Cheapest way to do a weeks skiing at Christmas?

ManwitaPlan

Looking at Andorra at the moment....all looks good but Im a bit worried about the bust transfers. Do they coincide with ryanair flights into and out of Barcelona?


Are there any other cheap options? We were looking to go the week after Christmas.

Thanks.

Fattes

ManwitaPlan, my advice would be to avoid Andorra and head to Austria.

Problem with Andorra is long transfer and limited skiing and nightlift in comparison to Austria/France and Italy.

Great deals to be had in resorts like Soll, Mayrhofen and ST Johan (Austria) where you will get more for every € spent then you would in Andorra.

As in More skiing, more night life easier transfer etc.

Other alternatives are Liingio in Italy (Same transfers as andorra)

Not sure how the transfers sit in with flights etc but I really dont rate Andorra at all to much effort fot to little reward and a dubious snow record

EileenG

I know I've said this before, but if you want cheap, with basic accommodation but lots of good food, and decent skiing, it's hard to beat the CIS in Val Cenis. The price includes seven days full board and lift pass, and the week after Christmas includes a seven course New Year's Dinner with champagne and lots of wine.

Fly to Paris and get an overnight train to Modane, or fly to Turin and get a day train to Modane, or hire a car and drive.

ballbag14

hi eileen ,any more info on this would really appreciate it

EileenG

www.cis-valcenis.com. The price quoted includes accommdation (basic) and full board (3 meals a day, with unlimited wine at lunch and dinner), lift pass, and stuff like ski bus to take the children to ski school. It occasionally includes ski hire.

You can get there via Paris, Turin, Grenoble or Lyon. Not Geneva. We usually go to Paris and get an overnight train, but my sister prefers Turin and get a train to Modane, or hire a car and drive from Turin.

I've been there ever since the kids started ski school, so if there is anything specific you want to know, ask me.

ducie

Fattes wrote: »

ManwitaPlan, my advice would be to avoid Andorra and head to Austria.

Problem with Andorra is long transfer and limited skiing and nightlift in comparison to Austria/France and Italy.

Great deals to be had in resorts like Soll, Mayrhofen and ST Johan (Austria) where you will get more for every € spent then you would in Andorra.

As in More skiing, more night life easier transfer etc.

Other alternatives are Liingio in Italy (Same transfers as andorra)

Not sure how the transfers sit in with flights etc but I really dont rate Andorra at all to much effort fot to little reward and a dubious snow record

hi. would you book these hotels direct? because through operators tese resorts are quite expensive.

TakeTheVeil

EileenG wrote: »

www.cis-valcenis.com.

Is it a very family orientated resort Eileen?

There's a group of looking to go in January, all aged between 23-28, and ideally we'd want some good of aprés ski too.

We went to Oberstdorf and it was fairly quiet. It was a lovely place but there was only 2 or 3 bars to choose from really.

EileenG

TakeTheVeil wrote: »

Is it a very family orientated resort Eileen?

There's a group of looking to go in January, all aged between 23-28, and ideally we'd want some good of aprés ski too.

We went to Oberstdorf and it was fairly quiet. It was a lovely place but there was only 2 or 3 bars to choose from really.

It's better for familes than wild apres-ski. There are several bars, and a disco that tends to get going about midnight, but the night life is not hectic.

Fattes

Start with the local tourist office and work from there. TO have huge mark ups on the cost of accomidation and flights.

But TO do come in handy when volcanos get ancy in Iceland.

If you log stick the resort names into google and start at the home page and you will get the tourist office there.

TO are expensive in austria Pensions are the way to go for cheap

markhenry5

Novatel operate a regular bus service from Barcelona. Night life in Soldeu is very good and the snow record is excellent. They consistently open Dec 5th to April 22nd. Hard to beat combo of good weather,great snow and big mountain.

Fattes

Average snowfall in Andorra is 3 - 4.5 meters over a season compared to Lech 9.5 meters and Engelberg 10.5 meters


Andorra has it's charms but long transfers and inconsistent snowfall in comparison to the alps make it a gamble. Also allot of the austrian resorts are alpine meadows and can survive on very little snow

France and the pyraness resorts are rock based and need more snow depts for good conditions.

Soldeau biggest asset is that the head of the ski school is a Brit and the level of top class instruction delivered by native English speakers is hard to match in the alps

markhenry5

We can agree to differ on the snow record, but Soldeu is meadow based. Check out the summer golf course.

