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...
Alpe d’Huez delivers a subtle hint to take the train
I loved this subtle guerilla campaign that Alpe d’Huez recently ran in conjunction with SNCF. Many resorts are encouraging holidaymakers to take the train rather than fly or drive, but the resorts of Alpe d’Huez teamed up for a few days with Ouigo, the SNCF’s low-cost offering. Travel to resort is typically 50-80% of the...
Travel by Train to the Alps via Lille
The most obvious routes to the Alps are via Paris, but did you know that you can travel to ski resorts via Lille? There are direct TGV trains from Lille Europe on the Tarentaise line to Moutiers, Aime la Plagne and Bourg St Maurice as well as through the Mont Blanc valley to Cluses, Sallanches...
New Ouigo trains will link Paris with the Alps this winter
SNCF have announced that a new low cost TGV service will connect Paris to Bourg-Saint-Maurice this winter. Trains will start from 17 December 2020 and run to 29 March 2021, and will also connect with Grenoble and Albertville. From Charles de Gaulle Airport to Bourg St Maurice From December Ouigo trains will run between Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle...
Train Travel to the Alps: Tips and Advice
As well as founding Ski Flight Free, Iain also presents The Ski Podcast. Earlier this month, he was joined by Daniel Elkan from Snowcarbon and Anna Hughes from Flight Free UK in a Facebook Live event to discuss train travel to the Alps. Useful links and notes Great options for checking your carbon footprint include the WWF Footprint...
Case Study 3: Is train travel more expensive than flying?
I’ve just booked for my third trip by train to the Alps this winter and as for the previous two trips (to Les Arcs in December and Courchevel in January), I’ve analysed the cost of taking the train relative to flying. My motivation is to reduce my carbon footprint – and travelling by train saves...
Guide to Bourg St Maurice Station
This is a short guide to help you if you’re travelling by train to Bourg St Maurice this winter. If you haven’t been to the station before, or even if you have, it can be useful to help with your orientation after a long journey. Main Bourg St Maurice station building Let’s start by taking...
Case Study 2: Train travel is less than flying (again!)
I’ve heard several people say “Well, I would take the train, but it costs so much more than flying.” However, while this may be true in certain circumstances my blog post last month showed that it’s certainly not always the case. In that case, I looked at the equivalent cost of travelling to Les Arcs...
Does it cost more to travel to the Alps by train?
A question often asked is whether it costs more to travel to the Alps by train? The answer might surprise you. Two reasons people often give for continuing to fly and not travelling by train is that it will 1) cost more 2) take longer But while it will typically take longer to take the...
Book your trains via Paris to the Alps (Dec19-Jan20)
The first booking window opened last week for indirect trains (i.e. Eurostar + SNCF) travelling between 15 December 2019 and 05 January 2020. Eurostar trains can be booked well in advance, but one of the limitations of SNCF is that tickets normally only go on sale around 90 days in advance. Tickets for journeys travelling...
