1 day ski weekend to the Alps by train!
Yes, that title is correct, you can have a great days skiing on a weekend without having to fly. I did this very same trip 2 years ago with some friends and we all had a great time!
In the Eurostar Bar
As Lastminute.com put it it’s “One day, one train, one hell of a good time with Eurostar straight to the Alps”. Basically you head to St Pancras after work on Friday evening (assuming you work near London) to get on the overnight Eurostar to Bourg St Maurice (leaves at 20:31).Remember that the seats on the Eurostar are the normal upright seats, there’s a bar on the train to ease you to sleep though! You’ll arrive in Bourg St Maurice at 06:30 on Saturday morning.
On our trip we then took the funicular straight from Bourg St Maurice station to Arc 1600, this is perhaps the easiest resort to get to, but you could also try Val d’Isere or Tignes or alight earlier at Moutiers and pay a visit to the Three Valleys. The funicular is included in your Les Arcs day lift pass which you can buy online in advance here for 41.50euros, they’ll post it to you so you don’t need to worry about sorting it out when you arrive.
When you get to Arc 1600, turn right out of the funicular station, there is a pub that opens for breakfast and can store your bags for a day for a small fee. There is also a ski hire shop next door to there, Sport 2000 I think, so you can sort everything you’ll need easily when you get up to Arc 1600.
Then you’re just left to ski the whole day. Les Arcs is a great ski area, you can find out more about Les Arcs on our resort review. The day we were there was the most glorious January day with clear blue skies. We had lunch back down at Arc 1600 and then skiied until last lifts in the afternoon. Obviously skiing only one day the you’re at the mercy of the weather even more than usual, and all you can do is hope you get lucky!
Restaurant La Tartiflette, Bourg St Maurice
You then have time for a few drinks back at Arc 1600 to relive your day and then head back down on the funicular to Bourg St Maurice. The train leaves at 22:15 giving you time for dinner in Bourg. Don’t go anywhere other than restaurant La Tartiflette on Avenue de la Gare opposite the station, it’s really the best restaurant in Bourg and is usually rammed which is a good sign.
After another night on the Eurostar you’ll arrive into St Pancras at 07:12 on Sunday morning, giving you a bit of time for some R&R before going back to work on Monday with that sense of elation after having really maximised your weekend!
Lastminute.com are running this trip and they currently have availability on Friday 5th March and Friday 19th March. And best of all it only costs £129 per person! Go on give it a go, you only live once!
