Val d'Isère Travel Information

Getting to the end of the Tarentaise valley has been one of the most notorious trips in a winter ski season, with many older skiers having war stories about being stuck so long in weekend traffic jams that impromptu football kickabouts were held.

To be honest, things have improved greatly over the years, but a weekday is still probably preferable for those who are looking for a quick trip to the resort.

Travel by Car

Road transport, whether by car or transfer bus, is the most popular way of arriving in Val d'Isère. The journey is not necessarily an easy one, however, although the routes from the main points of the compass are relatively simple. Motorists should remember to take winter equipment with them. Parking in the resort is both limited and expensive and illegal on-street parking is strictly controlled. More information about parking in the resort is available on the website: www.parkingvaldisere.com

Distances
Geneva 172km - virtually a direct route down on the A40 to Annecy, then down the lake to Albertville and into the Tarentaise valley
Lyons 241km - motorway routes A43 & A430 to Albertville, then as above
Chambéry 136km - a shorter version of the route from Lyon above

Travel by Air

Geneva Airport is not the closest and most convenient for visitors but it does have the largest choice of ski charter flights and scheduled flights. There are also decent transport options, with rail, public bus and private minibus transfers all on offer. Car rental is also available at the airport.

Chambéry and Grenoble airports offer flights from some of the low-cost airlines and from a number of destinations in the UK. Chambéry especially is also the airport of choice for tour operators. Lyon is now principally an airport suitable for scheduled passengers.

Distances
Geneva Cointrin International Airport (a couple of kilometres to the north of Geneva) - 177km
Chambéry-Savoie Airport (a few kilometres to the north of Chambéry) - 144km
Lyons Saint-Exupéry International Airport (a few kilometres to the east of the city) - 221km via Chambéry
Grenoble-Isère Airport (located some distance to the northwest of the city) - 210km via Grenoble and Albertville

Airport Transfers

Ben's Bus

Ben's Bus run Saturday and Sunday transfers to Val d'Isere from both Grenoble and Geneva Airport from only £74pp return. Spaces are limited so it is advised to book early.

Website: www.bensbus.co.uk

Snowbus

SnowBus.co.uk run regular shared transfers to Val d'Isere from Geneva and Chambery airports.  Prices start from £75pp return.  They also operate private transfers and specialise in journeys for large groups.

Website: snowbus.co.uk

Mountain Drop-offs

Mountain Drop-offs have been running for 10 years and have vans based in Val d'Isere/St Foy and Chamonix. Their private transfer hub is at Geneva but Chambéry and Grenoble are also options.

Website: www.mountaindropoffs.com

Cool Bus

Cool Bus have been operating transfers since 2001 and are based in Bourg St Maurice. They offer transfers to and from Geneva, Lyon, Chambéry and Grenoble airports.

Website: www.thecoolbus.co.uk

Europe Transfer

Europe Transfer runs a fleet of minibuses based in Val d'Isère. They provide private and shared transfers at competitive prices from/to all airports and train stations.

Website: www.europetransfer.com

Mountain Rescue

Mountain Rescue offers private transfers to the resorts in the Savoie region with their own minibuses. The company covers Geneva, Grenoble, Lyon and Chambéry airports.

Website: www.themountainrescue.com

Helicopter Services

Whitetracks Helicopters

Whitetracks offers private and shared helicopter transfers to Val d'Isère in single or twin engine helicopters. The company also offers charters from different countries to the ski resort.

Website: www.whitetracks-helicopters.com

Travel by Rail

The nearest railway station to Val d'Isère is at Bourg-St-Maurice down in the valley just over 30km away. There is no longer any infamous 'Snow Train' offered as a separate package (the traditional overnight 'party-your-way-to-resort' service) but Eurostar offer a route from London which takes around 8 hours for the daytime version. Buses and taxis are available for the 45-minute journey up to the resort.