Fattes

Here is the Snow Facts from www.wetterzentrale.de showing average snowfall over the last 10 years. Should show up the diffrence in what a good and an average snow record is for a resort and the two Austiran resorts I have picked are of comparable height to Soldeau. Its alomost Double in some weeks.
Zell em zee


Mayrhofen Feb average 270 cm

Zell Feb Average 280 cm

Soldeau Feb Average 120 CM

Even resorts like Saas Fee with 14 4,000 meter plus peaks and lots of Rocks (My ski bases are proof) has an alpine meadow that is used as a golf course in the summer. Most of the slopes in France, Italy Switzerland and Andorra are the same.

markhenry5

I live in Soldeu for 4 months of the year. I've walked there in Summer. Its 95% meadow. I'm aware that some Austrian resorts get a lot of snow. But it is simply untrue to say that Soldeu is unreliable for snow. They consistently open early Dec and close at the end of april ( with everything running ). Its one of the reasons that BASI choose it as a course centre.

danthefan

EileenG wrote: »

www.cis-valcenis.com. The price quoted includes accommdation (basic) and full board (3 meals a day, with unlimited wine at lunch and dinner), lift pass, and stuff like ski bus to take the children to ski school. It occasionally includes ski hire.

You can get there via Paris, Turin, Grenoble or Lyon. Not Geneva. We usually go to Paris and get an overnight train, but my sister prefers Turin and get a train to Modane, or hire a car and drive from Turin.

I've been there ever since the kids started ski school, so if there is anything specific you want to know, ask me.

Is this place good for beginners?

EileenG

danthefan wrote: »

Is this place good for beginners?

Brilliant. Apart from the usual stuff, it has the longest green run in Europe, which zigzags across the mountain and brings you back down to the village. Everyone, no matter how timid or tired, can safely ski down on that without terrifying themselves.

It's best for beginners and intermediates, but it has a couple of top-to-bottom black runs for experts, and the off-piste doesn't get skied out quickly.

Fattes

BASI use every resort in Europe to run couses also they use Norway, Usa, Japan, New Zeland and Bulgaria (Which is Sh**)

And as I said above there is a top notch BASI level 4 is the head of the ski school in Soldea, with goods links to BASI.

The point is you get twice as much snow in the alps and up to 3 or 5 times as much in higher resorts, especially in early skiing when we where skiing powder in the the alps november 2 years ago Andorra was still closed.

Not saying there is anythin overly wrong with Andorra but it gets less snow than the alps Fact, It has longer transfers than 99% of Alpine Resorts Fact, Its not really cheaper then SOME austrian resorts.

danthefan

EileenG wrote: »

Brilliant. Apart from the usual stuff, it has the longest green run in Europe, which zigzags across the mountain and brings you back down to the village. Everyone, no matter how timid or tired, can safely ski down on that without terrifying themselves.

It's best for beginners and intermediates, but it has a couple of top-to-bottom black runs for experts, and the off-piste doesn't get skied out quickly.

Cool, thanks.

Would anyone know what the story with car hire is? I see it's pretty close to Turin but would you have to hire the car for the full week? Surely that would end up being quite expensive?

EileenG

Depends on how many will be in the car. My friend with four children and her mother hired a people carrier from Turin and it worked out cheaper. Normally I just get the train from Paris or Turin to Modane, where buses to Val Cenis meet each train.

If you have very keen skiers in your group, it might be worth having a car to ski other resorts. Got to say, I never bother.

danthefan

Sorry for all the questions but what sort of price would you generally pay for the train? The TGV from Paris seems very expensive anyway.

Fattes

danthefan, the trains can vary from €12 return to €80 - 120 euro return. You may be cheaper going from Milan rather than Paris.EileenG is spot on here when she talks about the trains. European trains are on time nice to travel on and well worth the money you pay for them especially when it comes to ski trips. I love travelling on train through EuropeCan be quite hairy driving up a twisty moutain road in a blizzard.

danthefan

Fattes wrote: »

danthefan, the trains can vary from €12 return to €80 - 120 euro return. You may be cheaper going from Milan rather than Paris.EileenG is spot on here when she talks about the trains. European trains are on time nice to travel on and well worth the money you pay for them especially when it comes to ski trips. I love travelling on train through EuropeCan be quite hairy driving up a twisty moutain road in a blizzard.

