My youngest son is desparate to go to his brothers stag weekend in Chamonix but being an impoverished student and very keen never to fly again is struggling to find a trip he can afford. Anyone any ideas please ? Best regards Roger
I have just travelled to and from Chamonix by train and took an overnight sleeper train from Paris Austerlitz to St Gervais (it goes every night I believe). It’s not the easiest or cheapest way of travelling to Chamonix but it’s good if you fancy the adventure of a French sleeper train. The journey involved taking the Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord, changing to Paris Austerlitz (using the metro or a taxi), sleeper train at around 10.30pm to St Gervais les Bains, then a short 40 minute journey on the Mont Blanc Express to Chamonix, arriving at around 9.30am. The cost – around £200, the Eurostar being the most expensive part – much more than the French sleeper train.
Happy to answer any more queries about the experience.
National Express (nationalexpress.com, 0870 5808080) runs an overnight coach service between London and Chamonix every day except Mondays and Saturdays. The journey takes 19 hours and costs from £94 return.
It is also possible to get to Chamonix by train, and though it is usually more expensive than the coach you can get there comfortably in a day. Take the Eurostar to Gare du Nord then cross Paris by metro to Gare de Lyon to catch the high-speed TGV to Saint Gervais Les Bains, from where you can pick up the 45-minute Mont-Blanc Express through the mountains to Chamonix. The return trip from Waterloo costs from £99 (raileurope.co.uk, 08708 306050).
There’s also a sleeper service leaving Paris Austerlitz at 10.25pm and arriving at St Gervais at 8.28am. The return journey reaches Paris at 6.20am so you can catch the morning Eurostar and be back in Waterloo before 10am. The return trip from Waterloo costs from £140.
Thanks Richard …. that’s excellent. Coincidentally my wife discovered the N/Express trip only a few days. It was pretty difficult to navigate around the web site (indeed I tried again this morning and when you put in the two dates the site just reckons there is nothing available – I really don’t see the point in these damn travel web sites if they don’t work – eg I tried to find a train to Brighton from Southampton a few weeks ago and the site was going to send me via london and charge me £50). Anyway enough moaning – we spoke to a really helpful chap at N/Express who new everything about the service and Adam is now going to go to his brothers ‘stag’ with a clear conscience. best Roger
Comments
Train to Chamonix
I have just travelled to and from Chamonix by train and took an overnight sleeper train from Paris Austerlitz to St Gervais (it goes every night I believe). It’s not the easiest or cheapest way of travelling to Chamonix but it’s good if you fancy the adventure of a French sleeper train. The journey involved taking the Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord, changing to Paris Austerlitz (using the metro or a taxi), sleeper train at around 10.30pm to St Gervais les Bains, then a short 40 minute journey on the Mont Blanc Express to Chamonix, arriving at around 9.30am. The cost – around £200, the Eurostar being the most expensive part – much more than the French sleeper train.
Happy to answer any more queries about the experience.
Jenny Stafford
Cheap and green to Chamonix
Roger,
National Express (nationalexpress.com, 0870 5808080) runs an overnight coach service between London and Chamonix every day except Mondays and Saturdays. The journey takes 19 hours and costs from £94 return.
It is also possible to get to Chamonix by train, and though it is usually more expensive than the coach you can get there comfortably in a day. Take the Eurostar to Gare du Nord then cross Paris by metro to Gare de Lyon to catch the high-speed TGV to Saint Gervais Les Bains, from where you can pick up the 45-minute Mont-Blanc Express through the mountains to Chamonix. The return trip from Waterloo costs from £99 (raileurope.co.uk, 08708 306050).
There’s also a sleeper service leaving Paris Austerlitz at 10.25pm and arriving at St Gervais at 8.28am. The return journey reaches Paris at 6.20am so you can catch the morning Eurostar and be back in Waterloo before 10am. The return trip from Waterloo costs from £140.
Richard
Thanks Richard .... that's
Thanks Richard …. that’s excellent. Coincidentally my wife discovered the N/Express trip only a few days. It was pretty difficult to navigate around the web site (indeed I tried again this morning and when you put in the two dates the site just reckons there is nothing available – I really don’t see the point in these damn travel web sites if they don’t work – eg I tried to find a train to Brighton from Southampton a few weeks ago and the site was going to send me via london and charge me £50). Anyway enough moaning – we spoke to a really helpful chap at N/Express who new everything about the service and Adam is now going to go to his brothers ‘stag’ with a clear conscience. best Roger