Taking the train at half-term is (a lot!) cheaper than flying
Not booked your half-term ski holiday yet? Maybe this is the year to take the train. Easyjet still have plenty of flights for half-term week out of Gatwick. The only catch is that they are VERY expensive. You can save around £100 by choosing to leave the UK very early or very late. You could...
Case Study: London to Serre Chevalier Briancon by ferry and train
Neil Guthrie – creator of ‘The Alps – Skiing by Train’ map – recently sent us this update on his flight free journey from London to Briancon (to ski Serre Chevalier): Every year thousands of winter sports holidays begin with a train ride from London Victoria or Clapham Junction heading south towards Sussex. For most,...
Protect Our Winters UK’s ‘Clean Miles’ campaign
Ski Flight Free is proud to support Protect Our Winters UK’s ‘Clean Miles’ campaign, a movement to make low-carbon travel the easiest way to reach the outdoors. Transport is responsible for around a third of global emissions and is the biggest part of outdoor sports’ carbon footprint. The Issue We love the outdoors, but too...
The Man in Seat 61: Will Eurostar will ever have competition?
Mark Smith – The Man in Seat 61 – thinks it’s possible that Eurostar will have competition, but it will take time. I spoke to the train travel expert in Episode 233 of The Ski Podcast. After news of bids to compete on the cross-channel line from Virgin Trains, Gemini and Evolyn, I wondered what...
Case Study: UK to St Gervais Le Fayet by train and bus
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...
The Night Train to the French Alps is back!
Next winter a new night snow train will be running from Paris to Bourg Saint Maurice in France. French tour operator Travelski have announced that the new train service will operate from 19 December 2025 through to 20 March 2026. The train will leave Paris Gare d’Austerlitz on Friday evenings and depart from Bourg Saint...
How to get from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon in Paris (and back)
I’ve often heard people say that they would travel by train on their ski holiday if it wasn’t so difficult to get from Gare du Nord to Gare de Lyon in Paris. [Sigh] It’s really not that difficult! It’s two stops on the RER on a service that usually takes about 20 minutes from platform...
Case Study: Les Arcs to London by train
In August 2025, Iain travelled by train from Les Arcs to London in the UK. Arc 1800-Arc 1600, 09:15 The different ‘stations’ of Les Arcs are connected by an efficient bus service, that runs on a reliable timetable. I took the 0915 navette from Arc 1800, which is scheduled to link perfectly with the funicular...
The Eurostar Snow Train 2025/26 – Everything you need to know
In June 2025, Eurostar confirmed that they would be running the ‘Eurostar Snow Train’ again for the forthcoming 2025/26 winter season. This is great news, plus there are some key changes to this year’s service that will make the journey more attractive for many travellers. What dates will the Eurostar Snow Train operate? The Eurostar...
The Future of French Rail: Inside the New TGV INOUI 2025 Trains
At a recent meeting organised by A Tout France, I had the opportunity to find out more about the revolutionary new generation of TGV trains – a €3.5 billion investment by SNCF. The new ‘TGV INOUI 2025’ trains by SNCF have been designed around three priorities: comfort, sustainability, and inclusivity. In their words, “This isn’t...
More direct TGVs from Paris to Tarentaise
SNCF Voyageurs is strengthening its TGV INOUI service to the Tarentaise Valley by adding 5,000 seats this summer. The TGV service is being launched as a test to meet the growing demand for mountain travel in the summer. From 12 July to 10 August 2025, there will be an extra rotation connecting Paris to Bourg-Saint-Maurice...
Gemini Trains Team up with Uber on high-speed trains from UK to Europe
A new railway start-up has confirmed that it intends to go into competition with Eurostar and run high speed trains from London to Paris and beyond. Chaired by the public transport veteran Lord Berkeley, Gemini Trains has submitted an application to the Office of Rail and Road for a train operator’s licence and to be...