I've travelled on trains around Europe loads but I always paid student prices which are very reasonable, unfortunately I'm not a student anymore.

The flights to Paris seem the best value by far so it's a bit of a balancing act. Definitely don't fact driving anyway. And I only looked at the TGV so I don't know if there are other options from Paris.

EileenG

danthefan wrote: »

Sorry for all the questions but what sort of price would you generally pay for the train? The TGV from Paris seems very expensive anyway.

I usually get the overnight and sleep on a couchette. It averages about €100 return but can be less if you book far in advance. You can sometimes get first class for around the same price as second. The overnight leaves Paris at 11pm, gets into Modane just before 8am. You are there in time for breakfast and skiing.

The train from Turin to Modane is much cheaper, but the flight to Turin is more expensive. Swings and roundabouts.

danthefan

EileenG wrote: »

I usually get the overnight and sleep on a couchette. It averages about €100 return but can be less if you book far in advance. You can sometimes get first class for around the same price as second. The overnight leaves Paris at 11pm, gets into Modane just before 8am. You are there in time for breakfast and skiing.

The train from Turin to Modane is much cheaper, but the flight to Turin is more expensive. Swings and roundabouts.

Could you tell me where/how you booked the train?

The one way tickets I've found so far are about €120 it seems, which is just too much.

Thanks a lot for the help by the way, sorry for all the questions. If I can get all this sorted I'm there I reckon.

danthefan

I've decided to to to Val Cenis anyway, flights booked, in the process of booking accommodation, so just the train to sort out. Thanks for the help.

Booked on cis-valcenis.com, haven't got any confirmation or anything which seem a bit odd.

EileenG

They are not the fastest in the world about getting back. No harm to drop a note in the post to them.

Look at www.tgv-europe.com and you should find much cheaper tickets. They are not open yet for the dates I want, but the ones in December are now €49 one day for a ticket with couchette.

danthefan

EileenG wrote: »

They are not the fastest in the world about getting back. No harm to drop a note in the post to them.

Look at www.tgv-europe.com and you should find much cheaper tickets. They are not open yet for the dates I want, but the ones in December are now €49 one day for a ticket with couchette.

Great stuff, can only say thanks very much, really appreciated it. The skiing looks absolutely amazing in Val Cenis, cannot wait.

EileenG

When are you going? I'll be there from January 1 to 8.

Missgoggles

hey would be interested with how you got on with this booking - price etc and dates your going!! I was also looking at that place. Looks ideal. Eileen G, how good is it for boarding?

EileenG

I'm not a boarder, so I can't say how it compares but there are no restrictions on boarders or anything like that. I think I saw a boarding vid on Youtube that was filmed there.

danthefan

EileenG wrote: »

When are you going? I'll be there from January 1 to 8.

I'll be there at that time too, might see you there.

EileenG

Cool! You going to the CIS or somewhere else?

danthefan

EileenG wrote: »

Cool! You going to the CIS or somewhere else?

Yep the CIS, have everything booked and sorted now except the train.

We booked flights for the 1st Jan, hoping to get the night train and get there for the 2nd.

EileenG

That's what we're doing. I'll keep an eye on trains and post as soon as the one we want is open for booking.

danthefan

Hmmm, if I'm reading www.tgv-europe.com right there don't seem to be any trains from Paris to Modane on the 1st or 2nd of Jan.

RATM

EileenG wrote: »

I know I've said this before, but if you want cheap, with basic accommodation but lots of good food, and decent skiing, it's hard to beat the CIS in Val Cenis. The price includes seven days full board and lift pass, and the week after Christmas includes a seven course New Year's Dinner with champagne and lots of wine.

Fly to Paris and get an overnight train to Modane, or fly to Turin and get a day train to Modane, or hire a car and drive.

Good tip Eileen, Im looking for somewhere cheap this year

Is there any public transport available from Lyon/Grenoble or Geneva to get here?

And how far is the train station Modena from Val Cenis?
Finally is the CIS mainly a family place or are there many in their 20/30s? Is the clientele mainly French or British or a mix of all?

alex73

ZAKOPANE!!!

EileenG

danthefan wrote: »

Hmmm, if I'm reading www.tgv-europe.com right there don't seem to be any trains from Paris to Modane on the 1st or 2nd of Jan.

