St Martin de Belleville - book-travel
Saint Martin de Belleville ski resort is well connected by train, and this guide will show you how to book rail travel to Saint Martin as easily as possible
Planning your journey to Saint Martin
The closest station to Saint Martin is Moutiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains. When it comes to routes and times, the Snowcarbon Journey Planner shows you recommended, hand-researched rail journeys from London to Saint Martin by train, for the entire winter season ahead.
The Snowcarbon Journey Planner is useful for three reasons. Firstly, it shows journeys that we believe are the most convenient from a skier perspective. And second, the journeys are hand researched and inputted - rather than subject to the quirks of rail-company website algorithms (which sometimes fail to show journeys). Third, instead of waiting for rail-company websites to show you options (which they only do once tickets are on sale) the Snowcarbon Journey Planner is a way of planning in advance.
Once tickets are on sale, rail company and ticketing websites such as such as Eurostar, Rail Europe, Trainline, Deutche Bahn and SBB, are also useful for researching journey schedules (and for booking tickets). These sites may show you more options than you find on the Snowcarbon Journey Planner. But for the reasons stated above, don't rely only their results as necessarily the most convenient timetables, nor as the only way to book tickets (more about this below).
When to book train travel to Saint Martin
Eurostar Snow
Eurostar Snow, the new indirect service that for winter 2023--24 has replaced the direct Eurostar Ski Train, goes on sale on 31st August 2023 for all dates of it's short season. Eurostar Snow's first outbound departure is on Sat 16 December 2023, and the final inbound departure is on Sunday 4 February 2024.
Eurostar + TGV
Eurostar trains go on sale 330 days in advance. But TGVs and other trains within France go on sale approximately 60 to 120 days in advance (this varies depending on the date - see table below).
So although you can book the Eurostar further in advance than the TGV, combined journeys by Eurostar and TGV go on sale approximately 60 to 120 days in advance.
Generally, the earlier you book, the lower the fares. You may find this blog article useful too: Is it better to book your Eurostar before your TGV?
Eurostar + OUIGO journeys go on sale on 04 October for the entire winter 2023-24 season. OUIGO is a low-cost, no frills TGV, in service on a limited number of routes in France.
Generally, the earlier you book, the lower the fares.
| Eurostar + TGV rail travel to Saint Martin | |
| Travel period | Tickets go on sale |
| 10 Dec 2023 - 09 Jan 2024 | 5 October 2023 |
| 10 Jan - 09 Feb 2024 | 90 days ahead* |
| 10 Feb - 24 March 2024 | 15 November 2023 |
| 25 March 2024 onwards | 24 January 2024 |
* its odd that for some periods, SNCF have fixed windows, and for other periods they do the '90-days ahead' thing.
** rather annoyingly, SNCF doesn't decide the exact date until nearer the time.
Holidays that include train travel are available from a few tour operators. For more details, see the Holidays section or browse ski holidays by train to Saint Martin.
How much does it cost from London to Saint Martin?
Prices for Eurostar Snow
The price of independent fares on Eurostar Snow journeys depends on whether it's a peak date or not, and whether it's Standard Class, or Standard Premier.
Standard class, non-peak dates: £99 one-way
Standard class, peak dates: £149 one way
Standard premier, non-peak dates: £149 one-way
Standard premier, peak dates: £199 one way
Return journeys are twice the price of a single.
Which dates are peak and non-peak?
Peak departures are:
16 December 2023
23 December 2023
30 December 2023
Non-peak departures are:
06 January 2024
13 January 2024
20 January 2024
27 January 2024
03 February 2024
And that's when it ends - there are no departures after that. So for dates after that, you'll want to travel by Eurostar + TGV, instead.
Prices for Eurostar + TGV
Predicting independent fares isn't an exact science.
For Eurostar + TGV, a rough estimate, based on years of experience and research, for return rail travel from London to Moutiers, per adult, in standard class:
| Holiday week | Adult return fares |
| Eurostar + TGV | |
| Feb half term | £330 - £650 |
| Christmas, New Year, Easter | £285 - £590 |
| Off peak dates | £190 - £385 |
| Children aged 4-11 pay 30% less than adults | |
| Under 4s: free without a reserved seat | |
In general, the earlier you book, the lower the prices.
How to book – online or agency?
In this day and age, booking a train journey from the UK to the Alps should surely be about as simple as booking a flight, right? Often it is, but sometimes it isn't. Both in the UK and across Europe, the various rail operators have made a dog’s dinner of integrating their booking systems.
As a result, don't treat as gospel the journey options or prices when researching rail travel online. It can be worth checking another source.
