I am a massive fan of getting the train to the Three Valleys, in fact I’m writing this sitting on a train from Paris to Moutiers en route to Les Menuires for our December 09 #TwiSkiTrip. It’s a pretty civilised way to travel in France and the trains pretty much have a 100% punctuality rate, take note UK!

There are many different options for travelling by train to the Three Valleys, and I’ll just run over some of them now, you can check out all your options and buy tickets at Rail Europe

The Eurostar direct train goes from St Pancras in London to Moutiers, at the bottom of the Three Valleys. It also goes to Aime la Plagne and Bourg St Maurice. There are two options, firstly the night option which leaves London on a Friday evening and gets you into Moutiers early on a Saturday morning. It leaves Moutiers on a Saturday evening getting you home early on a Sunday morning. This option gives you the opportunity for 8 days skiing if you’re awake enough when you get there! The overnight Eurostar train does not have couchettes (flat beds), you will have a standard Eurostar seat.

Alternatively there is a day train which leaves and returns on a Saturday morning. This is possibly a better option if you can’t bear the thought of the overnighter. You’ll get the normal 6 days skiing with this option.

The Eurostar direct train takes 8-9 hours and costs from £179 return.

Your second option is to get a French network TGV to the Three Valleys. Firstly, no matter what TGV you choose, you will need to get a Eurostar to Paris. To get the cheapest Eurostar fares book early as they open bookings five months before travel. Then you can either get French TGV overnight train or a day train. The overnighters go from Paris Austerlitz which involves a tube journey across Paris. Leave yourself at least an hour between trains for this. The overnight trains have couchettes, which are basically flat beds that drop down. There are six to a cabin in standard class and four to a cabin in first class. They aren’t like real beds but you get to lie flat. The train arrives into Moutiers early in the morning meaning you can get up to resort to ski that day. The overnight trains run every night, so pick and choose what suits you best.

The trains that run in the day are sometimes overlooked. You get the train from Paris Gare du Lyon to Chambery and then change to get the local train from Chambery to Moutiers. Getting from Paris Nord to Gare du Lyon is extremely fast thanks to the RER, the speedier tube. Take line D, Gare du Lyon is two stops down the line and takes about 10-15 minutes only. It’s still probably safe to leave yourself an hour for this transfer. There are numerous times available for this option so just pop in the day you want to travel into Rail Europe and it’ll list all your available trains and prices.

The transfer from Moutiers can be done by the local bus company Altibus, or we recommend Three Valleys Transfers taxi company for the journey to your resort.

Travelling by train can be cheap but as always it’s best to book early. One issue you may come across is the fact that you can book the Eurostar, and thus get the best fares, 5 months in advance, but you can only book the French trains 3 months in advance. This is what I recommend; research the train times for your dates on the fantastic Seat 61 website, choose your times and book the Eurostar to suit. Then go and book the French trains at Rail Europe when they release, fingers crossed it’ll all work out and you’ll get the cheapest fares for both the Eurostar and French TGV. Sometimes first class tickets are cheaper or similar to second class tickets so keep an eye out for those.

I hope you enjoy your journey to the Three Valleys.  Also see our post on driving to the Three Valleys and flying to the Three Valleys.

So first off, it’s the French rail network. Ok so most of you probably know now that getting to many French ski resorts is really easy by train. If you get the Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris, and then change to a day or overnight train to the Alps from Gare du Lyon or Gare d’Austerlitz. It’s really easy to do, and can take about the same time as a flight if you live down south.

But……….. why on earth can the French rail network get it’s act in gear and release the tickets further in advance? Currently you can only book 3 months in advance, meaning you have to purchase your Eurostar tickets earlier (released 4 months in advance) to ensure you get the best price, which leaves you open to issues with the French train prices.

As far as I know, the French trains to the Alps have been running on practically exactly the same timetables for years now, so it’s not like they don’t know when they’re going to go, so why not get a grip and release them at the same time as the Eurostar, 4 months in advance! They’re supposed to be encouraging travel through Europe now from the UK by train, but if they can’t get such a simple thing as timetable release dates correct then I do wonder!!

Right, moan over. Seriously it’s a great way to travel, just remember to go online exactly 3 months before your trip and book your French trains on the Rail Europe website.