French ski resorts that are accessible by train

Travelling to your ski home via train makes for an eco-friendly, leisurely journey.

Here, we look at French ski resorts easiest to reach from the train station.

Why travel to your ski home by train? 

Crucially, opting for the train over the plane reduces your carbon footprint dramatically. Although there are differences caused by factors like the type of train you choose to travel in, data from the Rail Travel Group reveals that rail travel creates ten times less carbon emissions than the equivalent car journey and thirteen times less than air travel. But it’s not just eco-friendlier: it’s a more leisurely way to travel too. While we don’t recommend rushing to your gate just before it closes, you don’t have to get to the train station quite as early as you would an airport. Nor do you have to fuss about putting liquids into little plastic bags.

Then, there’s the journey itself. It’s a chance to relax. You’ll get to stretch your legs, read a book, look at the scenic French countryside as you pass it, and head to the bar. The train journey becomes part of the experience itself, rather than just a means to get to your ski home. 

The Eurostar ski train 2023/24 

From 16th December to 4th February 2024, the Eurostar runs a ski train with straightforward routes to your favourite ski resorts. Setting off from London St. Pancras International with a change at Lille, the Eurostar ski train goes to Chambéry, Albertville, Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-Les-Bains, Aime-la-Plagne, or Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

Plus, it has an allowance of two bags and ski equipment. It departs every Saturday, with a return journey on the Sunday. Moreover, passport checks are all done in the UK, so once you arrive, you can hit the slopes promptly.

A fast train from Paris

Alternatively, after you have travelled from the UK to Paris via Eurostar, you can take a fast train to your favourite ski resort. The Eurostar will deliver you to Paris-Nord at which point you change to Paris-Lyon. TGV trains depart from here, a high-speed intercity trainline with routes across France and even ones to Belgium, Germany and Spain.

Ski resorts close to a train resort: 

If, after your long, leisurely train journey, you want to minimise the transfer time between the train station and your ski home, you’ll be interested in this list. These French ski resorts are less than half an hour from the train station. 

Méribel 

Méribel is part of the enormously popular Les 3 Vallées, the largest ski resort in the whole of France, it totals an impressive 600km of pistes. Méribel itself attracts many British holidaymakers and is known for its balance of being family-friendly and possessing a lively après ski scene. It also has beautiful chalet-style architecture.

Journey to train station: Moûtiers train station is just a twenty-minute drive from Méribel. And if you don’t want to jump in a taxi, there are bus shuttles too.

Moreover, Moûtiers is a key train station, as the ski resorts of Les Coches, La Tania and Montchavin are all thirty to forty minutes away via car or bus.

Sainte-Foy 

Sainte-Foy is a petite but spectacular ski resort. It has a decent choice of pistes to suit a range of abilities. There’s also restaurants and bars for downtime. One big advantage is that it tends to not get as busy as the more major ski resorts. 

Journey to train station: Bourg-Saint-Maurice can be reached in a very easy twelve minutes by car. So, if your heart starts to race with excitement as you pull into Bourg-Saint-Maurice, you can rest assured that it really won’t be long before you get to hit the slopes!

La Plagne

Vastly different to Sainte-Foy, La Plagne has sealed a reputation for its large and varied skiable terrain. It is made up of eleven characterful villages. Plus, you can shake up your love of trains with a ride in a gondola and head to the neighbouring resort Les Arcs via the Vanoise Express.

Journey to train station: Plagne 1800, the lowest altitude village, is just a seventeen-minute drive to Aime train station. There’s also a shuttle that takes closer to half an hour.

A lower carbon footprint than a plane journey, more legroom, picturesque vistas out of the window, and a glass of bubbly – what’s not to love about travelling via train to your new ski home?