Eurostar has re-launched its ‘snow train’ service for the 2024/2025 winter, offering a simple journey from London St Pancras to the French Alps.
The Local has answered several common questions about the ‘snow train’.
When will it run?
The service will begin on December 21st and run through the entire ski season, until March 2nd.
Trains will run every Saturday from London to the Alps during that period, while the return trains to the UK will run on Sundays.
Where does it go and how long does it take?
This is not a direct train from London to the Alps. The first journey is from London to Lille, then you board a connecting train to Bourg-Saint-Maurice.
Along the way to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, the train passes through the stations Chambéry, Albertville, Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-Les-Bains and Aime-la-Plagne.
You can see the Eurostar route map here.
Which ski resorts are nearby?
Once you arrive at your final station, there are coach and TER (regional train) services that can get you closer to the ski resorts.
Nearby resorts include Tignes and Val d’Isere (side by side), Les Arcs, Les Menuires, Val Thorens, Courcheval, La Tania, and Meribel.
You should be able to find bus (navette) schedules on the resort or town websites. For example, HERE is the schedule for Val d’Isere.
READ MORE: From high altitude to family friendly: 15 of the best French ski resorts
How much does it cost?
Tickets start at £99 (one-way) for 2nd class. However, due to high demand some are already unavailable for the first few weeks of the service (between December and early January).
How do I reserve tickets?
The one-way ticket includes your journey to Lille and the subsequent train to the Alps. To purchase, go to the Eurostar website and search for ‘Bourg-Saint-Maurice’ as the destination (or the other stations that the train stops at along the way).
Keep in mind that these may not immediately appear on the dropdown menu, you have to specifically search for them.
Be sure you are looking only at Saturdays during the period, as the trains do not run on any other day of the week. The same goes for returns – focus on Sundays.
What can I bring on-board?
Unlike travelling by plane, you are not confined by the weight limit on bags or liquid rules (which have come back into force in European airports).
READ MORE: What the return of liquid limits at airports means for travel in France
As for packing skis and snowboards, Eurostar snow has special rules for sporting equipment. Eurostar says that they “allocate extra space on board so you can take one pair of skis or one snowboard on board with you in addition to your standard adult luggage allowance.
“For safety reasons, skis and snowboards have to be kept in a protective case that covers the whole item.” More info here.
What alternatives are available if it’s sold out?
You can always book the package yourself – a Eurostar train to Lille or Paris, and then a connecting French SNCF train to the Alps. You can book SNCF trains using SNCF Connect.
Booking for French trains will be available 90 days prior to your desired date of departure.
READ MORE: What can I do if I’ve booked a French skiing holiday and there’s no snow?
What about EES and passport checks?
The new Entry/Exit System (EES) will launch on Sunday, November 10th 2024. It will digitally register the data of non-EU citizens every time they enter and exit the external Schengen borders and it will replace the physical stamping of passports at passport control.
For those travelling from the UK to France via Eurostar, passport checks are done in the UK. Eurostar chiefs announced in May that they would add special EES kiosks and increase the number of e-gates and manual booths, as well as French border control officers.
READ MORE: How to prepare for travel under Europe’s new EES and ETIAS rules
Passengers required to complete EES registration will be funnelled first towards the three areas set aside for the EES kiosks before moving through to the main part of the check-in area, where they will go through check-in, security and passport checks with both UK and French border officers.
On the first time registering for EES, non-EU tourists and visitors will need to complete the digital registration. This will include a facial and fingerprint scans, passport scan and then a series of standardised questions such as “how long is your planned trip?”
Passing through these kiosks is estimated to take at most 90 seconds per passenger. You can read more about what to expect at St Pancras, as well as exempt groups here.
As for the return journey to the UK, passport checks would be carried out at the Lille station.
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