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 departures.
Arc 1600-Bourg St Maurice, 09:30
The beautifully designed funicular runs between Les Arcs 1600 and Bourg St Maurice. The journey takes 7 minutes normally, but there are two request stops on the route, which can increase that to 11 minutes, so make sure you take that into account for connections to your train.
It only takes about 10 minutes to walk to the main station, although if you have a lot of luggage there is a regular free shuttle bus.
It is free for pedestrians and parapenters in summer (only mountain bikers have to pay). It’s also free in winter for anyone travelling to Bourg St Maurice by train.
Bourg St Maurice-Chambéry, 10:13
I had around 30 minutes until my train was due to depart, so I took a short stroll into Bourg St Maurice. The high street is pretty and the boulangerie has a great choice of patisseries and drinks that are half the cost of those in the station.
The train to Chambéry was a stopping service, with no wi-fi, but plenty of spare seats.
Chambéry station, 12:07
I arrived into Chambéry on time, with over an hour to kill until my connecting train to Paris. If you need supplies, don’t buy in the station, simply head outside and turn left. There’s a Casino supermarket less than 100 metres away.
The station has a great workspace that you can use while waiting for trains, with USB and electric sockets, and free wifi for an hour. If you have kids with you, there’s even a mini-play area.
Chambéry-Paris Gare de Lyon, 13:24
It’s slightly under three hours from Chambéry to Paris. Enough time to get some work done (the wi-fi is excellent) and have a short nap!
Paris Gare de Lyon-Paris Gare du Nord, 16:18
We arrived on time at Gare du Nord at 16:18 and I took the metro to Gare du Nord. There was an RER train on the platform as I arrived, albeit busy, and within 20 minutes I was in Gare du Nord.
Paris Gare du Nord-London St Pancras, 18:02
The Eurostar check-in at Gare du Nord seemed at first to be complete chaos, with a queue bigger than any I’d ever seen there.
However, it turned out that there was a problem with the electronic check-in gates at French customs. Although it did take 30 minutes to get through (slightly longer than usual – I’d expect about 15-20 minutes normally), there were no queues once in the departures area and my train left on time.
London St Pancras, 19:31
Not only did we leave on time, we arrived in London early – 8 minutes ahead of schedule, leaving me enough time to pick up a cup of tea before my connecting train home to Brighton.
Total Travel Time: 9h15
Total Cost: £134
Arc 1600-Arc 1800 – Free
Arc 1800-Bourg – Free
Bourg-Chambéry – EUR22
Chambéry-Paris – EUR75
Paris Metro – EUR2.50
Paris-London – GBP49
