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Planning your trip - Val d'Isere - France

Travelling to Val d'Isere is now really easy with the introduction of new flight routes and cheap airlines. Although it's not as close as other resorts from the major airports (Geneva etc) the resort and quality of pistes make up for this. If you don't fancy lugging your bags and/or kids through customs, why not take the train.

Airport transfer times

Airport Distance to Val d'Isere Approx. transfer time by road
Chambery 141km 2 hours
Geneva 177km 3 hours
Grenoble 208km 2 hours  30 minutes
Lyon St Exupery 218km 2 hours  30 minutes

Top tips for:

Flying

The majority of airlines fly into Geneva (Switzerland), which is 177km from Val and has the most transport links to transfer you to the resort. The next biggest airport is Lyon St Exupery, which has public buses to the ski stations. The smaller airports of Chambery and Grenoble are closer but public transport links are fewer.

Train

Unfortunately there are only a couple of trains a week - normally Fridays and Saturdays. Eurostar runs a direct train from London on these days, which terminates in Bourg St Maurice for Val d'Isere. The Snowtrain, run by Rail Europe, means a change in Paris but you can party all night in their legendary ‘disco carriage' - the ruin of many people's first day skiing! If you are after more flexibility, you can take the train to Paris and change onto the French train to the Alps.

Transfers

Bus transfers are the most economical way to travel to resort from the airport or train station. If possible, try to book your tickets well in advance - the buses can get very busy and some companies act on a reservation-only basis.

Hiring a car however, is the most flexible option of traveling to Val and it means you can travel around to see other resorts in the area. Be aware though that you will have to pay to park your car in paid parking for your time there (around €70 for seven days). There is a free car park in the smaller village of La Daille.

For door-to-door, private transfers or taxis are a good option, but not the cheapest.

Self-drive

Driving to Val d'Isere will take you about 12 hours once you reach Calais or Boulogne. The motorways are the quickest route but you will have to pay around €50-60 in toll charges each way.

Be warned that many satnav and internet routes show the quickest way from UK to Val as going through the Mont Blanc tunnel and over Col du Petit St. Bernard pass. The St. Bernard pass is nearly always closed from November through to June every year. Instead head through Lyon and Chambery towards Albertville.  Don’t forget snow chains!