Access to Val d’ Isère
Val d’Isere is a great place for skiing but is not easily accessible. The closest airport is Chambery (2 hours away) Geneva, Grenoble and Lyon airports are further away (3 hours).
ARRIVING BY COACH
Coach trip from London, the cheapest way to Val d’Isere
Tel: + 44 (0)845 890 0390 (UK)
For more info go to: www.snowexpress.co.uk
The best value for money, it may take a week to recover but this coach company provides an excellent answer to cut the cost of travel to Val d’Isere.
Service starting the 2nd of December.
Outward Journey: Every Friday leaves Victoria Station at 19h00, arrives next day at 15h00.
Return Journey: Every Saturday leaves Val d’Isere at 17h00, arrives at Victoria station on Sunday morning at 11h00.
Prices: from £112 one way
ARRIVING BY AIR
CHAMBERY airport ( 2 hours away)
www.flybe.com , www.jet2.com, www.snowjet.co.uk
Airport Tel: + 33 4 79 54 49 54
GENEVA airport (3 hours away)
www.swiss.com, www.flybmi.com, www.easyjet.com, www.britishairways.com, www.jet2.com, www.blueislands.com (from Jersey).
New for our Canadian friends, there is now a flight from Toronto, via Montreal without disembarking, to Geneva. Daily in summer, 5 time a week in winter. Check with Air Canada.
Airport Tel: + 41 22 717 71 11
www.gva.ch
GRENOBLE airport (3 hours away)
www.ryanair.com, www.easyjet.com, www.flybmi.com, www.airsouthwest.com
Airport Tel: + 33 4 76 65 48 48
LYON airport (3 hours away)
www.flybmi.com, www.easyjet.com, www.britishairways.com, www.airfrance.com.
Airport Tel: + 33 426 007 007
OPTIONS ONCE LANDED
Take a bus
Geneva airport runs many shuttles to Val d’isere.
The transfer takes 4 hours. 82€ one way, 139€ return, see Bus timetable once in the bus, with a good book, the ride is not unpleasant. You have to check carefully though, when you book your air ticket that there will be a bus to transfer you in time. Example: for a return to London: bus trip 4 hours+ 2hours before departure = 6hours in total, the first bus leaving Val d’Isere at 6 am means you can only catch the 12 o’clock (or later) flight.
Bensbus has a service from/to Geneva every Saturday all season, and every Sunday from the 12th December to 6th February. There is no timetable, people enter their dates and details and it will show the closest transfer.
www.bensbus.co.uk
Grenoble Airport has a service with…
From Saturday 11th December to 17th of April
From Grenoble Airport: Saturdays: 10.20, 15.30, 18.20, 22.30 Sundays: 10.30, 15.30
From Val d’Isere Center: Saturdays: 04.00, 07.10, 10.00, 1535 Sundays: 04.00, 08.35
Price: £79 return or £45 single.
For more info: www.bensbus.co.uk
Book www.snowbus.co.uk/links-tignes-val-d-isere-ski-resorts
TO/FROM CHAMBERY AIRPORT
Every Saturday and Sunday from 10th December to 28th of April
- 4 departures/ day on Saturday
- 2 on Sunday
From £75pp return.
TO/FROM GENEVA AIRPORT
Every Saturday ans Sunday from 10th December to 28th of April
- 4 departure/day on Saturday
- 2 on Sunday
From £87pp return.
Rent a car
In each airport are found the usual renting companies.
www.europcar.com, www.hertz.com, www.avis.com, www.budget.com, www.nationalcar.com, www.alamo.com.
The cheapest way to rent a car is by using Auto Europ
Tel: + 44 (0)800 358 12 29, they always come up with the best quote!
It could be a good idea to practice the skill of putting chain before you leave home. Parking the car in Val d’Isere will cost around 10/12 € a day.
Book a transfer
It is probably the most convenient and practical way as it is unlikely that you will need a car once in Val d’Isere and may have to pay for parking it! The cost of transfer is approximately 300€ to 350€ each way (For either Geneva or Lyon airports).We recommend you to do the booking from a Val d’Isere based company (Taxis). Our experience is that they are reliable and stick to the price even if you are delayed and they have a long wait at the airport. They are much cheaper than hiring a taxi outside the airport.
