Moûtiers

It's a very relaxing way to travel.

And if you are taking the train to Val Thorens your destination station is Gare de Moûtiers - Salins - Brides-les-Bains.

Everyone in the ski industry just calls it Moûtiers.

It sits right on the valley floor at 480 meters altitude, directly at the foot of the three valleys.

The rail connections into Moûtiers are brilliant.

If you're coming from the UK, you've got the Eurostar snow service running from London St. Pancras.

You do a quick seamless cross-platform change at Lille, and then you are whisked straight down through France directly to Moûtiers without having to navigate Paris.

And if you're traveling from Paris, you jump on a high-speed TGV InOui at Gare de Lyon, and you can be stepping onto the platform in Moûtiers in about four and a half hours.

Getting to 2,300 meters is no gentle valley drive.

The road from Moûtiers winds its way up through the Belleville Valley for 38 kilometers, climbing over 1,700 vertical meters through tight hairpins, steep gradients, and severe mountain weather.

If a sudden blizzard rolls in, that road becomes an absolute battleground.

We see people in cheap rental cars on summer tires spinning out, blocking the carriageways, and crying on the side of the road trying to fit freezing snow chains with blue fingers.

Which brings us to our next episode.

In episode two of Transfer to Alps, we are tackling the ultimate logistical masterclass: how to get to Val Thorens.

We'll be comparing Geneva, Lyon, and Chambery Airports, looking at the high-speed TGV rail options via Moûtiers, breaking down the reality of mountain driving laws, and explaining how our transfers get you safely up the 38-kilometer climb.

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