St Martin de Belleville - book-travel

Planning your journey to Saint Martin

Photo: Daniel Elkan

The closest station to Saint Martin ski resort is Moutiers-Salins.

You can use the Saint Martin - SnowCarbon Journey Planner to view recommended journeys from London to Saint Martin by train for winter 2024-25.

The SnowCarbon Journey Planner shows journeys the most convenient journeys for skiers. Its schedules are hand researched, rather than subject to the quirks of online algorithms (which often hide journeys).

Where rail websites only show you travel options once tickets are on sale, the SnowCarbon Journey Planner can help you plan holidays by showing you predicted schedules for the entire winter season.

Once tickets go on sale, rail websites such as Eurostar, Rail Europe, Trainline, Deutsche Bahn and SBB can be useful for researching journey schedules and for booking tickets. However, bear in mind that these websites don’t always show you the most convenient schedules. They're also not the only way to book tickets (more on this below).

The two most convenient ways to travel to Saint Martin from the UK by train are by Eurostar Snow and Eurostar + TGV.  There are currently no sleeper trains to Saint Martin, but SNCF plans to reintroduce sleeper services around 2030, once new rolling stock is ready.  

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When to book Eurostar Snow to Saint Martin

Eurostar Snow

Last season, Eurostar replaced the direct Eurostar Ski Train with an indirect service called Eurostar Snow. Skiers take a Eurostar train to Lille Europe station, where they switch to a train (also run by Eurostar) to the French Alps. You can find out more about this service in our guide to Eurostar Snow

For winter 2024-25,  Eurostar Snow tickets went on sale on 9th July for all dates that it runs.

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When to book Eurostar + TGV journeys to Saint Martin

Another good way to get to Saint Martin by train is to combine the Eurostar with a French TGV train from Paris (or in some cases, a TGV from Lille).

Tickets for Eurostar trains go on sale 6 - 8 months in advance. They used to go on sale 330 days in advance, but in April 2024 Eurostar quietly changed this. Whereas previously, you could reliably count forward 330 days to know when you could book, now you can't, because 6 -8 months in advance is quite vague and variable. So it's a matter of checking the Eurostar website (or asking a rail-booking agent).

Tickets for TGVs and other trains within France go on sale approximately 60 to 120 days in advance, with dates announced in advance (see table below).

When important dates that trains go on sale are confirmed, we send out a newsletter so that you are in the know, in advance. You can sign up for SnowCarbon's newsletter at the bottom of any page on the SnowCarbon website.

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How much does it cost from London to Saint Martin?

Eurostar Standard Premier seatsPhoto: Daniel Elkan

Prices for Eurostar Snow
For the 2023-24 winter season, these were the prices on the Eurostar Snow service. 
 
Standard Class, non-peak dates: from £99 one-way
Standard Class, peak dates: from £149 one way
Standard Premier, non-peak dates: from £149 one-way
Standard Premier, peak dates: from £199 one way

Return journeys were twice the price of a single. We found this a little odd, since you'd think Eurostar would want to encourage people to buy return tickets on the same service by discounting the return price a little.

Prices for Eurostar + TGV
Predicting independent fares by Eurostar + TGV isn't an exact science. Based on years of experience and research, here's a rough estimate for return rail travel from London to Moutiers-Salins, per adult, in standard class:

As mentioned, the earlier you book, the lower the prices.

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How to book – online or agency?

Generally, booking a train journey from the UK to the Alps isn’t as simple as booking a flight. 

Rail operators in the UK and mainland Europe have made a dog’s dinner of integrating their booking systems.

Don't treat the journey options or prices you see when researching rail travel online as gospel. It's worth checking more than one source.

For journeys involving two or more trains, more suitable schedules or better fares might exist. Sometimes, bookable journeys don't appear online or are erroneously marked as 'not available'. Rail-booking websites don't warn travellers about this problem. 

