Solutions to Eurostar Snow's problems

Oh my wintery days. Eurostar just doesn't seem to understand ski holidays, or even the winter ski season. 

It has changed it's Eurostar Snow service again, and in doing so taken a huge step backwards, literally rounding it's own keep to ensure the own goal goes in the back of the net. 

There are two problems: 

a) Saturday out, Sunday back
With the exception of some key dates, Eurostar's outbound Eurostar Snow service is on Saturday and it's inbound Eurostar Snow service runs on Sundays. Most accommodation in the Alps is Saturday - Saturday OR Sunday - Sunday. So Eurostar has forced skiers to try to find one extra night's accommodation - and that can be difficult in the Alps. 

b) The service stops at the end of February. February!
The final outbound Eurostar Snow service departs on Saturday 20th February 2027 and the last Eurostar Snow from the Alps is on Sunday 28th February 2027.  What about skiing in March and April? Why isn't Eurostar Snow running then?

These two problems are annoying but there are various ideas, solutions and alternatives that may help. 

Ideas and solutions

Here are some ideas and solutions that I'd suggest. None is perfect but some might be useful and enable you to have a better ski holiday by train. 

1. Stay overnight in Chambery

Chambery stationPhoto: Daniel Elkan

Finding accommodation on the final Saturday night of your holiday can be difficult. An extra night's accommodation in the resort may be difficult to find, or expensive for an additional sole night.  And accommodation nearby the ski train stations of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Aime-la-Plagne, Landry and Moutiers can be scarce or pricey. 

However, the Eurostar Snow service stops at Chambery on it's way to Bourg-Saint-Maurice and calls at Chambery on the return. Chambery is a city with plenty of inexpensive accommodation near the train station.  For example, the Ibis Styles hotel has double rooms for about £60 per night, on a Saturday night in January. 

You could ski all day in your resort, transfer down to your station (Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Landry, Aime-la-Plagne or Moutiers and then let a local TER train to Chambery. The journey costs about £25 one way per adult. Then, on the Sunday you board the Eurostar Snow service at Chambery and head back to London. 

Having double checked with Eurostar's customer service team, the advice is that in order to do this, you should book two single tickets:  outbound to your ski destination station (eg Bourg-Saint-Maurice); and inbound from Chambery.  But only do this if you have definitively decided you'll be staying in Chambery on the final Saturday night. 

2. Find an eight-night package

Some ski tour operators will be able to offer you an eight-night package.  Contact Snowcarbon and we can help you source these packages. 

 3. Travel back via Brussels

Eurostar Snow also runs a service from Brussels to Bourg-Saint-Maurice. This service runs on Saturday outbound and Saturday inbound. The timetable is such that you arrive in Brussels in the evening, too late to reach London. So this would necessitate and overnight in Brussels. And it would facilitate a Sunday visiting Brussels if you so wished, too.

You can book via Brussels on the Eurostar website, but you can't book Bourg-Saint-Maurice to London via Brussels in one go, it has to be two separate bookings (Bourg to Brussels, Brussels to London). 

4. Travel back via TGV to Paris 

TGVs at Paris-LyonPhoto: Daniel Elkan

You could take Eurostar Snow via Lille on the outbound and then travel back by TGV train to Paris, change station in Paris and then take a Eurostar from Paris to London. 

The change of station in Paris has got easier in recent years, due to improvements in signage on the RER and also in terms of being able to buy tickets on the Navigo app instead of having to get it from a ticket machine where there might be a queue.  

Via Paris there are several combinations of TGV + Eurostar to choose from.  

5. Travel back by Travelski Night Express

Photo: Daniel Elkan

You could ski all day on the final Saturday and take the Travelski Night Express back to Paris or Brussels, arriving on Sunday morning. Then take a Eurostar from to London.  Or spend the day sightseeing in Paris or Brussels first. 

5. Eurostar + TGV for March dates

As mentioned, Eurostar Snow inexplicably isn't running in March or at Easter 2027. So for these dates, you could opt to go by Eurostar + TGV via Paris.  

6. Eurostar Snow via Brussels for March dates

You could choose to go Eurostar Snow via Brussels, because Eurostar runs it's Eurostar Snow service via Brussels in March too. If travelling from London, you'd need to stopover in Brussels though, on this route. 

7. Eurostar + Travelski Night Express

You could choose to go Eurostar Snow via Brussels, because Eurostar runs it's Eurostar Snow service via Brussels in March too. If travelling from London, you'd need to stopover in Brussels though, on this route.