How to get to Val Thorens in 2026/27: train, plane or car

Nearest airport and railway station to Val Thorens

The nearest airport is Chambéry, 122 km away, and the nearest railway station is Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains, 37 km down the valley. Geneva and Lyon Saint-Exupéry, both about 200 km away, have the most coach companies running to the resort, according to Val Thorens' bus-station page.

London to Val Thorens: fly or take the train

From London, you either fly to Geneva or Lyon and continue about 200 km by road, or take the train to Moûtiers and the bus for the last 37 km: Eurostar Snow on winter Saturdays, with a change at Lille, or on other days Eurostar and a TGV, typically 8 hours to Moûtiers with a change in Paris.

Chambéry and Grenoble are closer, and most of their flights are from the UK: on 23 October 2026 every destination on Chambéry airport's list was British.

Geneva or Lyon airport to Val Thorens: coaches and transfers

From Geneva airport, Altibus sells a coach line to the Tarentaise that runs daily from 18 December 2026 to 27 March 2027 ('depending on the destination', Altibus adds); for Val Thorens you change at Moûtiers, and fares on the line start at €47 for an adult economy ticket. From Lyon Saint-Exupéry, the LYS'Express runs on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, depending on the destination, from 11 December 2026 to 3 April 2027; adult fares on the line start at €55, and most of its Val Thorens journeys are direct, with a break at Moûtiers.

On both lines, children under 3 travel free and children aged 3 to 12 get 30% off. Altibus only sells the tickets: the coaches are run by Transdev and Faure Savoie (and EBA Eurobus from Geneva), so don't look for an Altibus bus.

Neither line runs before 11 December or after 3 April, though the lifts open on 21 November 2026 and close on 2 May 2027; in those weeks, try another coach company, the train and the S63, a taxi or a hire car. The resort's bus-station page also lists Ben's Bus, Alpybus, Flixbus and Alpine Fleet from Geneva and Lyon. SkiShare sells apartments only, so book transfers with these companies.

Train to Val Thorens: Eurostar Snow, TGV and OUIGO to Moûtiers

The railway station for Val Thorens is Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains, 37 km below the resort. Eurostar Snow leaves London St Pancras every Saturday from 19 December 2026 to 20 February 2027, says Val Thorens; you change at Lille onto the ski train, which also calls at Chambéry, Albertville, Aime-La-Plagne, Landry and Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

Trains back run every Sunday from 27 December 2026 to 28 February 2027 and on five Saturdays, 26 December, 2 January, 9 January, 20 February and 27 February, according to Eurostar's announcement as reported by PlanetSKI. A Saturday-to-Saturday week therefore works both ways only if you leave London on 19 or 26 December, 2 January, or 13 or 20 February.

On 23 October 2026, Eurostar's booking page still showed last winter's timetable, so check the times there. There is no Eurostar Snow from London in March or April: on other dates, take Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord, cross to Gare de Lyon (around 30 minutes, says Eurostar) and continue by TGV.

Book TGV INOUI on SNCF Connect and OUIGO on ouigo.com: OUIGO's tickets for travel from 13 December 2026 to 2 July 2027 have been on sale since 30 September, and its pages give different Paris stations for this train, so check yours when booking. Travelski sells night-train tickets alone or with a package.

Moûtiers to Val Thorens by bus: the S63

The S63 bus takes about 1 hour 15 minutes from Moûtiers station to Place des Arolles, Val Thorens' bus station, according to Val Thorens Réservation, the resort's booking centre. It runs all year, several times a day and more often in winter, from the Moûtiers bus station in the SNCF station car park. Until 18 December 2026, though, Altibus lists only the off-season timetable, built around school services, so check the times if you arrive before then.

Tickets are sold online by Altibus, 10% cheaper if you book more than 48 hours ahead; winter 2026/27 bookings open this autumn. A ticket covers one piece of hand luggage, one hold bag and a pair of skis or a snowboard.

Taxis are available at Moûtiers station (Les 3 Vallées suggests booking ahead), or book a VTC, a private-hire car with a driver. Val Thorens' bus station at Place des Arolles is open daily in winter and has a left-luggage service.

Driving to Val Thorens: route, winter tyres and chains

Every road route ends the same way: the N90 dual carriageway to Moûtiers, exit 40, then about 37 km up the D117 to Val Thorens, at 2,300 m, which takes about another hour. Les 3 Vallées gives these figures for routes that end on the N90 at Moûtiers:

Les 3 Vallées advises staying on the N90 rather than following sat-nav shortcuts onto small side roads, and lists chain-fitting areas on the way up, at Champ Mouton below Fontaine-le-Puits and at Pont de la Combe.

Winter equipment is compulsory from 1 November to 31 March across the whole of Savoie, says the Savoie prefecture: four winter tyres marked 3PMSF (the three-peak mountain and snowflake symbol), or at least two chains or snow socks for the driving wheels, carried in the car. Since 1 November 2024, tyres marked only M+S no longer count without chains or socks, and all-season tyres count only with the 3PMSF mark.

After 31 March, a B26 sign can still make chains compulsory on snowy roads, and the Val Thorens lifts run until 2 May 2027.

Parking in Val Thorens: book a space before you go

In winter your car stays in one of Val Thorens' car parks for the whole stay: the resort is largely pedestrianised, street parking is banned from 15 November to 15 May, and motorhomes are banned throughout the resort in winter. Book a space online with Valthoparc, the semi-public company that runs the car parks; Les 3 Vallées says you have to book at least 7 days before you arrive.

Spaces are allocated by your vehicle's height, where you are staying, your dates and what is left, so measure your car first, roof box included.

P0, P1 and P2 have charging points for electric cars, and every car park can be reached on foot or by bus.

Arrival day: Saturday traffic and timing

Saturday is the day most holidaymakers travel, so allow extra time: over Christmas and New Year, Bison Futé, the French government's traffic forecaster, expects difficult traffic in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, which includes Savoie, on Saturday 26 December 2026 and very difficult traffic on Saturday 2 January 2027, both ways. Its 2027 calendar, covering February, is not out yet; detailed forecasts come out a few days before each busy period.

• Arrive the night before on a long drive: Les 3 Vallées suggests a night near Chambéry, Albertville or Moûtiers, or a Sunday-to-Sunday week.
• Allow time between connections: Altibus advises 1 hour 30 minutes between train and bus, and 3 hours between the coach back and your flight.
• Buy the lift pass online to save time on arrival, as Les 3 Vallées suggests: prices in our ski pass guide.

Our agency apartments are rented by the full week, Saturday to Saturday; SkiShare's own apartments are priced per night for the dates you choose, so you can arrive on another day. The table shows, for each Saturday, the cheapest agency apartment still free, how many are left and a travel note; see also where to stay in Val Thorens and when to go to Val Thorens, then book on our apartments page.