FRESH TRACKS
The direct Eurostar Ski Train may be cancelled for this winter, but there are still plenty of comfortable, scenic train journeys that can slash your carbon emissions by 80% compared to flying. Train guru Daniel Elkan highlights some of the Alps’ best Ski Club resorts you can reach by rail
1. Les Arcs, France
The resort: Les Arcs boasts some impressive slopes and is making strides environmentally. Solar panels are being installed on the 3,226m Aiguille Rouge gondola, from where you can carve a 2,000m descent to Villaroger – one of the best runs in the Alps.
Total travel time (approx): 9 hours 30 mins
Route: Eurostar, TGV
Example train journey: Depart London St Pancras on the 07:52 Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord; change to Paris Gare de Lyon and take the 12:47 TGV, changing at Chambery to arrive at Bourg St Maurice at 17:47. From there it’s seven minutes by funicular railway to Arc 1600.
2. St Anton, Austria
The resort: The legendary Tyrolean resort of St Anton is part of the largest linked ski area in Austria. The smooth, fast lift system will whisk you from piste, to piste, to mountain restaurant (which some epic off-piste in between). Be sure to try the Hospiz Alm, famous for its wine cellar, gröstl and goulash soup.
Total travel time (approx): 10 hours
Route: Eurostar, TGV, RailJet
Example train journey: Depart London St Pancras on the 07:52 Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord. Stopover in Paris and take the 12:23 TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon, changing at Zürich to the 16:40 RailJet, arriving at
St Anton at 19:03.
3. Val Thorens, France
The resort: Lofty Val Thorens, located atop of the vast Trois Vallées ski area, is now home to the highest igloo village in Europe. There you can enjoy a Savoyarde fondue while snuggled up in cosy blankets – and you can even stay overnight in an igloo.
Total travel time (approx): 9 hours
Route: Eurostar, TGV
Example train journey: Depart London St Pancras on the 07:52 Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord; change to Paris Gare de Lyon and take the 12:45 TGV, changing at Chambery to arrive Moutiers at 17:06. From there it’s 55 minutes by bus or taxi.
4. Davos, Switzerland
The resort: It might be famous for its economic forums, but Davos is a big hitter among skiers too. There are six areas to choose from, but for blissfully quiet slopes spend the days exploring Rinerhorn and Pischa, with their superb freeride areas.
Total travel time (approx): 10 hours 30 mins
Route: Eurostar, TGV, InterCity, Regional
Example train journey: Depart London St Pancras on the 09:24 Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord; change to Paris Gare de Lyon and take the 14:22 TGV to Zurich, then the 18:37 InterCity to Landquart, and the 19:47 regional train to Davos Dorf, arriving 20:53.
5. Crans-Montana, Switzerland
The resort: In addition to fantastic, intermediate-friendly downhill skiing, this popular Valais resort, made up of two villages, has more than 40km of marked and secured ski touring trails, with a total ascent of more than 8000m.
Total travel time (approx): 9 hours 15 mins
Route: Eurostar, TGV, InteRegional train
Example train journey: Depart London St Pancras on the 09:24 Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord; change to Paris Gare de Lyon and take the 14:18 TGV to Lausanne, then the 18:21 InterRegional train Sierre, arriving at 19:34. From there it’s 10 minutes by funicular railway.
6. Zell am See–Kaprun, Austria
The resort: Cobbled streets and a car-free centre in a dramatic lakeside setting give Zell am See a magical feel. The twinned resort of Kaprun has access to the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, with magnificent views and splendid ski descents.
Total travel time (approx): 18 hours
Route: Eurostar, ICE, NightJet, InterCity
Example train journey: Depart London St Pancras on the 15:04 Eurostar to Brussels; then take the 18:25 ICE Train to Cologne, then the 21:21 NightJet sleeper train to Wörgl, and then the 09:00 InterCity to Zell am See, arriving 10:15.
7. Les DEUX Alpes, France
The resort: The ski area is huge, but there’s plenty going on besides: electric mountain bike sessions, husky dog sledding, biathlon and donut-style, rubber-ring toboggans ensure that your stay here will be filled with as much variety as you like.
Total travel time (approx): 8 hours 45 mins
Route: Eurostar, TGV
Example train journey: Depart London St Pancras on the 09:24 Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord; change to Paris Gare de Lyon and take the 14:43 TGV to Grenoble, arriving at 17:52. From there it’s 70-90 minutes by bus or taxi.
8. St Gervais, France
The resort: Staying at this charming village and spa town gives you access to the scenic, tree-lined Evasion Mont Blanc ski area, where around almost every corner is a mountain restaurant, such as the renowned Sous les Freddy's.
Total travel time (approx): 9 hours
Route: Eurostar, TGV, TER
Example train journey: Depart London St Pancras on the 09:22 Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord; change to Paris Gare de Lyon and take the 12:47 TGV to Bellegarde, and then the 17:14 TER train to St Gervais, arriving at 19:16. From there it’s 10 minutes by bus or taxi.
WHY TAKE THE TRAIN?
Shuffling bleary eyed in a 5am queue at Gatwick Airport is no way to start a ski holiday. But when I first started skiing I knew no better. Nor did my friends. These journeys, we thought, were a necessary evil to get us to the slopes.
But some years before becoming a Ski Club rep, I began to discover that ski resorts in the Alps were surprisingly convenient to reach by train from the UK. If you were willing to spend time pouring over timetables plotting your route, you could end up with a comfortable, scenic journey that in many cases would even rival flying for speed, door to door.
While journeys by air are a functional, uninspired means to an end, every train journey to the Alps offers different discoveries and experiences, served with unique vignettes of scenery. No two journeys are ever the same, but all are memorable. As a Ski Club rep, I’d travel out to resort by train, making full use of the unlimited luggage capacity by rail.
Chairlift chats with members were always illuminating. When I was asked how I’d travelled to the resort, I’d reply: “By train”. They’d often follow up with the question: “Yes, but which airport did you fly to first?”
I’d watch their eyes widen as I’d explain that I hadn’t flown at all. They’d ask me what the journey was like. Then there would be a pause, and – particularly if they were a couple – one of them would nudge the other and implore: “Darling, we should do that next year!”
I like to think that at least some of them have since tried train travel. When you’ve popped open the bubbles as your Eurostar slips out of London en route to the Alps, those bleary-eyed airport queues will feel like a distant memory, never to be repeated.
HOW TO BOOK TICKETS – AND WHEN
For some journeys, booking online works fine. Online rail-ticket sellers like Trainline and Rail Europe have user-friendly websites. What you should know is that the algorithms that power these searches often miss out on available trains and tickets. An alternative is to use expert rail-booking agents, who book travel for you and tailor-make your itinerary, for roughly the same cost.
Tickets generally go on sale 90 to 120 days in advance of your travel date. The earlier you book, the keener the prices, so don’t leave it to the last minute.
Rail booking agents:
Online ticket agents:
Rail companies:
TRAVEL TIPS
The Rail Map of Europe is going to be your best travel companion – super useful for planning and great to have with you on board too
Changing station in Paris is easiest done by taxi – either using the taxi rank or by pre-booking, from companies such as City Airport Taxis or Paris Private Cab
Bring food and drink on board. There’s no limit to what you can bring with you, so pack a feast and create a picnic at 300km/h.
Try to limit the amount of luggage you bring with you, for example by stuffing your ski gear into your ski bag, or packing your ski boots into your clothes bag. Wheelie luggage is a must!