Eurostar Snow

For winter 2024–25, Eurostar will again run Eurostar Snow: an indirect service marketed at skiers.

Service users take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Lille-Europe station and change trains there—a simple switch of (usually adjacent) platforms. They then head to the French Alps on a Eurostar cross-continental train. From Lille-Europe, Eurostar Snow arrives at the following stations: Chambéry, Albertville, Moûtiers, Aime-La Plagne, Landry, and Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

For a good idea of what taking the Eurostar Snow is like, you can read ski writer Sean Newsome's review in The Times (although we noticed the photo provided by Eurostar looks suspiciously AI-generated).

Also useful is an informative review of Eurostar Snow by Graham, founder of ski forum, Snowheads. There’s this review of the Eurostar Snow service on the Ski Flight Free website too.

From Snowcarbon co-founder, Daniel Elkan, here are some thoughts about what needs to change regarding Eurostar Snow.

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Seven days' skiing, eight nights' accommodation

The Eurostar Snow travels daytime both ways, making for a relaxing journey. It departs London on a Saturday morning and leaves the Alps on the following Sunday. Hence, travellers get eight nights in-resort instead of the usual seven, plus an extra day’s skiing.

Unfortunately, this means finding eight nights' accommodation. Almost all apartments and chalets at ski resorts work on a seven-night basis and won't want to give you an extra night, as this would shorten the following week for incoming guests. Hotels might be more flexible.

If you can't find eight night's accommodation in-resort, you may need to find one night's accommodation in one of the villages that the train departs from (Chambéry, Albertville, Moûtiers, Aime-La Plagne, Landry, and Bourg-Saint-Maurice).

Eurostar doesn’t suggest accommodation options for your eighth night, so some research is needed. In this sense, we feel the offer from Eurostar falls short from a skier’s perspective. It's quite bizarre.

Some tour operators plan to offer packages with eight nights' accommodation. Travelski already offer eight night's accommodation in-resort (https://www.uk.travelski.com/travelski-express), while Inghams and Peak Retreats may offer one night in one of the station villages as part of a package.

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Eurostar Snow - winter 2024–25 outbound timetable

• First outbound departure: Saturday 21 December 2024

• Last outbound departure: Saturday 01 March 2025

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Eurostar Snow - winter 2024–25 inbound timetable

• First inbound departure: Sunday 29 December 2024

• Last inbound departure: Sunday 02 March 2025

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How much do Eurostar Snow tickets cost?

Eurostar Standard Premier seatsPhoto: Daniel Elkan

The price of Eurostar Snow fares depends on the date.

A return journey is twice the price of a single. Tickets can be booked one way in either direction, giving travellers more flexibility.

Tickets start at £139 for an adult single, but fares for most dates are more expensive.

The table below shows return prices for each date the train runs at the time it went on sale. 

When we checked a week later, the prices were the same (so no incremental increase), apart from two peak dates being sold out. You can read more of our research in our blog on how much Eurostar Snow costs, one week after going on sale.

 

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Why doesn't Eurostar Snow run for the whole season?

Eurostar’s direct Ski Train had 17 departures each season. Eurostar Snow has only 11 (up from eight last season). The service ends at the start of March.

Nobody except Eurostar knows why Eurostar has done this. When we contacted the company, a spokesperson told us:

"Just like last year, we are committed to increasing the options available to travel by Eurostar to our ski destinations. This season, our Eurostar Snow offer has expanded to 11 weekends - up from last season’s 8 - including the February half term."

—which doesn't really answer the question.

What if I want to buy Eurostar Snow tickets but don't know which resort to go to and I haven't booked accommodation?

We asked Eurostar this question, and a spokesperson told us:

"Eurostar Snow customers will be able to alight and depart from any calling station in the Alps if they change their mind on their arrival and departure stations after buying tickets."

In other words, it doesn’t matter whether you book travel first, so long as the resort you choose is accessible from any of the stations Eurostar Snow serves.

Which ski resorts can be reached through Eurostar Snow?

Below is a list of ski resorts that you can reach via the Eurostar Snow service. Where known, we’ve put approximate transfer times by bus or taxi in brackets.

Resorts served by Albertville station
Arêches Beaufort

Resorts served by Moutiers station
Couchevel (30 mins), Doucy, La Tania (25 mins), Les Menuires (40 mins), Méribel (20 - 35 mins), St Martin de Belleville (25 mins), Val Thorens (50 - 60 mins) and Valmorel.

Resorts served by Aime La Plagne station
La Plagne (20 - 45 mins)

Resorts served by Landry station
Peisey-Vallandry (20 - 25 mins)

Resorts served by Bourg St Maurice station
 La Rosière (40 mins), Les Arcs (25 - 45 mins), Sainte Foy (25 mins), Tignes (45 mins), Val d’Isère (45 mins)

How to book seats or packages with Eurostar Snow

Independent fares can be booked on the Eurostar website:
https://www.eurostar.com/uk-en/train/france/ski-train

Alternatively, check out the tour operators listed in the “Seven days’ skiing” section above.