Getting there

There are many ways to get to the French Alps; they are very accessible. The most economical option is to take your own car and drive down. Drive From the UK you have many crossing options. If you are taking a crossing from the South of England then there are ferry ports in Portsmouth, Newhaven, Southampton, Poole, Plymouth and Dover. Dover has the shortest ferry crossing time at 90mins (docks into Calais). There are also routes from the North of England from Hull into Zeebrugge. Most of these offer overnight routes, ideal if you have young children. There is also the ever popular Eurotunnel from Folkestone (South of England, Kent) to Calais that takes a mere 35mins. Fly If driving isn’t an option then many budget airlines offer affordable flights from the UK into the international airports in France such as Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble and Chambery. From there it’s anywhere from 1 hour – 4 hours transfer times to the resorts. Fly to Geneva for resorts in these areas – Aravis (1hr), Grand Massif (1hr), Portes du Soleil (1hr), Mont Blanc/Chamonix Valley (1h30) Fly to Chambery for resorts in these areas – Paradiski (2h20), 3 Valleys (1h45), Espace Killy (2h30), Maurienne Valley (1h45 – 3hr). Fly to Grenoble for resorts in these areas – 2 Alpes (1h50), Vaujany/Alpe d’Huez (1h30), Montgenevre (2h30), Serre Chevalier (2hr) Lyon is further out but is an option for all areas, just a bit of a trek! Train You can travel down to the Alps via the Eurostar, TGV and local SNCF trains from London or Kent. There are some direct Eurostar options to Moutiers or Bourg St Maurice (some overnight, some with disco train) or trains to Paris with a change and then onto the likes of Lyon, Chamonix, Annecy, Chambery, Briancon etc. If you can afford the first class ticket it’s definitely worth it for the extras you get (separate carriage, larger reclining seats, meals, champagne, coffee etc), but standard class will do you fine still; you just have to pay for any snacks.