 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello, I'm a newbie here 
I have been looking at a family ski holiday in Pila next year 2025 (half term). It was all looking good, until the airline I was planning to book with cancelled their flights into Milan. It is now looking much more convenient for us to fly into Geneva - due to having more flight options from our local airport. I just wondered how feasible it is to transfer from Geneva into Italy/to Pila? any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'll be watching this one. I've driven it many times, but I can't imagine public transport with a family would be straight forward apart from maybe an expensive taxi? It looks close on the map, but you've got the Mont Blanc tunnel to contend with, which on occasion closes. And it costs 50 euros each way in a car. There's transfer companies that go as far as Chamonix (alpybus?) but from there, ???
Is there any way you could fly to Turin?
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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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It is possible yes: when last we aranged this for a relative, it required a bus to chamonix, then another bus to courmayeur - not sure if that bus would carry on to Aosta or required a third bus. Now though it looks like Flixbus do a regular service, the N1524
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Thank you for the replies. We will be travelling with a 10 year old and 17 year old.
Yes, what we save in terms of convenience to and from the airport in the UK, we may make up for when we get there! I had thought about the toll prices in the Mont Blanc tunnel, closures, plus traffic etc I guess.
The Flixbus sounds like an interesting option so I am going to look into this.
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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 would be well advised to sort out the UK end so you fly into Turin or Milan. Turin is about 30 mins closer than MXP to Aosta. (Linate and Bergamo are further away still) Whilst you can get a bus via Chamonix, there are probably only only or two a day that make sense in sensible time
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| t44tomo wrote: |
| You would be well advised to sort out the UK end so you fly into Turin or Milan. Turin is about 30 mins closer than MXP to Aosta. (Linate and Bergamo are further away still) Whilst you can get a bus via Chamonix, there are probably only only or two a day that make sense in sensible time |
Thanks for the reply and info. I will explore flights from UK into Italy, as it seems to be the best option all round. A particular concern is the possible closure or traffic in the Mont Blanc Tunnel too.
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If you drive from Geneva via the [Correction] Gd.St.Bernard Tunnel to the Aosta Valley, there is the point that you’ll drive past turnoffs to Gstaad, Leysin/Les Diablerets/Glacier 3000, Champéry and the Portes du Soleil, Martigny and Chamonix, and of course right under Verbier before you reach the Swiss end of the tunnel. And in the time it takes to get to your destination you would have already got to Crans-Montana and Zermatt and various other small resorts. Basically, it’s somewhat perverse - as it would be to fly to Milan, in order to get to, say Crans or Verbier.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Wed 28-02-24 20:42; edited 2 times in total
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@LaForet, Maybe you are thinking of a different tunnel.
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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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It's easy enough to drive from Geneva through the Mont Blanc Tunnel (neither end of which is in Switzerland). The French end of the tunnel is up above Chamonix and when you come out the Italian side you drop down fairly quickly into Aosta. But I agree it would be better to fly into Turin. Car rental much is cheap in Turin then it's an easy motorway journey to Aosta, with no concerns about the opening or cost of the MB tunnel. I wouldn't bother with public transport from either airport.
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| Origen wrote: |
| It's easy enough to drive from Geneva through the Mont Blanc Tunnel (neither end of which is in Switzerland). The French end of the tunnel is up above Chamonix and when you come out the Italian side you drop down fairly quickly into Aosta. But I agree it would be better to fly into Turin. Car rental much is cheap in Turin then it's an easy motorway journey to Aosta, with no concerns about the opening or cost of the MB tunnel. I wouldn't bother with public transport from either airport. |
Thank you and for the info regarding car hire too. I will aim for flights to Turin.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Canuck wrote: |
I'll be watching this one. I've driven it many times, but I can't imagine public transport with a family would be straight forward apart from maybe an expensive taxi? It looks close on the map, but you've got the Mont Blanc tunnel to contend with, which on occasion closes. And it costs 50 euros each way in a car. There's transfer companies that go as far as Chamonix (alpybus?) but from there, ???
Is there any way you could fly to Turin? |
Will aim for Turin! thank you.
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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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Hi - In March 2023 a group of us spent a weekend in La Thuile in the Aosta Valley, with transfer from Geneva. The transfer company were excellent, details here:
Web: www.airporttransfers.it
Email: info@airporttransfers.it
Cost was €600 return for 4 of us.
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Pila is quite a bit further (from Geneva, not from Turin) than La Thuile - and a rental car from Turin would cost a lot less than that.
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You know it makes sense.
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Thank you for all the replies - all been really helpful and have helped me decide on flying into Turin, if at all possible. Will work out either car hire or transfer from there
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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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It's been a long time since I've been through the Mont Blanc tunnel in winter, but what are the queues like? I did it in summer a couple of years ago and going into Italy in July the queue was easily 5 hours and on the way back into France a few days later we waited a couple of hours. It's because they stagger the vehicles now for safety reasons following the fire a few years ago. If its as bad in winter then I'd definitely avoid flying into Geneva and fly into Italy. So many airports to choose from around Turin or Milan
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just fyi I started a discussion by mistake, as @rjs suspected - I meant the Grand St. Bernard Tunnel, not the Mt.Blanc Tunnel. The route from Geneva would be around the lake, via Lausanne and Montreux, to Martigny, then up to the St. Bernard Tunnel and down the other side in the direction of Aosta. I don’t think I’d take the southern route through France or at Martigny drive through Chamonix to get to the Mt.Blanc Tunnel.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I took that route last Easter, to pick up my grandson in Genoa. It was not the way any of the route finding apps suggested, I just thought it would make a change. I drove across the Jura from Dijon - and meandered a bit, not deliberately, just wasn't 100% concentration on the navigation and wasn't in a hurry. The whole journey was quite a lot of a faff, really but it made a change and I'd not been through the Grand St Bernard before. The Mont Blanc tunnel route would probably have been more straightforward. I hit quite a bit of traffic round Lausanne. one of the routes from France/Switzerland are anything like as straightforward as hopping on the motorway at Torino!
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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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Google maps suggests 30minutes longer going through the GSB tunnel than the MB one.
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Pre-covid I have done this. ChamExpress to Courmayeur (needed to change minibuses at Les Houches), then service bus to Aosta.
AFAIK there is no scheduled pubic transport service (although Flixbus may have a route now).
To get to Pila you’d then need either another bus or to take the gondola, but I would recommend looking at accommodation in central Aosta instead.
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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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Mont Blanc tunnel queues are very variable. Peak week (Carnivale / Paris February week Saturday am going to Italy you’re going to wait.
25+ journeys at various other days / times / non-peak Saturdays - never had to wait more than 15min.
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| Quote: |
I would recommend looking at accommodation in central Aosta instead.
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I wouldn't do that unless you had a car. It can be quite a hike, and a tedious one, from some parts of Aosta to the gondola. Even in comfortable shoes!
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