Eurostar is putting on four additional ski trains at February half term 2017.
Normally, the direct Eurostar Ski Train services are suitable only for skiers whose holiday dates are Saturday – Saturday. However these new services are suitable for Sunday – Sunday holiday dates instead.
The outbound trains go overnight, departing St Pancras on the evenings of Saturday 11th and Saturday 18th February, arriving in the Alps early on the Sunday morning.
The return journey is daytime, departing Alps on the mornings of Sunday 18th and Sunday 25th February and arriving back at St Pancras in the afternoon.
You get the usual generous baggage allowance, which includes two suitcases plus hand luggage and skis or snowboards at no extra cost.
Interestingly, if you choose this new service you will be combining an overnight journey on the outbound with a daytime journey on the return. The overnight ski train only had reclining seats, so if you don’t sleep well unless you are lying down, you may not get the best night’s sleep.
Fares start at £309 return for adults in standard class. Normally fares for children aged 4-11 are about 30% less than adult fares, and those under four can travel free without a reserved seat.
Outbound schedule:
| Saturday Feb 11th and 18th – overnight travel | ||
| London St Pancras | dep | 19:42 |
| Ashford | dep | 20:28 |
| Moutiers | arr | 05:34 |
| Aime la Plagne | arr | 05:58 |
| Bourg St Maurice | arr | 06:17 |
Inbound schedule:
| Sunday Feb 18th and 25th – daytime travel | ||
| Bourg St Maurice | dep | 09:34 |
| Moutiers | dep | 10:14 |
| Ashford | arr | 15:37 |
| London St Pancras | arr | 16:13 |
“Demand for train travel to the Alps continues to far outstrip supply, so it’s good to see Eurostar responding and creating additional services. These two new train options fit with Sunday – Sunday holidays, which in the Tarentaise region of the French Alps is estimated to be as much as 40% of the ski market,” says Daniel Elkan, founder of independent rail-ski website Snowcarbon.
“Interestingly though, Eurostar has combined overnight travel on the Saturday night outbound with a daytime Sunday return. This will give skiers the chance to experience both options – and get an extra day’s skiing on the Saturday when they arrive. However, the overnight train doesn’t have flat beds, only reclining seats, so some skiers won’t get the best night’s sleep and may not take that well to the experience. The direct overnight Ski Train is a bit like Marmite – some love it, and some not so much – whereas everyone loves the daytime ski train.”
“Fares start at £309 return for adults in standard class, and pricewise that’s a saving versus flying independently. Easyjet prices from Gatwick to Geneva for Sunday 12th out, Sunday 19th back are currently around £520 return – and that’s without adding baggage charges and airport transfers. So there’s a big saving to be made – assuming that Eurostar have most seats priced in the £300 – £450 bracket.”
Tickets are available from today, 14th September on eurostar.com or by calling Eurostar on 03432 186 186.