Snowtrain

A snowHead

Top of the morning to you all!!
Please could someone tell me about the snowtrain etc. Are there beds for overnight trips? There don't appear to be beds on the Eurostar.

A snowHead

Here's the link for the snowtrains which oddly doesn't mention beds anywhere. But does gives prices and availability. But I'm sure from previous threads there are couchettes on it. Try the search engine erica2004, or wait for 1st hand knowledge.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

There are 4 choices for overnight travel to the French Alps by train.

The direct O/N Eurostar. This is a sitting service with no sleeping facilities but it does leave late on Friday (about 8PM) and arrives earliest of the options (about 6AM)

The Traditional Snow Train from Dover. This is the most hedonistic option, inclusive of the ferry over, people pickup their beer on the boat and party their way to the mountains. There are sleeping facilities but this is the one that's notorious for the party animals keeping u up all night. Very very amusing experience if u have the patience (or the earplugs) for it.

The Chartered snowtrain service via Paris. This consists of the Eurostar from Waterloo at about 4:30PM to Paris, a 2 hour stopover for dinner at Gare du Nord and a sleeper train to the Mountains (arr 7/8AM). Luggage is looked after by the tour op while u go find a restaurant. The bar can be busy on the way down but it's not the mayhem that the Dover train is.

The Scheduled sleeper service via Paris. Usually slightly cheeper than the chartered trip, it easily offers the most flexibility. With this u get to Paris by Eurostar then make your own way from Gare du Nord to Gare d'Austerlitz (9 stops on the orange metro line). The sleeper from G d'A is the most civilised of all the sleeper trains since it has the fewest Brits on. There are also options for upgrading from a 6berth couchette to 4 berth for little extra cost or even to a double cabin, though I believe that's quite a bit more.

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Does it not go from Gard Du Lyon anymore...??

I would be thinking about Eurostar to Paris and then catch SNCF or TGV to the Alpes. The charted snow train from the UK only goes to BSM but you can go to St Gervais for Chamonix etc.

I find the prices cheaper if bought in France, ie I once caught the TGV from St Gervais to Paris for 70eu, but check first...

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Gare de Lyon is across the river from Austelitz, some trains do leave from there but the regular overnight sleeper train La Tarentasie goes from Gare d'Austerlitz. Although it goes through to BSM, it drops off carriages at various stops, so you can go through to Grenoble for example or get off at Albertville. Your best bet is to contact RailEurope directly rather than try and fight your way through SNCF's website

You'll need to Register first of course.

Only the daytime trains to the Alps go from Gare Du Lyon. All the Night trains go from Gare d'Austerlitz.
TGV is really a daytime option because, naturally, it does the journey a lot quicker and there are no couchettes on it.

There are a whole host of daytime possibilities too inc. going Via Lille rather than Paris but I've not used these myself as I like to sleep my way there and get the extra skiing in.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

Are you sure Puzzled

I thought the TGV could do the trip far quicker than that. Those times are pretty well exactly what the sleeper train does, which is quite definitely not a TGV. Perhaps there are regular O/N sitting services from GDL but the sleepers are from GDA.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

erica2004, we've done both the eurostar and the snowtrain (to Paris via eurostar, then from paris on the snow train to Bourg St Maurice).

The snowtrain was like a party train, complete with beer carriage and loads of partying people i.e. don't expect to get a good nights rest in your couchette! If you take the cheap option like we did, you get a tiny couchette with 1.5 foot-wide beds and very little room for things like skis - you have to put large luggage on the floor and risk people trampling on them. Couchettes hold 6 people so if there are say 4 of you, you'll get a couple of strangers sharing with you (although they won't be strangers for long seeing as how 'cosy' it is!!) wink

However, our reason for taking the snowtrain is that you get to the resort overnight and arrive very early in the resort so you get a good days skiing in. The snow makes up for any rough night you've had! snowHead

Earlier this year we tried the Eurostar from London to the station closest to Meribel the name escapes me at the moment). We went first class. It was like being on an aeroplane - you got a constant supply of food and drinks delivered and a reclining seat to sit in. This wa the alternative to standard class in which you have a fixed seat and you have to buy your own food. Smile

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snow reports

skanky, good move! Bear in mind though people, it's not always just a tenner extra to go up to 1st class. It depends completely on which categories of tickets have sold out. (I believe, on occasion, it can even be cheaper to upgrade to 1st! )But that's because the cheap categories of 2nd class seats have gone not because 1st has got cheaper.)

Snowy, the station u are thinking of is 'Moutiers'.

You know it makes sense.

I think what you're saying is what I think I was saying but I can't be sure (I think)

Most UK tour ops use the chartered service that goes from GDN and the prices for that are very much more rigid.
When u start booking up your own, u realise just how much variation there can be.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I think you were saying that the price difference can depend on the variable price of the 2nd (sorry standard) class whereas I was saying that it can also depend on the variable price of 1st class.

I have travelled with the overnight Eurostar with Crystal before, cannot remember the pricing as it was a few years ago.

When you go DIY you start to realise how much variation there is in everything - from actual resorts down to lift pass and rental deal.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Snowtrain from Dover is great fun, if a bit basic. The big plus is the extra skiing either end of the week. Just go with an open mind (plus earplugs....noise was not that bad). There was a mixed bunch, people like us with teenager, students, couples and families who had 'done' the train when they were younger and were introducing their kids to it. Lots of people to chat to - or not if you don't wish. We would recomend it, take some food and buy your booze on the ferry (if you want some).

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Eurostar has just launched a new 'microsite' for anyone heading out to the French Alps. According to this report in The Times there is a promotional fare of £99 return but I couldn't find any trace of this offer on the site.

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I've tried most of these, and my preference is for one of routes via Paris.

You get a flat bed overnight (unlike Eurostar direct to Alps), the opportunity for a decent dinner in Paris, and you don't have to take pot luck about sharing a carriage with the alcohol fuelled Falaraki brigade on their winter break (the risk with the Snowtrain from Calais).

And to make matters worse with the Snowtrain, you are likely to get the same companions on the way back as you did on the way out....so if the outward journey was hell, you've got the whole holiday to contemplate a repeat experience on the way home. To be fair, it can be fine (the carriage we were in was OK), but there were other carriages on the same train where the noise (including ghettoblasters) and level of inebriation would have stretched most people's goodwill.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

david, you won't the SNCF website is hopeless, your best bet is to phone RailEurope and ask for any promotional fares. SNCF have a special offer caled PREMS which enables you to travle on the TGV for as little as £19.00. They do however, sell out very quickly, they're made available 60 days before travel, you can't book them within 14 days of travel. You'd never get them anyway I've always found they're sold out very smartly. I'd be surprised if anyone can get a seat fro travel over Xmas or New Year, I was quoted £450.00 return.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I have got the £19.00 (£38.00 return) one way to Paris from Ashford withing two weeks of travel and I used a specialist travel agent to get it. I can't remember the name or number but I will try and find it and post it. I did this last year in Jan
and it is the best way to travel, I think. And the upgrade to 1st class is well worth considering on TGV. As I posted earlier, I was hugely surprised to get TGV from St Gervais to Paris for 70eu but massively shocked to be quoted £178.00 to get fron Paris to Ashford one way...!!!

It appears to be that they charge what they think the market will stand. Apart from paying £100.00 return which I think is very good value which ever service you use I would be looking to pay local rates at they beat most things quoted in England or treasure Island as the motor trade calls us....!!

Help!!

Snowtrain

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