Skiing without a car: a guide to resorts reachable by train

✍️ SnowFinder editorial team📅 26 August 2026⏱ 5 min read

No licence, no car equipped for snow, or simply no desire to drive icy mountain roads: more and more skiers are choosing the train. Good news: France has several dozen resorts served directly, or nearly so, by rail, some with a station that quite literally opens onto the slopes.

🚄 Direct TGV from Paris

⛷ Station → slopes by gondola

🎟 OUIGO from autumn

Resorts where the train drops you on the slopes

Some stations are linked directly to the ski area by a lift, with no shuttle or taxi needed. This is the case for Chamonix, Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet (served by direct TGV from Paris, with access to Saint-Gervais and Megève) and Les Arcs, where the Aime-La Plagne or Bourg-Saint-Maurice station gives access to the funicular up to the resort.

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Did you know? From Lyon Saint-Exupéry station, 38 ski resorts are reachable by combining TGV and shuttle, from Alpe d'Huez to Avoriaz via Montgenèvre.

A little further from the station: allow for a shuttle

For other major resorts, plan a final leg by coach or shuttle from the nearest station:

Destination	Railway station	Final leg
Val d'Isère, Tignes	Bourg-Saint-Maurice	~1h shuttle
Les Sybelles (La Toussuire, Le Corbier...)	Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne	~25-30 min by shuttle
Val Cenis, Valloire	Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne / Modane	~30-45 min by shuttle
Alpe d'Huez, Les Deux Alpes	Grenoble	~1h shuttle
Villard-de-Lans, Corrençon	Grenoble or Valence TGV	Departmental bus T64/T65
Gérardmer, La Bresse-Hohneck	Remiremont	~1h by TER regional train

Les Arcs, a resort reached by funicular from the station — 📍 Les Arcs — Bourg-Saint-Maurice station gives direct access to the resort by funicular

From Nice or Marseille: the Southern Alps too

Residents of southern France haven't been forgotten: Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Gap serve the resorts of the Southern Alps and the Alpes-Maritimes. OUIGO trains to Nice, in particular, make it easy to reach resorts such as Isola 2000 or Auron once you're there.

A cross-border option: Trenitalia

Less well known, the Italian operator Trenitalia runs two trains a day from Paris to Milan via Lyon, Chambéry, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Oulx – a practical alternative for reaching the Maurienne or certain neighbouring Italian resorts without going through the major French TGV stations.

Key takeaways

Budget expect to pay roughly €170 to €260 for a return TGV trip from Paris to the Alps

Duration about 4h from Paris to the stations of the Maurienne or Tarentaise

Tip book as early as possible – tickets usually go on sale several months in advance, and prices rise as bookings fill up

Luggage remember the XL luggage option if you're travelling with ski equipment

The train doesn't yet serve every French resort, but the offer grows each year, driven by the SNCF as well as low-cost operators such as OUIGO. Head to our search to check access to the resort that's caught your eye.

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