Ski travel and transfers

Meribel is easily accessible by road, air and rail so to give our guests more choice and greater flexibility we do not provide fixed travel arrangements with our holidays. This means you have the freedom to choose the method of travel to and from the resort that suits you best.

Set out below is some information on the various modes of transport available. However we are happy to help and advise you with all your travel arrangements so if you need any further information please do not hesitate to call us on 07845 911547 or email info@alpineethos.co.uk

By Car

Travelling by car to the Alps can often be the most convenient and economical way for groups and families. Meribel is approximately 600 miles from the ferry port of Calais and you can travel almost all of the way by motorway or express dual carriageway. The tolls cost around 65 Euros each way and free public car parking is available at or very close to our chalets for the full duration of your stay. If you would prefer undercover car parking there are a number of car parks in Meribel centre that cost approximately 43 Euros for a 7-night stay.

If you do choose to travel by car we recommend that you use a route planner such as www.viamichelin.co.uk for directions. On this site you can enter the post code for your destination (enter “73550”) and it will then give you various options. Guests staying in Chalet Ballenberg should select “Savoie: Chandon” and guests staying in Chalet St Joseph should select “Savoie: Les Allues”. The better route is via Reims rather than Paris.

It is also possible to get detailed maps of the area.

Chalet St Joseph is located on the western side of Route Saint Joseph in Les Allues, just past its junction with Place du Four and Route du Pre de la Coeur.

Chalet Ballenberg is situated just off the local road that travels directly through Chandon. Take the right hand turn at the bus stop / second water trough, head up the street and Chalet Ballenberg is the last property on your left.

Remember that it is a legal requirement in France to fit adaptors to your car headlights so that you don’t dazzle oncoming traffic. You must also place a GB (or relevant country) sticker on the back of your vehicle if your number plate doesn't already indicate the nationality of the car. It is also recommended to carry a warning triangle and spare bulbs with you.

Channel Crossing Options

Ferries

Dover – Calais

P & O Ferries
Seafrance

Dover – Dunkerque

Norfolk Line

Eurotunnel

Folkestone – Calais

For reservation requests you can call 08705 35 35 35 or you can visit the Eurotunnel web site to make an on line booking.

By Rail

Meribel is served by Moutiers international train station, which is only a 20 minutes drive from both of our Chalets.

We can provide a return transfer from / to Moutiers train station for an additional fee of £20 per person. However, please note availability of this service is not guaranteed and is dependent upon arrival / departure times. Please check availability at time of booking.

Alternatively we can help arrange a taxi for you or there is a bus service from Moutiers train station to Meribel centre - full details.

There are three ways to travel by train:

Direct Overnight Eurostar
This departs on Friday evening from London or Kent and arrives in Moutiers very early on Saturday morning.
Direct Daytime Eurostar
This departs on Saturday morning from London or Kent and arrives in Moutiers on Saturday evening.
One change Eurostar
Train from London to Paris or Lille then change to the SNCF train to Moutiers

To arrange tickets on the Eurostar you can either contact them direct on 08705 186 186 or you can visit their website to book online www.eurostar.co.uk

By Air

Meribel is easily accessible from Chambery, Geneva, Lyon and Grenoble airports. However, it is important to consider transfer options, times and prices when making a decision about where to fly into. Please see our ‘Airport Transfer’ section below for further details of the options available.

We have given the approximate transfer time to the resort from each airport below but it is important to remember that during peak periods some roads can become very congested and these times will inevitably be extended. Please email or call us if you have any concerns about the transfer times.

Chambery

Approximate transfer time 1 hour.
This is the closest airport to Meribel but only a limited number of airlines fly into it.

Fly Globespan – Flights to Chambery from Edinburgh

Jet 2 – Flights to Chambery from Edinburgh, Leeds / Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and Belfast.

FlyBe – Flights to Chambery from Southampton, Exeter, Norwich and Birmingham.

Geneva

Approximate transfer time 2 hours.
This is the next closest airport to the resort and as a large number of airlines fly into it, it is the most widely used airport for visitors to the Three Valleys.

