Coach to the alps....................................

A snowHead

Has anyone taken the coach to the Alps? What was it like?

I'm not a fan of coach travel however 8 days skiing might make it worth it and the fares seem very cheap, almost as cheap as some airport transfers!

A snowHead

sean1967, I've done 4 return overnight coach trips now. I'd be happy to do another, but I can sleep anywhere (and usually do).

Tips:
If possible upgrade for more leg room. Take a pillow, blanket, music, snacks etc and you'll be there before you know it.

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

sean1967, it's no worse than sitting on a long haul flight in Economy. Depends how tolerant you are of travelling and of sleep deprivation, and how much you are prepared to "pay" in a certain amount of discomfort for those extra days skiing. I've done 3 return coach trips, all with kids. Take plenty of water to drink, a pillow, clothes you can "layer" on and off and, if possible, some kind of sleeping pill (can strong recommend Syndol, not specifically a sleeping aid, but a big help, and available OTC. Just be aware it contains codeine which some people can't take.

When my kids complained about the coach I told them they were welcome to save up the difference and take themselves by air. Or stay at home.

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I've always maintained I'd rather chew my left leg off than take the coach anywhere but have just seen the spec for the new coaches Ski Weekends are bringing in and they look pretty darn comfy. Also airports are now so hideous that avoiding them in any way appeals.

... and you can always drug yourself up to the eyeballs as pam w suggests Laughing

Reminds me of a very long coach trip in Thailand 15 years ago & a travelling companion who was only able to cope with the utterly mental roads & driving if she had necked a horse Valium ...

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Always29 and I did a long weekend with SkiWeekends last year and it was fine. I was a bit skeptical but it was no worse than flying cattle class - in fact it was more comfortable as we paid the extra for the deluxe seats (nice leather, extra legroom extra recline, inflatable pillow) couple of medicinal bottles of road wine, some snacks, was great. Coach went to hotel in Bride Les Bains below Meribel, left Victoria about 5pm, arrived about 10am in BLB, on the hill that afternoon.

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sean1967, an alternative to coach for 8 days skiing would be the train. The bed on the overnight sleeper from Paris is more comfortable than a coach seat but is also more expensive.

After all it is free

If you are going to take the coach then make sure you have some where to put your bags when you arrive so that you can make full use of the 8 days on the slopes. Some operators will find you a room to put your stuff in for the day and even keep a shower available for you on your last day so that you can be clean when boarding the coach.
www.skimeribel.co.uk provides a good coach service with seats that recline back with a foot rest, pillows, blankets, eye mask and ear plugs. They run from London Victoria to Meribel and La Tania.

sean1967

My first snow holiday was by coach, to Cormayeur, in the mid nineties, and my last.

If you can sleep easily anywhere then it might be worth a bash. But judging by you username I'm guessing you'll be at least 42, and IMO opinion coach travel over a certain duration, say six hours, should be made illegal for anyone aged 12 years or more. wink

Never say never, and the improved coaches etc may make it more bearable, but it's not on my radar , barring disasters.

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I went skiing twice by coach to Italy (dolomites) and Austria. Then I was in my early 20s and did not have any trouble sleeping. It is nice not having to think about your luggage from victoria coach station to the resort and to take in the scenery as you get nearer the mountains.

Now I'm a few years older and married with children I haven't really thought about going skiing by coach. I think to ski 8 days I would either go by train and stay at a budget hotel within an hour of the resort or take the overnight direct Eurostar (only covers a few resorts though).

If you are looking to keep costs down coach is probably the cheapest form of transport and you won't have to worry about transfers etc.

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Anyone know if skiweekends do a coach only price, it all seems to include accomodation.

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Don't think so, you could always call or mail them and ask, or a quick google on "coach to alps" should provide a list of coach companies who go to the alps.

I've done it three times, twice I drank enough alcohol that I was either really pissed by london, started in sheffield and passed out soon after calais and those journeys were fine, the sober journey was horrible. The return journeys were ok even without alcohol as you're generally tired enough to sleep for most of the journey. I'm doing it again this year

You know it makes sense.

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

norris, there are a few coach companies out there that will just do the overnight transfer part without the accommodation. I've not used them, but for instance http://www.snowexpress.co.uk/

A snowHead

I've done it twice on Uni trips (i.e. very budget trips) from Cambridge to French Alps. Not an experience I'd wish to repeat. Pretty sure the journey took over 12 hours each way.

These days I like flying too much. It's the start of the holiday for me. The view of the Alps from the air is very excitement-inducing.

However, for those on a very tight budget, coach travel is certainly worth considering. Just don't do it with children or your fellow travellers might be ready to murder you! Laughing

A snowHead

BCjohnny, yep, right there with you. But never mind 6 hours, I pay extra to land at closer airport to cut 2 hours from a 3 1/2 hour coach ride. The prospect of 8 or 9 hours on one brings me out in a cold sweat, no matter how many bacon rolls they dish out.

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Did a couple of coach trips from Manchester to Italy (aosta Valley) when I was running the school ski trip. I'm 6'3" so managed to get the seats near the fire exit at the back of the coach. Loads of leg room and no one sitting next to me. I think it would have been agony in one of the "normal seats". Left at 2pm arrived at 11am the next day.

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Ray Zorro, thanks worth a look.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Did the coach run to the ES0b happen last season?

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There is no way the coach would do the journey from Calais in 8 or 9 hours. I have done it once, many years ago in an apparently posh Ski Olympic coach. I would rather eat my own eyes than repeat the experience.

