Val Thorens — Planning your trip

Whichever way you choose to arrive in resort you should be prepared for the journey to take much longer than expected! This is the most popular part of the Alps and at times it will feel like the whole world is on the road, so give serious thought to minimising the road journey with use of the train. Rail travel from the UK can be a relaxing way to reach the resort and having changed from the Eurostar in Paris a French SNCF service will get you to Moutiers, 37km away, and the short final leg can be completed by bus or taxi. Eurostar will be running direct ski trains for winter 2010 on Fridays and Saturdays too.
 
Geneva Airport is 195km from Val Thorens and has the most transport links to transfer you to the resort in around three hours. The next biggest airport is Lyon St Exupery which has public buses to the ski stations. The smaller airports of Chambery and Grenoble (less than 2 hours away by road) are closer but have fewer public transport links. Having a car in resort is no big advantage given the fact that most accommodation is slopeside and the network is so well connected. Driving to Val Thorens will take you about 9 hours from Calais on a good day or up to 13 or 14 in heavy traffic. The final leg of the journey from Albertville (N90 to Moutiers and then RD915 to Val Thorens) can be shocking with heavy traffic and adverse weather conditions.