Train-travel booking guide
Train companies don't make booking tickets as easy as they could – or should. Here's our guide to help you book journeys
Train journeys to ski resorts can much better experiences, compared to flying or driving: more fun, social and sustainable; and you get quality time with friends and family, enjoying space and scenery en route to the slopes.
But how best to book your rail journey? Train companies don’t make booking trains as simple as it should be and rail-booking websites don't always serve you well.
At the outset they make the search seem simple, because you only need to enter your starting station, ending station and dates of travel. However, as you'll read more about below, the results that they show you are not always the most convenient options.
However, SnowCarbon is here to help. We don't book journeys for you, but we want to share knowledge and advice based on years of experience travelling this way and constant, updated research.
SnowCarbon doesn't make any commission from people booking rail travel and there is no commercial influence on our advice.
If you only read one thing on this page, the most useful piece of advice we could give would be: ‘Don’t completely trust any one source of journey information or prices.’
Rail-schedule information and tickets use an over-complicated system. While every company is trying their best to show you the best options and prices, the best is often not fit for purpose. So don’t trust as gospel the first results that you see.
The aim of this guide is to help you better understand some of the booking options available to you, whether that’s for independent travel online, independent travel with a rail-booking agent or a rail-inclusive ski holiday from a ski-tour operator.
Booking rail travel online
Booking a train journey from the UK to the Alps isn’t as simple as booking a flight. Both in the UK and across Europe, the various rail operators have made a dog’s dinner of integrating their booking systems.
Sometimes, booking rail travel online is simple. Job done. But often, it isn't.
The key thing is not to treat as gospel the journey options or prices that you see when researching rail travel online. Mostly, rail-booking websites have access to the same underlying tickets and prices. However, the algorithms that these websites use may not always optimally access and present rail options and fares to you. So check more than one source.
For journeys that involve two or more trains, there might be more suitable schedules that you don't see results for. In some cases, journeys or trains that are definitely bookable don't show up online or are marked as 'not available'. It’s ridiculous, and the more travellers who are aware of this, the better.
Also, if you want extra time in Paris for example, either when changing trains or for a stopover, then you may find that online booking - which automatically minimises the time between trains - isn’t always suitable.
An alternative to booking independent rail travel online is to use a rail-booking agent (more about that later in this article).
Don't let algorithms fool you
Algorithms a big part of the picture.
The ability for travellers to book rail journeys online is important. Rail-booking websites are powered by algorithms (computational rules of thumb) to show you possible journeys and available tickets based on your search criteria.
The first problem is that the algorithms don't know you and don't know what kind of journey would be ideal for you. So they guess, and present you with the options that they can find and that they think most people would like. But, like dating apps, they are a very blunt and flawed tool!
The second problem is that algorithms have to interrogate multiple booking systems, journey options and tickets types and then present these to you. These booking systems and tickets types were not created with algorithms in mind. It's like someone quickly having to search a messy library where the books have not been arranged in a logical order. They might not find the book you are looking for; or they might not find any book at all. The books almost certainly are there, but the librarian isn't able to find it for you at the time.
Put simply, the algorithims are often not up to the task of showing you the best journey options.
But simply by knowing that, you are in a better position.
Websites for booking rail travel online
If you want to book train travel independently, you can book it yourself online, or you can ask an expert rail-booking agent to do it for you. Here are some thoughts on the pros and cons of each:
Eurostar.com
Eurostar’s website can be useful for the Eurostar legs of the journey and for some Eurostar + TGV journeys. But it offers a limited range of destinations and types of train.
Rail Europe
An online ticket-booking agent with a relatively easy to use website, with well-written guides.
Trainline
Another online ticket-booking agent, similarly with a fairly intuitive website.
SNCF Connect
This is French rail company SNCF’s booking website. Not particularly user friendly and might drive you nuts! But it’s another option.
Booking with an expert rail- booking agent
A good option for booking independent rail travel is to use an expert rail-booking agent.
They have experienced, knowledgeable staff and use booking systems that are more sophisticated than consumer-facing websites. They can get hold of tickets as soon as they go on sale and access rail options and fares that you might not be able to find online yourself.
A big advantage is that these experts can tailor-make your journey for you, so you can choose a schedule that suits your party best and not be subject to the frustrations or limitations of trying to make this work with booking online.
You benefit from human, rather than computer algorithm, search intelligence. Rail-booking agents are able to put together an itinerary of any trains you want and book it in the most convenient and financially advantageous way possible.
