A second option is to take a Eurostar to Paris or Lyon and take a French train (perhaps overnight from Paris).
A third option is to take the overnight Snowtrain. Travel from London Waterloo or Ashford International on Friday afternoon and change platforms at the Gare du Nord in Paris to board the Snow Train. There is a choice of six destinations in the French Alps, serving more than 25 resorts. The Snow Train gives you 8 days on the piste, and an onboard disco/bar carriage, plus accommodation in a 6-berth couchette. Prices start at £219 return per person.
If you are taking the 8 day option bear in mind you may not be able to check into your accommodation until the Saturday evening - arrange with your hotel/chalet/agency for somewhere to leave your bags while you ski on the first and last day.
When it comes to comparing the cheapest prices we currently find the Skyscanner.net map excellent. They tend to focus on the 'low-cost' carriers (something to do with availability / disclosure of prices by some carriers, although they do give route information and links to companies who they don't have prices for, nice!). Using their database of flights and this map you can get an good idea of prices across the airlines with data appearing on a graph. Highly recommended (though it is still in development).
OpenJet.com seems to have great potential for searching low-cost airline options as well.
The alternative to scheduled flying is to obtain seats on charter flights by contacting the major tour operators from your country (UK ones here). You may also be able to arrange what is known as a 'flight and transfer' paid for in advance. However, this is not always an option as flight seats are often tied to beds and are in short supply.
Flights
| • | Hunt around for an airline offering flights to the airport closest to the chosen resort |
| • | Don’t always rule out scheduled airlines compared to the 'low-cost' ones, as some offer winter specials at a competitive rate |
| • | Factor in the cost of getting from the airport to the resort destination. There’s no point in getting a bargain on the flight, and spending a fortune getting to the resort |
Getting to and from the resort
| • | Ski resorts inconveniently, are not always located close to the airports. Resorts such as Les Arcs, Val Thorens, Val d’Isere and Tignes are at least 3.5 hours and up to 3 hours away from Geneva and Lyon, respectively. Others such as Chamonix, Morzine, and Avoriaz at little more than 1-2 hours from Geneva. The remaining large French resorts: Alpe d'Huez, Les Deux Alpes, La Plagne, Courchevel, Meribel; can provide a happy medium |
| • | Public transport can often be the cheapest way of travelling to and from the airport but it doesn’t always run on a direct route, and can sometimes require two/three changes |
| • | Hiring a car gives flexibility. If, for example, the snow in a chosen resort isn’t particularly great, there is the option to drive couple of hours to a different resort which conditions can be very different. Also a return departure can be left to as late as possible for maximum ski time! Nevertheless you are entirely responsible for reaching your destination on time, need to be prepared for driving in hazardous conditions and know how to put the snow chains on |
| • | Private Transfers/Taxis are best sorted by pre-booking. Jumping into a taxi on arrival at the airport will not be the cheapest way of getting to a resort destination. If travelling on your own, or in a small group, there are companies that offer a door to door shared transfer service |
A typical 'DIY' Booking Sequence:
Ensuring that flights, accommodation and transfers are all booked effectively and efficiently isn’t always easy but if booked in the right order there shouldn’t be too many problems at a later stage. The following is a guide which may assist the independent traveller when booking:
| • | Select dates and choose a few resorts |
| • | Check price, times and availability of flights and car hire or taxi transfers to the resorts of interest |
| • | If anything like ski school availability, equipment rental or lift-passes prices are going to be an important/prohibitive factor check prices and availability in your chosen resorts next |
| • | Decide on the standard and type of accommodation you are after (Apartment Agencies, Campsites, Chalet, Hostels, Hotels, or Self-catered Apartments), or check out Last Minute Offers, then enquire about accommodation cost and availability |
| • | Get an 'option' held for your accommodation before booking flights. Accommodation providers will normally give you a timeframe in which to decide on and then confirm your reservation |
| • | Generally, the independent holiday is then best booked in the order: Flight, Accommodation, Ski School, car hire/transfer to resort< lift-pass, rental equipment. Always look to book ski school ahead of time - especially in busier periods. |
If driving to resort, the most convenient alternative is a roof "coffin" style box that will carry several pairs of skis/boards, boots and poles. A roof rack is also a handy alternative and can be retned from many ski shops. If using a roof rack, try to cover the bindings over to prevent them getting covered in grit and salt. Roof boxes and roof racks should be lockable and therefore fairly secure from thiefs.
Typically Sunday travel has been the preserve of smaller, more exclusive operators but now more companies have added these products into their brochures via their committed bedstocks.
Choice of day will of course be determined firstly by your commitments back home and then availability.
However, thinking that with Sundays you won't have a 'day at home to recover' should not be a reason not to seek out this alternative.
The significant advantages being:
1. An extra day to prepare/shop before you come out
2. Ease of travel - less congestion with less chance of delays
3. Ease of access to equipment and lift-passes after the rush
4. Empty pistes on the final day (Saturday when everyone else is travelling)
5. A much more tranquil return home meaning less time needed to recover from the journey
6. Potentially lower prices as demand is lower
These factors should definitely feature in your considerations.
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You might also consider St. Etienne or even Turin (Italy)
Each airport has it pros and cons. Chambery is closest but may close in bad weather and your flight be diverted elsewhere. Geneva has excellent bus/shuttle links to La Plagne, but finding the route in a hire car isn't particularly easy. Lyon St-Exupery has fewer links to La Plagne, expecially midweek, but the journey is easier and moderately quicker than from Geneva if you hire a car.
Each major airline carries destination information on its websites - although you either have to try all of them to find one which operates to from your local airport or know your local operators.