If you fancy extra time when changing trains or for a stopover in Paris, for example, you may find that online booking engines - which automatically minimise the time between trains - aren't suitable.

One solution is to ask an expert rail-booking agent to plan your journey and book your tickets. Using sophisticated booking systems, experienced staff can tailor-make your rail journey (more about rail-booking agents below). 

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Booking online

Photo: Daniel Elkan

For some Eurostar + TGV journeys, online booking works fine.

However, remember that some journey or fare options might not appear online.

If you want a stopover or extra time changing trains, online booking is generally too inflexible.

Eurostar.com
Eurostar’s website can be useful for the Eurostar leg of your journey and for some Eurostar + TGV journeys. However, it offers a limited range of destinations and doesn’t include local TER trains.

Rail Europe
An online ticket-booking agent with a relatively easy-to-use website and well-written guides.

Trainline
An online ticket-booking agent with a fairly intuitive website and guidance.

SNCF Connect
French rail company SNCF’s booking website. We’ve not found it particularly user-friendly and it might drive you nuts! But it’s another option.

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Booking with an expert rail-booking agent

A good option for booking independent rail travel is to contact an expert rail-booking agent. 

This way you benefit from the knowledge of experienced staff who use more sophisticated booking systems than consumer-facing websites. They can reserve tickets as soon as they go on sale and access rail options and fares you might not find online.

In cases where tickets for various legs of a journey go on sale at different times, agents can hold tickets for one train (e.g. a Eurostar) while waiting for tickets for another (e.g. a TGV) to go on sale, before combining them to give you a no-commitment quote at the best available fare.

For their service, agents charge a modest fee (see below). It's usually good value for money, considering the benefits of their service.

The Travel Bureau
Established in 1984, The Travel Bureau has a knowledgeable team who can help book almost 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
Established in 1987, Trainseurope's knowledgeable staff can help book almost any journey.
Trainseurope charges a fee of £10 per traveller.
Phone: (+44) 01354 660222 (09:00 – 17:00 Monday – Friday; 10:00 – 15:00 Saturday & Sunday)
Email: info@trainseurope.co.uk

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Group bookings for 10 or more people

Photo: Daniel Elkan

If you are a group of 10 or more, you can get discounts on your fare. These are normally around 10%, but sometimes more.

Tickets for 10 or more people can't be booked online. However, rail-booking agents like The Travel Bureau or Trainseurope can book group travel for you. 

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Rail-inclusive ski holidays to Saint Martin

Some ski tour operators offer ski holidays to Saint Martin with rail travel included. The tour operator will purchase rail tickets at your request (usually at the standard rate), saving you the hassle and meaning that the rail travel is part of a bonded package. You can visit the rail-packages section on SnowCarbon to browse ski holidays by train to St Martin.

For more tailored advice and suggestions for suitable ski holidays by train to Saint Martin, SnowCarbon’s founder Daniel Elkan offers an ‘Ask SnowCarbon’ service and will be happy to help. Just send Daniel and email to let him know what you are ideally looking for.

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Transfers from Moutiers-Salins to Saint Martin

You can transfer from Moutiers-Salins station to Saint Martin ski resort by bus or taxi.  You can find out more in our guide on how to transfer from Moutiers-Salins to Saint Martin de Belleville.

It’s always worth checking whether your accommodation or tour operator can provide or arrange a transfer for you. If you are booking a rail-inclusive ski package, all transfers are normally included.

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More about train travel to Saint Martin

Before booking travel to Saint Martin you might like know more about your options. We mentioned that you can use the SnowCarbon Journey Planner to research train travel from London to Saint Martin de Belleville.

You can also read our guide to Eurostar Snow and our guide to journeys by Eurostar + TGV. 

We 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.

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Find fantastic accommodation in Saint Martin

There’s plenty of great accommodation in Saint Martin.  If you’d like advice, suggestions or contacts, just email to SnowCarbon’s founder, Daniel.