do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Same as @monkey, in my choice, option #1.
Two great ski areas to visit, France, and general access to Tarantaise Valley can be a bit "chunky" and recalcitrant in it's delivery of you via general transport services.
Better to have personal and more flexible transit for that section of your visit via the hire car.
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Thanks everyone for your insights and suggestions! It seems that Option 1 is the winner with the variation of car and or transfer/bus.
Since transfers like coolrunnings seem a bit expensive circa 600 euro return for 2 pax. I'm looking at the likes of BensBus or Altibus at circa 200 euro ---> do you guys have any thoughts or comments on this? any additional bus/transfer companies to consider (I'm discarding Alpybus based on the bad reviews, but happy to reconsider).
Renting a car at Geneva airport (French side) starts at circa 220 euros, but then I imagine there will be other costs plus the risk of getting a heavy storm, etc. The upside would be to have the flexibility of moving around but it seems limited.
In a nutshell, if you guys say that Bens Bus or AltiBus are solid options, I would be more inclined to go with that as it seems a bit less hassle and same cost..
Any thoughts?
@monkey, I see what you say about driving from Zermatt, that would be ideal, but the challenge would be to find a car rental near Zermatt, haven't seen anything near there.
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Malbec85,
What a twin centre trip! 2 of the world's best ski areas! 
My preference would be to take the train to Zermatt, train to Geneva, then return Alpybus, Bens Bus or Altibus to St Martin..
That would be the most convenient and least hassle. The train ride from Geneva is nice and scenic (we've done it a few times) but changing trains means it's not straightforward, especially with luggage.
As others have said, you don't need a car in the 3 Valleys.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Malbec85, I’d say go for Bensbus (or Alpybus). My experience with Altibus is that you have to change in Moutiers (though I might be wrong as it will be a Saturday), which can involve a 45 min wait-worth checking if that’s the case. The other transfer companies operate direct transfers. Despite others’ apparent poor experiences, we’ve used Alpybus many times with no hassle. They appear to be part of a bigger operation now.
9th March is the end of French school half term hols, so the traffic might be busy, even if you’re going in the opposite direction. The most important thing is to time your train from Zermatt to GVA airport relatively early so that you can get your transfer at a reasonable time of day. The buses will drop you in the middle of St Martin by the Marie/Church. From there the Lodji Hotel is a walk up the hill directly ahead of where the bus stops. Without luggage it would take about 5 mins. My guess is that the hotel would be able to come and pick you up.
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I'd go for the train to Moutiers, which takes all the road unknowns out of the equation on what might be a busy day or snowmageddon. Once you're on the rail platforms it's all pretty simple as opposed to scrapping through GVA on a Saturday hiring cars or searching for transfer companies or waiting for the driver to arrive as they are held up in traffic.
Whichever you look at it, it's a day travelling, relax and avoid the faff.
There's an Altibus service to SMDB from Moutiers for €20 return, the bus station is part of the railway.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Malbec85,
Personally I'd go train Zurich - Zermatt, train Zermatt - Geneva Airport, bus Geneva A - St Martin & back.
If you did consider driving from Zermatt (actually more likely to be Visp) to St Martin make sure the roads are open - some shut for the winter.
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FAQ
And St Martin is most idyllic too.
