Why Bellegarde for ski resorts in Haute Savoie?
Compared to other train hubs in the area like Annecy or Geneva, Bellegarde is by far the quickest and easiest to get to from Paris. It’s direct with no changes and it’s the high speed line all the way. Organising your journey by train to the main French ski resorts yourself is very much ‘do-able’ now, with Eurostar and international train ticketing websites like Trainline selling ‘through tickets’ to go by train from your hometown to the Alps in one easy transaction.
London to the Alps by train with just one connection
So imagine, you leave London St Pancras (or Ebbsfleet or Ashford) early Saturday morning and the Eurostar whizzes you across the Channel and directly to Paris’s Gare du Nord in less than 2h30. From there, it’s a hop over to Gare de Lyon for your direct TGV fast train to Bellegarde, which takes between 2h45 and 3h15. Then it’s less than 1h30 to the centre of Chamonix by road. The whole journey can take as little as eight hours.
Getting from Bellegarde to your final destination in the mountains
Mountain Drop-offs offers private transfers to ski resorts from Bellegarde TGV station. We fit in with your schedule and make sure we’re there to meet your train on arrival and ensure you arrive in time for your departure. (Top tip, check if your train continues through to Geneva for a shared transfer from the airport to some destinations).
Examples of approximate transfer times from Gare de Bellegarde:
To Chamonix town centre - 1h30 To Morzine tourist office - 1h25 To Megeve Palais des Sports - 1h15 To Saint Gervais market place - 1h10 These are just some examples of the resorts covered by Mountain Drop-offs’ shared and private transfer services. All transfers take you directly to the door of your accommodation (with exceptions at car-free resorts like Avoriaz), or wherever you want to be dropped off, and the same for the journey back to Bellegarde.
Our guide to Bellegarde’s TGV train station
Bellegarde is in Ain, the neighbouring department to Haute Savoie. It has its industrial heritage to thank for the excellent train connections to France’s capital. The station itself is split into two halves with local TER (Transport Express Regional) trains on one side and the national TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) on the other. The station has undergone a complete modernisation and is light, bright and airy. The distinctive dome structure houses the main facilities at the station, including the ticket office, newsagents, cafe-snack bar, toilets and resident concours piano. Wifi is available everywhere, there’s an excellent waiting room with plug sockets and the whole thing is air-conditioned in summer. If you find yourself with more time to spend in Bellegarde, the train station is just a short walk to Rue Lafayette and Rue de la Republique, the two main streets. Bellegarde is very much a commuter town, but there are some nice restaurants walkable from the station if you fancy a bite to eat. Book your transfer from Bellegarde here.