Delayed, Not Derailed: Why SNCF Got It Right
If you’ve travelled much, you’ll know that not everything goes to plan. Sometimes flights are delayed or cancelled; sometimes traffic accidents can clog up the roads and, very occasionally, trains also have their issues! In my experience, you are much less likely to experience delays than if you travel by plane or car. However, on...
Case Study: London to Courchevel by train
Iain from The Ski Podcast travelled out to Courchevel by train in January 2026. Brighton to London My journey started in Brighton on the 06:00, arriving into London St Pancras at 07:20. This is significantly later than the recommended arrival time from Eurostar, but in my experience there is no need to arrive so early...
Case Study: The UK to Embrun, France by overnight train…and bus
Antonia Simpson, a regular listener to The Ski Podcast, recently contacted us to share her story of travelling by train to the southern French Alps. On a dull September day, a £35 Eurostar offer seemed too good to waste, particularly when I realised I could carry on to the Southern French Alps for less than...
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...
Most Europeans want governments to ban short-haul flights…if high speed rail is an alternative
A majority of Europeans want governments to ban short-haul flights where high-speed rail is an alternative. Support for short-haul flight bans…if high speed is an alternative The survey by SavantaComres found that 67% of Europeans support such bans if there is a high-speed option, with the highest level of support in France and Spain. More...
SNCF ‘Carte Advantage’: Save money on French train bookings
For anyone travelling to the Alps this winter, here’s a useful money-saving tip if you are booking connecting trains from Paris with SNCF. Each winter, I buy an SNCF ‘Carte Avantage‘. You can probably translate that yourself, but just in case, it’s the SNCF ‘Advantage Card’. And indeed, there can be a big advantage in buying...
Inghams Ski to offer ski holidays by train
Huge kudos to Inghams Ski, who are launching their own ski packages by train. They will offer train travel to France (via Lille) and Austria, Switzerland and Italy (via Paris). Full details will be released next month and shared here and on www.skilflightfree.org Although nothing has been confirmed yet, possible timings have been mooted as...
Case Study: London to Nice by Train
Ski Flight Free founder recently travelled to Nice by train. Admittedly it was to take part in a triathlon, rather than ski, but this case study should still be of interest, especially as he used the Paris overnight service. Let’s take a look at how it went… Eurostar to Paris The journey started with Eurostar...
Case Study: UK to Orelle (Les 3 Vallées) by train
In December 2022, Iain Martin, presenter of The Ski Podcast and founder of Ski Flight Free, travelled from the UK to Orelle – the secret fourth valley of Les 3 Vallées – by train. London to Paris As with all train journeys to the continent, my day started at London St Pancras. Although on arrival...
Cauterets / Crans Montana / Eurostar / Les Arcs / Orelle / Serre Chevalier / Ski Flight Free / SNCF / Soll / Train Travel / Zermatt
‘The Best Ski Resorts to travel to by train’
Iain – founder of Ski Flight Free – was recently commissioned by ‘The Independent’ to put together a summary of the best ski resorts to travel to by train. The eight resorts that made the short list were: Les Arcs (Find out about the Travelski Express here) Crans Montana Serre Chevalier (Read about their night...
French ski resorts lobby for more trains
The National Association of Mayors of Mountain Resorts (ANMSM) has called for better train services to ski resorts in France to reduce the carbon footprint of ski holidays. A survey commissioned by the ANMSM and conducted by G2A Consulting showed that almost half of respondents would change the way they travel to resort if the...