British Airways – flights to Geneva from London Heathrow, London Gatwick, and worldwide

Swiss Air – flights to Geneva from London Heathrow, London City and Manchester

Easyjet – Flights to Geneva from London Gatwick, London Stansted, London Luton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Birmingham, East Midlands, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Bournemouth and Belfast

FlyBe – Flights to Geneva from Norwich, Exeter and Southampton

Bmibaby – Flights to Geneva from Cardiff, Birmingham, East Midlands and Manchester

Jet 2 – Flights to Geneva from Leeds / Bradford and Manchester

Air France – Flights to Geneva from London City Airport

Thomson Fly – Flights to Geneva from Doncaster

Fly Globespan – Flights to Geneva from Edinburgh

Aer Lingus – Flights to Geneva from Dublin

Lyon (St Exupery)

Approximate transfer time 2 hours.
This airport is further away than Geneva but has easy directions if you are hiring a car. (N.B. Not to be confused with Lyon St Etienne, which is much further away and difficult to get to).

British Airways – Flights to Lyon St Exupery from London Heathrow and London Gatwick

Air France – Flights to Lyon St Exupery from Birmingham

BMI – Flights to Lyon St Exupery from London Heathrow

Easyjet – Flights to Lyon St Exupery from London Stansted

Aer Lingus – Flights to Lyon St Exupery from Dublin

Grenoble

Approximate transfer time 2.5 hours.
It is approximately the same distance from resort as Lyon however the route is slightly more complicated if you are hiring a car.

British Airways – Flights to Grenoble from London Gatwick

Easyjet – Flights to Grenoble from London Gatwick, London Luton, Bristol, Birmingham and Bournemouth.

Ryan Air – Flights to Grenoble from London Stansted, Dublin, Liverpool, East Midlands and Glasgow

Fly Globespan – Flights to Grenoble from Edinburgh

Thomson Fly – Flights to Grenoble from London Gatwick, Bournemouth and Coventry

Airport Transfers

For those people arriving by air there are a variety of different transfer options available from each airport to the resort and our chalets.

Private Transfer

Taking you direct from door to door a private transfer is definitely the most hassle-free way of getting direct to / from the resort and airport. It can also often be the most cost effective way to travel, particularly if there a 4 or 8 people in your party traveling together.

Equally popular are shared transfers which provide outstanding value for money and usually work out much more economical when 1-3 people are traveling.

ATS (Airport Transfer Service) provide both private and shared transfers direct to and from the resort and our chalets. As a partner of ATS we are able to book your transfers for you and can offer preferential rates.

Please contact us by email at info@alpineethos.co.uk or call us on 07845 911547 letting us know the number of people in your party and your flight arrival / departure details and we will provide you with a competitive quote.

Other transfer operators to try are:

Hire Car

Most of the large hire car companies have offices in the local airports. We recommend that you pre-book and obtain several quotes as prices and availability can vary.
Don't forget to order snow chains because you just never know! Try the company you book your flights with first as they often offer cheaper options than if you book direct with the hire car company.

If you are travelling by hire car please see the ‘By Car’ section of this page for more details about how to find your chalet. Parking is available at or very close to both our chalets for the full duration of your stay.

When hiring a car from Geneva airport make sure you know which country you are hiring it from as there is a French side and a Swiss side to the airport. Most companies have offices on both sides so find out which side you are flying into before reserving a car.

Hiring a car from the French side tends to be slightly cheaper but it is likely that the vehicle won’t have a Swiss motorway tax sticker (vignette). Swiss hire cars on the other hand will automatically have the sticker on the left-hand side of the windscreen.

It is possible to drive from Geneva to Meribel without using the Swiss motorways but if you do intend to use them and your French hire car doesn't have a tax sticker you will need to purchase one at the Swiss border control on the motorway. The cost is 40 Swiss Francs and you can pay in Euros at the border control however the exchange rate won’t be very good (approximate cost is usually 30 Euros) and you will get given change in Swiss Francs.

Alternatively for those people that like to be super organised you can pre-purchase a vignette in GB pounds online.

Also make sure you are prepared for the toll booths on the French motorways. The majority of these now take credit cards as well as cash.

Public Bus

There are public bus services linking Geneva, Lyon, Chambery and Grenoble airports to Meribel Centre.

For buses from Geneva airport please visit the Geneva coach station website.

For buses from Lyon airport please visit the Satobus website.

For buses from Grenoble airport please visit the Agbus website.

For buses from Chambery airport please visit the Altibus website.

It is also possible to get a train from Chambery airport to Moutiers train station where we can usually provide a return transfer for just £20 per person (depending on arrival / departure times). Please visit the SNCF website for details of times and prices.

If your bus arrives in Meribel centre call the chalet on your arrival and one of us will come and meet you at the bus stop (chalet numbers are available from us from December).

Helicopter

For those people that really like to travel in style or for those that just fancy an extra special treat, how about booking a helicopter transfer to the resort? Please contact us for details.

Travel and Transfers

Satisfied Customers