JOURNEY TIME
Snow Train passengers are booked onto one of two Eurostar services leaving St
Pancras at 17.35 and 17.55 – check-in closes earlier than the normal
Eurostar check-in – at 16:30. These services arrive in Paris at 21.17 and
21.41. The Snow Train leaves Paris at 22.28 and arrives at the first stop,
Chambery at 6.39. Journey time is from 13 hours and 50 minutes to Bourg St
Maurice.
ALPINE STOPS
The Snow Train arrives in Chambery at 6.39, then stops at Albertville,
Moutiers, Aime La Plagne, Landry, and finally Bourg St Maurice at 8.44am.
PRICE
Return London-Bourg St Maurice fares start at £229. The service leaves London
on a Friday evening, arriving in the Alps on Saturday morning, and returns a
week later, leaving on Saturday evening and returning on Sunday morning. For
bookings visit www.raileurope.co.uk
or call 0844 848 4070.
TRAIN vs PLANE
Cost: The cost of flights between the UK and the main French ski
airports of Chambery, Geneva and Lyon was between £90 and £180 during
January for flights booked in advance, according to Skyscanner.net. The cost
of an airport transfer also needs to be added. This varies by resort and
mode of transport, but costs between £50 and £200 versus £10 to £60 from
Bourg St Maurice to Tignes or Val d'Isere, for example (the cheapest option
is to take the Autocars Martins
local buses for this route).Cost-wise, there's little difference.
Baggage: the train has the advantage of a free baggage allowance plus
no liquid restrictions.
Timing: the train allows eight day's skiing versus six if you fly.
However, some factors to bear in mind are: the extra cost of two day's more
ski pass, ski rantal and insurance; how much sleep you get could determine
whether you want to ski a near-full day on arrival; your hotel or chalet
room is unlikely to be ready on Saturday morning so you'll have to store
luggage until the end of the day.
DON’T FORGET
Slippers or slip-on shoes for walking around the train
Earplugs
Pyjamas
Your own food and drink for the Paris-Alps section
An overnight bag
MORE INFORMATION
If you want to be more flexible with your dates, Rail Europe can also book
tickets on overnight SNCF trains, which depart from frequently between Paris
and the Alps. Return tickets with accommodation in a 6-berth couchette start
at £143. The journey time is from 12 hours 19 minutes, but the service does
require a change of stations in Paris between Paris Gare du Nord and Paris
Austerlitz.
Daytime services to the Alps start at £109 standard class return. Journey time
is from 10 hours 3 minutes. This service involves a change of platform
within Lille Europe station and also at Lyon. Alternatively, journey times
are from 10 hours 30 minutes with changes of station between Paris Gare du
Nord and Paris Gare de Lyon and also a change of trains at Chambery.
For a full low down of the rail options to the Alps, www.welove2ski.com
has a comprehensive
rail guide