We did have a lot of snow (to be expected?) during the last quarter on the journey and around Dijon. This meant the journey was around 18 hours. The seats felt comfortable at first but that only lasts a few hours and then there is no way of getting comfortable. The thought of the journey home put a real dampener on the latter half of our holiday and I seriously looked at getting flights back instead. I was talked out of it and the journey back was just as bad as the journey there. It started with our coach arriving six hours late, due to bad weather on the way down. We were packed, waiting and could have skied for another day, had we known.

If you are considering this for the sole reason of getting an extra day, then fly a day earlier. For a start you will arrive in better shape, able to enjoy your extra day. If its for financial reasons, well I suppose we all make sacrifices but this is a big one and one I would rather never make again.

I've driven plenty of times and this is borderline with flying for me. The train would be worse (unless with a sleeper cabin) the coach would be so much worse it would be off the bottom of the page.

I hope I haven't been too vague.

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Go on a coach every year (school trip) I actually find it much more relaxing that the plane. Get on, sit back and relax. Watch a film, read a book, have a chat, have something to eat, have a sleep. Find it no stress at all. I've also been on several coach trips without the school kids and they were exactly the same.

After all it is free

bar shaker, driving times are hugely affected by weather, obviously - I did a coach journey in nasty foggy weather too, with the two drivers doing at best 50 mph throughout the night, as we passed some hideous, flood-lit, crash sites. Then we had a delay whilst they put chains on near Albertville. But all the vehicles getting down there were affected in much the same way. I've had to come off the autoroute at Dijon and spend an unplanned night, because of heavy fog. And flights don't cope too well with heavy snow or fog, either.

It isn't actually that common to have heavy snow around Dijon - I've only encountered it once, driving, and I do two return trips every winter, since 2002.

However you travel, bad weather can cause it to go titsup.

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I have drove to the Alps twice now. Drove to Morzine and also Les Deux Alpes. With flights from Manchester/Liverpool direct to Geneva for less than £80 midweek throughout the season, there is no advantage of driving, and i wont do it again. If it is purely a money thing then i can understand it, but when you do the full breakdown of costs, there really isnt much in it at all.

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I had a great skiing trip to the 3 valleys last easter with ski weekends, helped by the great snow conditions at the same time. However Sitting on the coach was uncomfortable as it was freezing cold despite them telling me the heating was on, only to find out the drivers couldnt work out the heating system. They also managed to take a wrong turn near lyon (even though i knew the correct way, I dont think thety would of listened to a know it all passenger!)) resulting in us getting caught in heavy traffic, resulting in arriving at brides at 11 and getting on the hill (top of ski run)at 12-30. giving us just 2 1/2 days skiing. Oh how I had wished I had driven the trip myself, and had my destiny in my own hands.
It was a great trip but dont think I would do it again(by coach)... i'd sooner do the drive myself

We did the ski-weekends twice, and had a great time on both trips. On the first trip the Versau was full so we ended up in a small hotel next to the gondola... had fantastic weather, and plenty of late spring snow.

However on the second trip, the novelty had worn off a bit, so although we had paid for extra leg room, we were the most rearward of those that had this privilege, and the giant rugby scrummers behind with massive legs hadn't so we had their knees knocking our chair backs all trip!!!

The other slightly disappointing aspect is the shared shower room before the trip back. But overall it’s a good use of time off work and convenient travel. So if you can manage to sleep on a coach, give it a go for a cheap alternative for 3V skiing...

You know it makes sense.

I did this a couple of times a few years ago while at University in Nottingham, with Kings Ski Club, once to Tignes and the second time to Serre Chevalier.

It was a 24 hour journey each way, which on the way back wasn't too bad as we were all zonked out, but the way out there seemed never-ending until we saw our first mountains. That was with great driving conditions too. We did get an extra afternoon the first day, and an extra morning the last, but other than for cost or if I developed a fear of flying, I can't say I would choose to do it again.

On top of the long journey, on the Tignes trip, although we had sole use of the coach (there were 70 of us), Kings hadn't accounted for the fact that we might actually have luggage with us too, plus skis for some, so all the luggage was under our feet. Although the coach drivers got into serious trouble with their boss for it, they took us as far as Folkestone for the ferry but then told us to take our luggage off and Kings were arranging for French coaches to meet us the other side. As this was before the days of mobile telephones it was a nervous ferry trip over to Boulogne, wondering if they would turn up as it was pretty short notice, but thankfully they did.

I have driven myself quite a few times down to the French Alps, and it is pretty easy to do and much quicker, although more expensive of course.

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

We have just booked with skimeribel so we'll see! I swore years ago that I would never do continental coach travel again, and switched to the train with sleeper cabins instead. Don't do flying if at all avoidable.

But my 72 year old Dad put me to shame this year by happily taking an overnight coach to Heathrow and I thought, what the h&ll - what kind of a wimp am I? If he can do it so can I.

So we'll see. We've paid £119 each, return to Meribel in early Feb. Alternatives were direct Eurostar day (no extra ski time - 6 days just isn't enough for me!), direct Eurostar night (no reclining seats and you still have to sort out your own transfer up the mountain), Eurostar to Paris and then French sleeper train (probably nicest option, but you leave Paris late which with children can be tedious...)

So - it's the coach for us this year and we'll just have to hope we don't regret it! The kids are old enough now not to be a nuisance to other passengers (they are well used to long train journeys!) and still young enough to sleep on a clothes line. So it'll just be us who are wasted then....................... Wink

Still - compared to our weekend in Scotland last year it might be quite relaxing..........................(left Devon 4pm Thursday, drove overnight, skiied all day Fri, Sat & Sun, left Cairngorms 5pm Sunday and got home 4am Monday morning.) Very Happy

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Coach to the alps....................................

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