In cases where tickets for various legs of a journey go on sale at different times, these agents can hold tickets for a train (e.g. Eurostar) while waiting for tickets for another train (e.g. TGV) to go on sale, and then combine them to give you a no-commitment quote at the best available fare.
For this service, these agents charge a modest fee (usually about £10 - £15 per traveller). This can be good value for money, considering the benefits of the service offered.
For groups of 10 or more, using a rail-booking agent is essential because rail-booking websites only allow you to book for 1 - 9 people. To get group discounts and maximise the chance of being sat altogether, you'll need to book through a rail-booking agency.
The disadvantage of using a rail-booking agent is that it isn't immediate (you'll be emailing them and waiting a short time for a response). Also, if you need to get a refund, it can take longer because the rail-booking agent contacts the train company on your behalf. This saves you time and hassle but takes a bit longer overall.
How to find hidden train journeys online
The idea that rail-booking websites hide some of the best journeys between the UK and the Alps might sound mad. But it happens all the time. They don't do this on purpose. It's just that the booking algorithms can't cope with the task that they are being asked to do. This video shows you how this happens - and how you can find these hidden journeys.
You might find it very useful to have a look at our recent blog article, Don't let rail-booking websites screw up your travel plans.
List of rail booking agents
Here’s a list of four established rail booking agents, our top recommendation being The Travel Bureau.
The Travel Bureau
Helping people book rail travel since 1984, The Travel Bureau has an expert, knowledgeable team who can book journeys for you and can help with any journey.
The Travel Bureau charges a fee of £10 per traveller (sometimes less for larger groups).
Phone: (+44) 01902 326 662 (10:00 – 16:00 Monday – Friday)
Website: https://rail-travel.co.uk/
Email: rail@thetravelbureau.co.uk
Trainseurope
Helping people book rail travel since 1986, Trainseurope has an expert, knowledgeable team who can book journeys for you.
Can help with any journey.
Trainseurope charges a fee of £10 per traveller.
Phone: (+44) 01354 660222 (09:00 – 17:00 Monday – Friday; 09:00 – 15:00 Saturday)
Email: info@trainseurope.co.uk
Website: trainseurope.co.uk
International Rail
A family run, Hampshire-based rail-booking agent with an experienced team of staff.
Can help with any journey.
Booking fees are depend on the total value of the order: Under £100.00 = £15.00; between £100.00 - £300.00 = £25.00; over £300.00 = £35.00
Phone: (+44) 03330 030 413. (Calls free within inclusive minutes package on mobile; otherwise standard rates apply.)
Call centre times: 09:00 – 17:00 Monday-Friday
Email: sales@internationalrail.com
Website: internationalrail.com
Ffestiniog Travel
Established in 1974, Ffestiniog Travel is owned by a Charitable Trust. Profits support the world-famous Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways. There is a booking fee for all ticketing arrangements made, charged as a percentage of the total booking cost, up to a maximum charge of £30. As you can imagine, its expertise and understanding of rail ticketing means that they are able to advise clients on, source and take advantage of cheaper ticket prices – they know when reservations should be made to secure the best possible prices, offers and upgrades on your behalf.
Phone: 01766 515630
Email: rail@ffestiniogtravel.co.uk;
Website: ffestiniogtravel.com/rail-ticket-service
What about rail-inclusive ski packages?
There are many ski tour operators that offer ski holidays with flights included. But there are very few that offer rail-inclusive ski packages. Why is this?
Some years ago, a number of ski tour operators offered packages that included the direct Eurostar Ski Train. For the winter 2023-24, Eurostar isn't running a direct ski train, but has launched Eurostar Snow, an indirect service via Lille.
The following companies can organise rail-inclusive packages with this train:
Inghams
Peak Retreats
Travelski
Ski Solutions
Skiline
Snowfinders
The fact is, ski tour operators do want to offer rail inclusive ski holidays. However, in general, train companies (even Eurostar, when it marketed its own Ski Train), have never been very proactive or helpful in working with ski tour operators. For the many excellent possible journeys by Eurostar + TGV via Paris, there are few actual packages availables.
At Snowcarbon, we’ve been campaigning for years to get rail operators and tour operators to work better together, so that skiers can book rail-inclusive ski packages more easily. Train operators are big beasts and difficult to persuade. It will take time and, most likely, political intervention.
