To Chamonix by Train

Lift Status

Aiguille du Midi Grands Montets Brévent - Flégère Le Tour/Vallorcine Les Houches Lift & Ski Information

Hot Links

Accommodation

Snow Report Webcams Events Videos News

Partner Portals

Madeira

To Chamonix by Train
From the UKWithin FranceFrom GenevaFrom MartignyHeader 5
Travelling to Chamonix from the UK by train is not always the best option. If using public transport, air travel will nearly always be quicker and less expensive.

If you do plan on coming by train, here are a few tips to make your travel planning go smoothly and help you find less expensive tickets.

The Snowtrain runs from St Pancras (London) and Ebbsfleet (Kent) to numerous French stations.
No charge for skis or boards, spacious sleeping accomodations and a disco carriage for those who want to start their holiday early!

If purchased in advance(60 to 90 days), Eurostar to Paris tickets begin at Â£29.50 for each leg. For the best fares, you should include a Saturday night trip in your stay.

Too late for advanced booking? You can still find good deals if you take the earliest (before 7am) or latest (after 7pm) trains of the day. Small children (under 4) do not require a ticket as long as they are seated on the lap of the parent.

There are often discounts for youth (25 and under) and senior (60) passengers so if you fall into one of these categories make sure to inquire while booking. Tesco Clubcard Vouchers can also be changed to Eurostar Vouchers.

Trainfinder is a great site to search for Eurostar tickets in an easy to navigate site. This site searches for return tickets only.

Only need a one way ticket? One way is very expensive so you should still purchase round trip as it is half the price. The other half of your ticket can be given away or discarded.

Eurostar Tickets can not be purchased more than three months in advance.
The name of the main train station in Chamonix is "Chamonix Mont Blanc," which is serviced by France's national train system, the SNCF. However the best way to search for your correspondence, even within France is on the Swiss site, SBB.

The main TGV lines (fast train) from Paris :
- Paris - Annecy
- Paris - Lyon
- Paris - Bellegarde
- Paris - Chambéry - Aix Les Bains

These stations have onward connections to Saint Gervais Les Bains Le Fayet (which is serviced by TGV during some periods of the year)

Lyon airport is serviced by the "Lyon Saint Exupery TGV" station.

Tip:
If you have trouble on the SNCF site finding a train, it may be because there are too many train changes. Instead of using "Chamonix" as your destination, try using "St. Gervais Les Bains Le Fayet." From wherever you come in France, you will almost always have to change trains at St. Gervais Les Bains Le Fayet (which is about 15 minutes down the valley from Chamonix after Les Houches.)

Discounts:
If you are under 25 you can purchase a Carte de 12-25. This card costs about 50EUR and will give you up to 50% discount on train travel - great value. The SNCF also offers a Carte Senior with similar discounts if you are over 60. More Info (in French).

Click here for more information on trains within the Chamonix Valley.
The Swiss have an excellent rail network. the SBB, with major stations in Geneva and Zurich airports. However these do not provide easy access points to Chamonix. We advise a transfer by road, but if you are set on using the train, cross Geneva to the Eaux-Vives rail station and take a French SNCF train to Annemasse or Roche-sur-Foron. Change here for Le Fayet/St. Gervais Les Bains. Change here onto the Mont Blanc Express and a panoramic ride to Chamonix.
Journeys will take between 2 hours 51 minutes & 3 hours 25 minutes. A shuttle transfer takes about 1hr.

The SBB timetable is better than the SNCF timetable. The latter does not provide times and routing from Geneva Airport, only from Eaux-Vives.

Take the Mont Blanc Express from Martigny to the foot of Mont Blanc, in Chamonix. This beautiful rail road takes you through some of the most amazing scenery you have ever seen.

TMR SA
Rue de la Poste 3
1920 Martigny
Tel. 41 (0)27 721 68 40
info@tmr.ch
www.tmrsa.ch
double-click to add content