 Poster: A snowHead
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Me and 2 other guys will be flying into paris at the end of February. Im 22 and have a full week in France but only want to use 1 or 2 days to get some boarding in. Where do you recommend that is relatively close and easy to get to from Paris? Cool city? Not ultra-crowded? Cheaper?
Any basic info or directions on how to get a plan rolling would be great. Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome.
Paris is someway from the slopes.
Get a train from Paris Gare de Lyon to Bourg St Maurice and ski in Les Arcs.
Door-to-piste will take atleast 8 hrs. The train alone is 5 hrs.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 12-12-07 16:58; edited 1 time in total
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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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There's nothing in the immediate vicinity of Paris but, get a night sleeper train down from Gare d'Austerlitz to Moutiers and you're 30 minutes in a bus or cab from the 3 valleys, one of the most extensive ski domains in the world.
You can sleep in each direction and so get full days on the snow on the days you travel.
Train leaves Paris at about 22:20 daily and arrives at 6 or 7 AM.
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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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dandurcd,
You are trying to go at the height of the French holiday season, you may find it easier finding quieter slopes and accommodation elsewhere. I believe the TGV (French High speed rail) goes to Oulx in Italy. It might be worth looking at some of the Italian resorts close to there. (Sauze d'Oulx, Cesana Torinese, Sansicario possibly Bardonecchia).
Welcome to snowHeads by the way. 
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brian
brian
Guest
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You can also reach Switzerland in a similar fashion. There are TGV trains to Basel, Geneva and Lausanne. The good thing about Swiss transport is that the "last mile" to resort is covered by post buses integrated with the rail timetable.
Try typing Paris and whatever resort you fancy into the timetable here:
http://www.sbb.ch/en
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This is all good stuff. I am glad I have a couple months to prepare because there is so much to consider when trying to figure all this out.
I'll be getting on the train from a city just south of Paris (where my buddy is teaching english right now), so thats good news starting already outside of the city.
Thanks for the help and if anyone else has anything feel free to help out. I'll be asking for more advice im sure.
And thanks for the welcome!
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| Quote: |
Better to do the night service because you sleep the journey
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if your a good sleeper!
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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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Usually all the long trains leave from Paris, so you will probably have to start there. Paris to Grenoble takes 3 hours or so, then a 1h 30m shuttle will get you to the resort of Alpe d'Huez, large resort with access to a couple other resorts. Im headed there in 3 days... stoked! In my opinion night trains blow, but I suppose they work well for maximizing ski time. Have fun, the alps are wicked.
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There will now be 4 of us. I am considering renting a car for a couple days to get down there and back. Will it be faster? It seems like it definitely will be cheaper to rent a car for 4 days rather than all 4 of us paying 150 for round trip tickets...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I doubt it'll be faster, the TGV is pretty fast...
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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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| nbt wrote: |
| I doubt it'll be faster, the TGV is pretty fast... |
at nearly 300 mph there isn't much on wheels that is!!
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TGV tickets can be found for very cheap if you buy them a little bit in advance. driving will suck i would think... trains are much faster, much simpler. you can check tickets out at the SNCF website www.voyages-sncf.com
good luck
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
driving will suck i would think... trains are much faster, much simpler.
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Driving from Paris to the Alps is no big deal, especially if you have couple of drivers. The roads are mostly very good; it's only the last bit up to the resorts which can cause problems, and the trains don't go up there! But if your time is very limited the overnight train seems the best idea; long day on the slopes sandwiched between two long nights on the train. You'll sleep better the second night! Doing it that way also gets round the accommodation problem - French places are very stuck on their Saturday/Saturday routine, and you've chosen an extremely busy time - middle of the big French school holidays. Bus links from the main stations up into the resorts are frequent and inexpensive.
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