However, one thing we’ve done is to create the a Holidays Section. There, you can view ski holidays by train that include accommodation, transfers and an estimated price for rail travel. The rail travel element may need to be booked independently of the accommodation, but help is at hand with that.
Contact details for train companies
Eurostar
Eurostar's reservation centre can not only book the Eurostar Ski Train for you. They can also book indirect Eurostar + TGV journeys to quite a few French destinations. It can take around 10 - 15 minutes to get through someimes, so do it when you are sitting comfortably.
Phone: 03432 186 186
Mon-Fri 8am - 7pm; Sat-Sun 9am - 5pm.
Booking fee: £10 per booking (not per person)
SNCF
SNCF does have a customer service phone number: +33 1 84 94 3635
The line is open everyday, from 8am to 8pm French time.
Its contact-SNCF-by-telephone page also gives an indication of the quickest times to get through.
Deutsche Bahn
The German rail operator can book any journey to European destinations and has expertise as a booking agent.
Phone +44 8718 80 80 66 (costs depend on provider)
Mon-Fri: 09:00 to 20:00 (GMT), Sat-Sun: 09:00 to 13:00 (GMT)
Email: sales@bahn.co.uk
Website: bahn.co.uk
How to book the Travelski Express
The Travelski Express is essentially the Eurostar Ski Train, but privately chartered by a French tour operator, Travelski. Travelski is owned by Compagnie des Alps, which operates ski lifts in a number of big-name French resorts. A key difference between the Travelski Express and the Eurostar Ski Train is that you can only buy seats on the Travelski Express as part of a Travelski package of train, transfer, accommodation and 7-day ski pass. However, this limits the choice and type of accommodation.
Ways to book Travelski Express for winter 2023-24
- The most direct way to book the Travelski Express is directly on Travelski’s website. However, the website is not the easiest to use
- There are a couple of ski travel agents that can help you book Travelski Express journeys. These are Snowfinders and Skiline.
- You can also contact Snowcarbon for advice about Travelski Express, which resorts and where to stay
Travelski Express packages are expected to go on sale in June 2023, for the 2023-24 winter season.
Booking Eurostar + TGV journeys
Travelling to Paris by Eurostar and then to the Alps on a TGV train, gives you a wide range of ski destinations. Generally, Eurostar trains can be booked up to 330 days in advance (with some exceptions). TGV journeys go on sale around 90 days in advance (this varies, depending on the date).
Rail-booking websites will try to show you the shortest journeys. But if you want more time to change in Paris, or to stopover in Paris, or to travel by a different route, such as via Lille, it’s better to use a rail-booking agent, who can offer more route options and tailor your journey.
You can also book a taxi transfer between Paris-Nord and Paris-Lyon stations, to connect relatively seamlessly between the Eurostar and the TGV.
Booking Eurostar + Intercites de Nuit journeys
Intercites de Nuits are French sleeper trains from Paris to some regions of the French Alps, Pyrenees and Andorra. You can find out more about these journeys in our Guide to Eurostar + Intercities de Nuit. Booking periods are similar for journeys with Eurostar + TGV, although in our experience, SNCF doesn’t always put its Intercities de Nuit trains on sale in a predictable or timely manner, much to the frustration of those trying to book.
You can also book a taxi transfer between Paris-Nord and Paris-Austerlitz stations, to connect relatively seamlessly between the Eurostar and the TGV.
Booking Eurostar + NightJet journeys
One excellent way to reach the Austrian Alps is to take Eurostar to Brussels, then switch to a German ICE train to speed you to Cologne, and from and then take a NightJet sleeper train. Eurostar trains can be booked up to 330 days in advance, ICE trains about 90 days in advance, while NightJet trains go on sale in September for the winter season.
This is one of the journeys that we’d definitely recommend using a rail-booking agent for, rather than trying to book it yourself online. In our experience, rail-booking websites struggle to cope with the booking of these journeys.
Like more help and advice?
If you'd like more help and advice the best train travel options, resorts and accommodation, feel free to contact Snowcarbon's founder, Daniel.
He can help with specific advice and suggestions, using his years of experience as a ski journalist and expert on how to travel to the Alps by train.
Daniel knows lots of great accommodation and tour operators and independent providers that can help, so you'll get some great suggestions.
Just send Daniel an email and he'll be back in touch.
Ski holidays by train — Ask Snowcarbon
At Snowcarbon we are always happy to help you with suggestions for great resorts, fantastic accommodation and how to get there.
Looking forward to helping you.