 Poster: A snowHead
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Grenoble is a portal to some ski resorts - eg Alpe D'Huez, Les Deux Alpes, La Grove - and , I guess, Serre Chevalier.
Having got rather sick of the airline security hassle, Flyer and I have been looking at trains to go to the Steepish off-piste do - the PSB lot might also give it some thought.
Best bet seems to be Eurostar to Gare Du Nord - then TGV from Gare De Lyon to Grenoble - all by daylight (there seems to be no sensible overnight alternative).
Is that right?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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achilles, if you're doing La Grave you might want to consider the sleeper to Briancon instead.
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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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| Helen Beaumont wrote: |
| achilles, if you're doing La Grave you might want to consider the sleeper to Briancon instead. |
You might, but you run the risk of being stuck on the wrong side of the Lauteret if it closes due to bad weather. You can also do London -> Lille -> Grenoble although the SNCF website doesn't seem to show this option at the moment.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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davidof, Yes we had thought there was an option through Lille, but could not see it - have you any idea of this service will be restored?
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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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achilles,
Rail Canterbury sort out all my rail trips.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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JT, thanks. I have also looked at the RailEurope site - it seems Lille is out.
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achilles, Rail Europe seems to have some sort of brainfart about sending everyone going to the Alps through Paris, but if you get in early on the booking and can live with the taxi ride return fare to Waterloo is about 100£. I was going to he PSB by that route but am now going direct from the Atomic bash at Tignes. You can book separate tickets via Lille.
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Masque, according to the Eurostar site, Lille is not a possibility, now. Pity- makes for extra hassle. Even so, not a a bad journey.
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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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achilles, I'm sure you should be able to book it, but just try each ticket separately. Deffo a better change, until the French get their act together re the RER connection between the two stations. I've done it several times - about 7 hours in all Grenoble - Waterloo. Should be quicker with the faster line in the UK (when?? is it working yet??) The bugbear is deffo Paris. RER is down several escalators, you can't take your chariot with you, it's too hard to lug all your bags if you have skis (or a computer base unit as I did the last time) ..
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achilles, Try using RailEurope for the London-Lille connection and then the SNCF site fro he Lille-Grenoble leg
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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easiski, the new terminal opens sometime later this year I think.
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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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easiski, Eurostar tickets from St Pancras are not available, yet.
easiski, and Masque, looking at the Eurostar and RailEurope sites, Lille is not offered as a destination at all.
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Bizarrely the Lille direct service only runs one way, from Grenoble to Lille. SNCF seem to have dropped all other possibilities although the website doesn't show all the trains they run. In fact they seem to have also dropped the Roissy CDG direct trains. Looking at the rather poor train service from Grenoble these day I think calling Grenoble a Portal to the Alps is a bit strong, it is another kind of hole. I assume the services have been cut because the SNCF is completely broke.
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brian
brian
Guest
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Helen Beaumont, 14 November 2007
achilles, very strange, but it (Londres-Lille) shows up on voyages-sncf.com if you opt to have tickets delivered to France but not if you want them sent to the UK (to protect their partner Rail Europe maybe ??). Anyway, I guess you know somebody with an address in France ? 
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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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davidof, 'portal' was just a word; I meant a useful railway station for some significant resorts. However, if it does not have convenient services running to it, that does rather undermine it.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Late starter, I do not understand flying into CDG, and then taking the train: I can see no advantage of that over flying direct to Grenoble. I hope to avoid flying altogether - less security hassle and less restriction on luggage weight (though of course it still has to be carried). I shall be carrying skis - and I expect others will to, so a taxi seems the sensible transfer choice between Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon.
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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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achilles,
This is why I get the people at the address I gave you to do it... the girl knows her way around the european rail timetable. I think the booking fee is about 10%
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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achilles, not so daft an option from up here. No flights to Grenoble, Lyon or Turin, and GVA is now reduced to a winter service. so CDG and train could be an easy option. My kids did this last Christmas, see this thread
Too much to do it all by train, crossing both London and Paris, and it was much more expensive. I think the whole journey was less than £50 each. It meant we picked them up from the station 15 minutes away (Briancon) rather than have to collect them from the airport a 3 hour round trip away.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Rail tickets to Grenoble via Lille, not Paris Rail Europe says that yes, it is possible to book tickets from London to Grenoble (and elsewhere), via Lille - ie without going through Paris. Its not showing as a route on its website - because the whole system seems to be jamming. But they'll take a booking 08708 304 864. However, the 90-day limit on advance bookings means you can't do much about it just yet!
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achilles, travelled by train for the last 4 years. Always same route, London to Lille booked direct with Eurostar, Lille to Lyon booked direct with TGV via the SNCF website, hire car from Lyon. Last year drove to La Rosiere. I think that if you want to get deeper into the Alps by train than Lyon you would need to change onto the 'ten' service from Lyon, as the direct trains seem to come from Paris only. Lyon to Grenoble is an easy drive - about 66 miles on motorways. BTW booked with Rail Europe one year in a panic, then found I could buy the same tickets for 25% less direct from TGV so cancelled the RE tickets. Be careful with the 90 day rule - last year they (TGV) released the half term tickets at least one week early.
p.s. go into the SNCF.com website as the .co.uk site seems to re-route victims to the Rail Europe website.
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Sean Newsom, and Red run man, thanks for that.
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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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JT,
to be honest, have found rail canterbury a bit off this season. Been great the last few years, but an almost French attitude to information sharing this year - asked for the direct London- Bourg for Easter 08- no, all sold. Want to talk to me about alternates? - no, not interested.. ... which is a shame, and hopefully I just caught them on a bad day.
But am not sure, as we are in the middle of a leisurely drive to the Alps right now (am in Paris as I type) and my sister, who booked the train to join us there, via Cantebury at my recommendation, found out only last week that her supposed ticket to Bourg actually ended at Chambery. No explanation, other than she didn't send the enough money because the price had gone up... err there's a box on the corner of your desk called a 'phone - perhaps you should try it?
But since direct Eurostar now unavailable to us mere mortals not with a TO, now have to wait until the 120 days lead time for the StP - Paris, and thence onward via SNCF options (booking 90 day prior to travel) so maybe I'll try one of the other aggregators.
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| JimW wrote: |
| ...my sister, who booked the train to join us there, via Cantebury at my recommendation, found out only last week that her supposed ticket to Bourg actually ended at Chambery. No explanation, other than she didn't send the enough money because the price had gone up... |
I can just imagine the lo-cost airlines trying that line as well, "can passenger X please make themselves know to cabin crew as we've got to chuck you out somewhere over Burgundy as you've not paid enough for your flight to Geneva". 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I had an interesting experience booking our tickets down to Aix in September.
Tried the Eurostar site and not allowed to book.
Tried the Rail Europe site and not allowed to book.
Tried the TGV site in English and were allowed to book - but for 380 euros each - single in first class. (Yep. Walk around that number...)
Tried the TGV site in French and were allowed to book - for 39 euros each - single in first class ("Prems" tickets).
Phoned Rail Europe. Yes they can do the "Prems" tickets at 39 euros each. But am I sure as they'll have to charge me an extra £4 for a telephone order.
Go figure.
Don't just try the web site.
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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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PhillipStanton, I had a similar experience booking the train tickets for my kids last Christmas.
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FAQ
then RER to Gare de Lyon. This was better timing for summer skiing as we got ski hire, food shopping etc sorted out in the afternoon ready for an early start with Easiski. Did it all by train December in the day which got us in to LDA by taxi (last bus long gone) about 8pm - packed the milk and teabags that time!
