Your Train Options
There are several options to get you to the slopes by train:
Eurostar Direct Ski Train - Daytime & Overnight
Eurostar’s Ski Train is no longer available to book independently, instead replaced by a complete package option known as the Travelski Express, available via Compagnie des Alpes. There is a concerted industry-wide effort to reinstate an independently available Ski Train, particularly in light of growing concerns regarding the impact of flying on climate change. The same route can be traced by taking a Eurostar and changing via Paris or Lille onto the TGV.
We would like to support Snowcarbon in their campaign to save Eurostar’s ski train has an uncertain future. Please visit Snowcarbon’s website to see how you can help.
Eurostar + TGV
Take a Eurostar from London to Paris, and then change station (which is easy by taxi or metro, depending on your luggage) to take a TGV bound for the Alps. For some destinations a further change of train (to a regional train, InterCity or RailJet train) may be required. A variation on this journey is to travel to Paris in the late afternoon or evening, stop over and take a TGV to your resort the next morning.
Journeys run daytime, daily, with more services at weekends. The following major towns are served directly by TGV services (in bold) and offer short transfers, either by bus, taxi or narrow gauge/funicular railway, to associated resorts:
- Bourg St-Maurice for La Rosiere, Val d’Isere, Tignes, Les Arcs
- Aime for La Plagne
- Moutiers for Meribel, Courcheval, Val Thorens, Les Menuires, La Tania
- Albertville for Megeve, Notre Dame de Bellcombe, Les Saisies, Combloux, Flumet, Crest-Voland
- Chambery for Les Allions and Le Chamoneclaz
The Chamonix area is served by hourly local services which connect to/from the TGV at Belgarde-sur-Valserine station, 2hrs 45mins from Paris Gare de Lyon.
Briancon, for Montgenevre, Serre Chevalier, and access to Italian resorts in the Via Lattea, is likewise served by a connecting local train from Valence Ville, which is a 2hrs 30mins TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon.
Eurostar + Corail Lunea Sleeper Train
Take an early-evening Eurostar from London to Paris, and then change station (which is easy by taxi or metro, depending on luggage) and take a Corail Lunea sleeper train. These sleeper services are equipped with “couchette” beds in compartments of, normally, four.
Journeys run: every day to most of the destinations served.
Destinations: In 2016 SNCF axed most of their sleeper services, but one Alpine route remains, from Paris to Briancon. This serves the French resorts of Serre Chevalier and Montgenèvre, and Italian resorts on the Via Lattea, such as Sauze d’Oulx, Sestrière and Clavière; a second route to the Pyrenean border town of Latour-de-Carol offers onward connections to Andorra, Font Romeu and several other resorts.
France is currently petitioning to increase sleeper routes across both Metropolitan France and in concert with other European nations. This should see an expansion of available routes from 2024.
Eurostar + NightJet sleeper train
Take a Eurostar to Brussels, change platform there and take an ICE train to Cologne, where you catch the NightJet sleeper train to the Austrian Tirol region, home to a range of great ski resorts. Many destinations are served by an onward connection from Innsbruck, either by transfer to the resort directly, for somewhere like St. Anton, a connecting intercity service.
Facilities on board: ICE trains have restaurant carriages; the NightJet has couchette compartments for 2, 3 or 4 people. Some compartments have ensuite washing and shower facilities too. A light breakfast is included.
Journeys run: every night of the year
Destinations include: Alpbach, Hopfgarten, Ischgl, Kitzbühel, Kühtai, Mayrhofen, Obergurgl/Hochgurgl, St Anton, St Johann in Tirol, Seefeld, Söll, and Westendorf.
Eurostar + Alpen Express sleeper train
Either take a Eurostar to Amsterdam and catch the Alpen Express sleeper train from there, or (setting out a bit later) take a Eurostar to Brussels, change platform there and take an ICE train to Cologne, where you catch the Alpen Express sleeper train to a very wide range of Austrian ski resorts. The Alpen Express is equipped with couchette sleeper compartments for either 3, 5 or 6 people. Some compartments have ensuite washing facilities too. A light breakfast is included.
Journeys run: every Friday from 20th December 2019 to 13th March 2020
Destinations include: Alpbach, Bad Gastein, Hopfgarten, Ischgl, Kaprun, Kirchberg, Kitzbühel, Kühtai, Mayrhofen, Obergurgl/Hochgurgl, St Anton, St Johann in Tirol, Seefeld, Söll, and Westendorf.
For more about train options, visit the Snowcarbon website, or see the The Man in Seat 61 for comprehensive guides to rail travel across the UK, Europe and the World. The Ski Club's comprehensive resort guides can provide you with plenty more information about all of the resorts mentioned here, many of which also host Ski Club Reps and Ambassadors.
We would like to support Snowcarbon in their campaign to save Eurostar’s ski train, which has been cancelled for the 2020/21 season and re-instated but without the option to book independently. Please visit Snowcarbon’s website to see how you can help
Transfer by Train
Many resorts that are directly served by rail are therefore accessible from local airports, offering a scenic alternative to driving or a coach transfer. This is particularly true in Switzerland, where several of the Ski Club’s favourite resorts are served by rail, including:
These resorts are accessible from both Geneva and Zurich Airports – listed as “Flughafen” on the SBB website. For more details, to explore options, and to book tickets, head to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) website, available in English here.