For journeys that involve two or more trains, more suitable schedules or better prices might exist. And indeed, in some cases journeys or trains that are definitely bookable don't show up online, or are marked as 'not available' online. It’s ridiculous - and we continue to campaign to get the rail industry to change - and so that that more travellers are aware of these issues.
If you want extra time in Paris, either when changing trains or to stopover, then you’ll find that online booking - which automatically minimises the time between trains - isn’t always suitable.
What's the solution? Fortunately, expert rail-booking agents can be a good alternative to booking train tickets online. They have experienced staff and sophisticated booking systems, so can tailor the joureny for you. More about them below.
Booking online
For the more straightforward journeys by Eurostar + TGV journeys, online booking generally works fine.
As mentioned, be aware that some journey or fare options just don’t show up online and if you want to stopover in Paris, or have extra time changing trains, online booking generally is too inflexible to allow this. Don’t accept that what you see online is all that there is. Here are the most suitable booking websites to use.
Eurostar.com
Eurostar’s website is good for some Eurostar + TGV journeys, but has a limited range of destinations and can't book local trains.
Rail Europe
Formerly known as Loco2, this online ticket retailer was recently bought by SNCF. It is relatively easy to use with well-written guides.
Trainline.eu
This ticket retailer has a fairly user-friendly website and helpful guidance, which we rate as on a par with Rail Europe.
SNCF Connect
French rail company SNCF’s new booking website. Not very user friendly. Possibly best used while listening to Edith Piaf at a high volume and swigging from a bottle of pastis. Now you know.
Booking with an expert rail-booking agent
One of the best ways to book independent travel is with an expert rail-booking agents. The main reasons are:
1. The agents have experienced, knowledgeable staff and sophisticated booking systems.
2. They can get hold of tickets as soon as they go on sale, giving you access to lower fares than you might find yourself, and have access to rail options and types of fare that you may not be able to find online yourself.
3. 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 (eg TGV) to go on sale, and then combine them to give you a no-committment quote at the best available fare.
4. You save time and hassle - because the agents do the booking for you.
For their service, these agents charge a modest fee - which you might view as good value in view of the time and hassle you save overall.
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 £15 per traveller (sometimes less for larger groups).
Phone: (+44) 01902 326 662 (10:00 – 16:00 Monday – Friday)
Email: rail@thetravelbureau.co.uk
Trainseurope Ltd
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
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
Group bookings for 10 or more people
If you are a group of 10 or more, you can get discounts on your fare - normally around 10%, sometimes more.
Tickets for 10 or more people can't be booked online. Some years ago, French train operator SNCF used to have a group booking department that served the UK market, but has since closed it down.
We would certainly recommend the following agencies for booking for groups of 10 or more. They have the expertise and experience to book the journeys you need, and for a modest fee take the hassle out of booking, and save you time and money.
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 £15 per traveller (sometimes less for larger groups).
Phone: (+44) 01902 326 662 (10:00 – 16:00 Monday – Friday)
Email: rail@thetravelbureau.co.uk
Trainseurope Ltd
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
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
Rail-ski map of France
You may find our rail-ski map of France useful when planning journeys. You can see the map below, and you can download a PDF of the map to your computer to view it in more detail.
Rail-inclusive ski holidays to Saint Martin
A few ski tour operators offer ski holidays to Saint Martin with rail travel included as part of the package. The tour operator will purchase rail tickets at your request (at roughly the standard rate). You can visit the rail-packages section on Snowcarbon to browse ski holidays by train to Saint Martin.
For more tailored advice and suggestions for suitable ski holidays by train to Saint Martin, Snowcarbon’s founder Daniel Elkan has an ‘Ask Daniel’ service and will be happy to help. Just send Daniel and email to let him know what you are ideally looking for.
Transfers from Moutiers to Saint Martin
You can transfer from Moutiers station to Saint Martin by bus or taxi. You can find out more in our special guide on how to transfer from Moutiers to Saint Martin.
It’s always worth checking whether your accommodation or tour operator can provide or arrange a transfer for you, so that it’s all made as easy as possible.
If you are booking a rail-inclusive package with a ski-tour operator, then the transfer will normally be included as part of the holiday package.
More about train travel to Saint Martin
Before you book travel to Saint Martin, you might like to find out more about the train options. We’ve already mentioned that you can use the Snowcarbon Journey Planner to research train travel from London to Saint Martin.
You can also read our guide to Eurostar Snow as well as guides to journeys by Eurostar + TGV.
We also have in-depth guides for how to book train travel, how to book the lowest fares and how to book train travel for groups of 10 or more.
Find fantastic accommodation in Saint Martin
There’s plenty of great accommodation in Saint Martin. If you’d like some advice, suggestions or contacts, just send an email to Snowcarbon’s founder, Daniel.
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