In August 2025, Iain travelled from the UK to Saint Gervais Le Fayet in France. Iain was in the region to take part in the OCC Ultra Marathon in Chamonix, but preferred to stay in the much better value Le Fayet.
London St Pancras-Gare du Nord
I started my journey in Brighton, arriving at Eurostar check in at St Pancras at 07:24 for the 08:01 departure. This is later than the recommended arrival time of 06:46, but I consider this unnecessarily early.
Maybe one day this will backfire on me, but it took a record low THREE minutes to get through check-in, security and both the UK and French customs. That still left me over half an hour in ‘departures’.
Gare du Nord-Gare de Lyon
This is just two stops on the RER – a very straightforward journey that I detail in this video on YouTube.
This time it took me 27 minutes – that’s platform to platform (so stepping off the Eurostar to arriving into the departures hall in Gare de Lyon). That’s about par, although I’ve done it in as little as 17 minutes. It has never taken more than 35 minutes.
Gare de Lyon-Geneva
These TGV Lyria trains are great. They are comfortable, spacious and have excellent wi-fi. I’d also upgraded to First Class (it was only EUR12 more as I have an Carte Avantage Pass – worth buying if you travel on SNCF more than once a year), so I had even more space.
Tip – book the top deck for better views.
Geneva Main Station-Geneva Airport
Normally I would take the train via La Roche-Sur-Foron to Saint Gervais. However, as a competitor in one of the UTMB races, I was eligible for a discounted fare on their Alpy-Bus transfer, which departed from the airport.
I had bought a ticket in advance online via SBB, but no one checked, so I could have saved myself a few Swiss Francs.
Geneva Airport-Saint Gervais Le Fayet
The idea of the discounted coach travel is that UTMB are trying to encourage air travellers to use mass transport and not to book cars. However, it did increase the emissions of my journey slightly, so perhaps wasn’t the best idea.
The coach also got stuck in traffic getting out of Geneva, although I did still arrive in Saint Gervais earlier than if I’d travelled by train.
Saint Gervais Le Fayet-Chamonix
I stayed at the Hotel Chaumiere in Le Fayet, which is an excellent value two-star property that I highly recommend. So much friendlier and less expensive than Chamonix (particularly in UTMB week).
The following day I took the train from Le Fayet station to Chamonix. There are hourly departures that take 45 minutes and cost EUR5.90.
If you have booked accommodation in Saint Gervais Les Bains, then the new Valleen gondola will whisk you directly from the station to the (higher) town of Les Bains in just five minutes.
Total Travel Time: 8h55m
Total Cost: £98
Eurostar London to Paris – £49
Paris Metro – EUR2.50
Paris-Geneva – EUR41.50
Geneva station to Geneva Airport – CHF3
Geneva Airport – Saint Gervais – EUR9