Tickets for Eurostar’s ski train to French Alps on sale today
Tickets for Eurostar’s high-speed services from London St Pancras and Ashford International to the French Alps go on sale at 8am on Wednesday (July 17). The direct services to three stations, Moûtiers, Aime La Plagne and Bourg St Maurice, provide easy access to many top French ski resorts, including Courchevel and Méribel in the Trois Vallées, Tignes, Les Arcs and La Plagne.
The services offer a generous baggage allowance, with each passenger allowed to take two suitcases plus hand luggage and skis or snowboard at no extra cost.
There are two regular services leaving London each week on Friday night and Saturday morning, plus an additional Saturday overnight service during the school holidays following the successful introduction for February half term two seasons ago
All services leave from London St Pancras and travel via Ashford International to Moûtiers (for the Trois Vallées) and Aime La Plagne before terminating at Bourg St Maurice (for Les Arcs, Tignes and Val d'Isère).
Fares start from £160 for a return ticket to all three French destinations, however this starting price is unlikely to be available for those wanting to travel on popular peak dates. The competition for tickets on these dates is intense - February half term are renowned to sell out within minutes of going on sale.
The Friday overnight rail service takes around 10 hours, leaving St Pancras at 7.45pm, passing through Ashford International at 8.28pm and arriving in the French Alps on Saturday morning between 5.32am and 6.16am, depending where you disembark.
The overnight train arrives just as many other winter holidaymakers would be taking coach transfers to and from local airports. While this is not a sleeper service with beds, it does give skiers and snowboarders a possible two extra days on the slopes, depending which return train they take.
Alternatively, travellers can take the Saturday daytime service, which departs St Pancras at 9.45am and takes around nine and a half hours, passing through Ashford International at 10.28am, and getting to Moûtiers at 6.27pm, Aime La Plagne at 6.46pm and Bourg St Maurice at 7.03pm, so passengers can hit the slopes from Sunday morning.
The regular services back to London leave Bourg St Maurice at 9:34am or 10:12pm on Saturdays (the latter enabling an extra day on the slopes). The service does not stop at Aime La Plagne on the return journey so passengers need to board at Bourg St Maurice or Moûtiers.
The Saturday morning train arrives back in London for 4:13pm on Saturday, while the night train arrives at 7:16am on Sunday.
Train travel is a popular choice during the peak times of the season, allowing families in particular to avoid long queues at airports. There’s an additional Saturday evening outbound service on February 15, 2020 to cater for the February half term as well as an additional Saturday night (10:12pm) and Sunday morning (9:34am) return service , which travels direct from the Alps to St Pancras, not stopping at Ashford International, on February 22 2020.
Other additional services include a New Year outbound special on December 27, 2019, returning on a direct service on January 4, 2020.
The regular 2019/20 ski services will run weekly from December 20, 2019 until April 11, 2020. A full timetable of all services can be viewed on the Eurostar website.
Travelling by train to the Alps has become an increasingly popular choice for skiers and snowboarders as both the logistical and environmental benefits of train travel become more appealing to a variety of travellers, including families and groups. With pressure on travel companies to become more sustainable: Eurostar estimates a rail journey from London to Amsterdam emits 80 per cent less carbon than the equivalent short-haul flight.
Tickets are available from eurostar.com or by calling 03432 186186, at Eurostar stations or from travel agents. Further information on connecting ski services from Eurostar stations is also available on the Eurostar website.
