Why take the train?
Taking the train is one of the best ways you can act to preserve our mountains. read on to find out why.
CO2 emissions
Climate change is one of the biggest challenges humanity is facing. Travel and tourism contributes to this, but is often what we most look forward to on a dreary day in the office. More and more of us are looking at how to reduce the impact of our holiday, and the best way to do this is usually through how you travel to your chosen destination.
When travelling within Europe the train is a great alternative to flying. The overall impact of flying is around 80 times worse than taking a train if we include the non-CO2 impacts of air travel. Trains also win out over cars, even with a family of four in the car.
Work done on the emissions of a ski holiday show that travel is responsible for almost 60% of the emissions of an average ski holiday. Your travel to resort is the single biggest impact of your mountain holiday, so changing your mode of travel can have a significant impact on your emissions and making your holiday more sustainable.
If you want to find out more or make the comparison for your specific journey you can try the French ADEME , ecopassenger or myclimate .
Emissions from different modes of transport
However, the good you’ll do to the environment isn’t the only advantage of taking a train over plane, it can be a much nicer way to travel, cutting out the hassle of airport security and queues and means the holiday starts sooner
It can be as fast as flying, or almost
When you look at travel figures the train usually looks longer, but don’t forget you need to take into account time in the airport getting through security and queuing to board. In some cases the train is as fast, or almost as fast as the plane.
And don’t forget that the train station may be in the resort or much closer to it than the airport. Usually transfer times are much shorter from the train station than the airport.
Depending on which resort you choose you may also be able to get an overnight train to give you more time on the slopes.
Comfort and Experience
There really is no competition here. Once you are seated on the train you can settle in to read your book or watch the latest Netflix you downloaded, play games with your kids or even get some work done to save that precious holiday allowance! Instead of spending hours queuing in the airport, you can settle in and make the journey an experience.
There’s more space on a train and you can get up and move as you want, easily get to the restaurant car or just stretch your legs.
There’s also the opportunity to see the landscape go by. Gliding through France you’ll see a huge variety of different landscapes, the flatlands, rolling fields, towns and villages and of course the mountains.
And don’t forget the baggage rules! No worries about liquids, how many bags to book, or will your ski bag be checked and you’ll be forced to remove those trousers you shoved in there to save space in the carry on!
The big question, money
If you’re travelling within France the train is often as economical as flying, especially once you take into account baggage charges, however for most international visitors that is sadly not usually the case. You can find great deals booking early, but will likely face a higher price than for a plane journey. However, lots of destinations are starting to reward train travellers with discounts.
In Morzine, Avoriaz and Les Gets, numerous local businesses have teamed together with Montagne Verte to offer discounts for travellers arriving by train. When you add up the savings on accommodation, lift pass, ski hire & lessons, food and drink, and some fun activities, it can compensate for that extra price for your train ticket!
But isn't it difficult?
Getting the train can seem more daunting than flying. There may be train stations to cross and then working out how to get from the station to resort, instead of the airport. That’s where our train travel guides come in! We tell you how to cross major stations, where the toilets are, and how to get a bus or taxi for the final steps of the way.
Use the amazing Rail-Ski map created by SnowCarbon, Explore France and France Montagnes to see all the links from the UK to the French Alps and Pyrenées.