Be smart, Share a transfer/taxi: During the ski season it is very likely that on the same flight somebody else will be going to Val d’Isere. It makes sense to share the cost. Go to our special page where you can post your details. (Share a Taxi)
ARRIVING BY TRAIN
If you are fed up with airport security, crowded lounges and delayed flights, the train is an answer. When you consider the wasted time spent waiting at the airport there is not much in it if you come from the South East of the UK.
The closest railway station is Bourg Saint Maurice, 45 minutes away (70€)
Direct Ski Train from London
During the season, www.eurostar.com operates a direct service each week end from London St Pancras to Bourg Saint Maurice. If you come for a week from Saturday to Saturday it is the most convenient. You leave London St Pancras around 10 am and arrive in Bourg Saint Maurice around 6 pm (duration 7 hours and 30 mins) Starting 17th December More: snown train
For the young and brave traveler there is an overnight service leaving London on Friday nights and returning from Bourg Saint Maurice on Saturday nights. It can stretch your trip by a couple of days. Be aware that there are no beds on board, you have to sleep in your seat, not everybody’s cup of tea! The overnight trip lasts around 10 hours. The night service operates from the 23rd of December. Check details with snow train.
Train via Paris
An alternative, (if you cannot find a place on the direct ski train from London), is to go to Paris, gare du Nord with Eurostar then take a train from gare de Lyon. (Allow one hour for the transfer across Paris to be comfortable) To Bourg Saint Maurice. Call in UK : +44 (0)8705 848 848 or +44 (0)844 848 58 48 or: www.raileurope.co.uk
If you wish to try the overnight experience, once in Paris, there is a train leaving gare d’Austerlitz at around 11 pm arriving in Bourg Saint Maurice just before 8 am (duration 9 hrs) it is possible to buy a berth for £40 (6 in a compartment) or £70 (4 in a compartment) on top of the ticket.
www.raileurope.co.uk sells “Through fares”, from London to Bourg saint Maurice from October to April. Including the hour for the change of station it takes around 7 hours and costs £159 return. Tel:+44 (0)844 848 58 48.
Once at the railway station in Bourg saint Maurice
1.Take the bus: From Bourg Saint Maurice to Val d’Isere’s bus station, not practical if you have a heavy suitcase and aren’t staying near the bus station. It takes 45 mins and cost 13€. Once in Val all buses are free.
2.Take a taxi: It costs about 70€ and takes 40 minutes. We recommend that you book a taxi from Val d’Isere. If you want to share, see our special page.
ARRIVING BY CAR
Choosing to drive to Val d’Isere offers advantages, you have the flexibility to take as much luggage as you wish and avoid the nightmare of airports’s discomfort.
It is motorway all the way to Albertville, then dual carriage to Moutiers and finally road to Val d’Isere. It takes about 10 hours from Calais if you drive within the speed limit.
The routing is very simple, once in France from Calais, follow the road signs to Reims, Dijon, Lyon, then skirt east of Lyon (near Saint Exupery airport), then Chambery and finally Albertville the end of the motorway.
It is wise to carry snow chains with you. A practice session before departure (on the driving wheels of the vehicle) could come handy, as you practically always have to put them at the end of the journey, tired, in a cold blizzard, in the dark and in the snow!
Once in Val d’Isere there is no need for a car, parking cost around 10€/day.
The motorway toll amounts to around 140€ return.
To prepare your journey you could consult www.viamichelin.co.uk to plan your trip.
TRANSFER BY HELICOPTER FROM AIRPORTS
Forget the roads, the traffic jams, this is the quickest transfer to Val d’Isere.
It is possible to share the helicopter transfer from the airport to Val d’Isere! with Whitetracks Helicopters
This is the only company offering this service, breaking down the whole helicopter cost into individual seats.
Price guide:
From Geneva (35 min) 550€
From Chambery (30 min) 450€
From Grenoble ( 42 min) 635€
From Lyon (45 min) 730€
Tel: + 44 (0) 779 664 0841 (UK)
Tel: + 33 (0) 68612 34 17 (FR)
For more info: www.whitetracks.co.uk
WITH S.A.F
It all started with an Air Rescue Service in collaboration with ski resorts. The company now offers many more services, scenic flights, heli-skiing, transfers, aerial works, training, special events…With 27 years of experience this company has gained an amazing reputation.
Tel: + 33 (0)4 79 41 93 49
Tel: + 33 (0)6 08 93 25 58
Tel: + 33 (0)4 79 38 48 29
For more info: www.saf-helicopters.com
For 5 passengers 2050€ (all taxes included)