Those dates are not available yet. They tend to open about two months beforehand. I'll keep an eye you out (obsessive? Me? Why would you think that?) and let you know when they open.

EileenG

RATM wrote: »

Good tip Eileen, Im looking for somewhere cheap this year

Is there any public transport available from Lyon/Grenoble or Geneva to get here?

And how far is the train station Modena from Val Cenis?
Finally is the CIS mainly a family place or are there many in their 20/30s? Is the clientele mainly French or British or a mix of all?

Forget Geneva. It's almost impossible to get to Val Cenis from there. Grenoble is not too bad, though it's a bit messy on public transport. Turin is easier, and so is Paris.

Modane is about 45 minutes on the bus from Val Cenis. There's a bus meets every train.

The CIS has a lot of family, but a mix of everyone else. Lots of French, but oddly, probably more Irish than Brits. Someone asked me on a parenting website where was a good place to ski with kids, and I mentioned Val Cenis. Next thing, she's organising a big gang of single parents to go there, and the group has been getting bigger every year.

danthefan

EileenG wrote: »

Those dates are not available yet. They tend to open about two months beforehand. I'll keep an eye you out (obsessive? Me? Why would you think that?) and let you know when they open.

I'm getting the following message trying to check trains from Paris to Modane on Jan 1st:

"There are no trains after the time of the outward journey you have requested. Please change the time of your outward journey if you wish to see more trains."

EileenG

Trust me, the overnight train to Modane is not on the sytem yet. It will come up, but probably not for a few weeks yet.

danthefan

EileenG wrote: »

Trust me, the overnight train to Modane is not on the sytem yet. It will come up, but probably not for a few weeks yet.

Ok great, thanks. Was a bit worried there.

danthefan

I've been looking at www.tgv-europe.com, it will allow you to book trains on the 1st Jan now but there it's saying the latest train is at about 3pm...

EileenG, sorry for asking again, but are you absolutely positive there'll be a night train?

Edit - it will allow you to book a night train on the 2nd of Jan, it's looking like there's none on New Years day I guess.

EileenG

I e-mailed them about it. They said there will be.

danthefan

EileenG wrote: »

I e-mailed them about it. They said there will be.

Ok, thanks. Sorry for doubting you!

EileenG

I imagine all the strikes at the moment are not helping. But for some reason, the night train to Modane always seems to take ages to go onto the system.

zagmund

Hiya Eileen, how much roughly is the overnight train per person ? Are we talking €50 or €250 or something more ? I'm just trying to get an idea of howe much the overall package will cost.

Thanks,

z

EileenG

Should be roughtly €50 each way, so €100 return. But you save a night in a hotel, so it's not bad.

zagmund

Eileen, we're looking at doing this trip, but the apparent lack of an overnight train is throwing a small spanner in the works. I reckon from what you mentioned about the email that it will appear but we're making contingency plans involving a TGV from CDG straight down to Modane. The problem here would be that the flights/train would be getting in on Saturday but the accommodation wouldn't be available till Sunday.

We could get the train to Chambery and stay there, but the Val Cenis website is a bit lacking on details of how to actually get in to the resort so I'm not sure how this would work out.

We also had a look at Modane on Trip Advisor but it seems to only have one hotel. I find it a little hard to believe that a town with a TGV station has a single hotel, so there may well be something wrong there.

Do you know whether there are more hotels in the town or whether it's easy/cheap/quick to get from Chambery to Val Cenis ?

Sorry for all the questions, but just getting all excited thinking about the holiday already.

z

EileenG

There are three hotels in Modane close to the train station and I think there's another one further out. But they are all pretty basic.

There are trains from Paris to Chambery, lots of hotels there, and then frequent trains from Chambrey to Modane. There are frequent buses from Modane to Val Cenis, they usually meet the trains.

zagmund

So we decided to fire ahead and book CIS last night and sort out the flights and trains later.

This morning we get a "Nous sommes desole" mail back from them. It turns out they are full at the time we booked and their booking engine is messed up.

We were just about to book the EI flights to CDG and the TGV (got to love all those initials) from there straight down to Modane last night, but we ran out of time and didn't do it. If we had found a hotel in Modane for the Saturday night we might well have booked and paid for everything yesterday.

It wouldn't just CIS who would have been "desole" if we ended up with flights and trains to a resort and no accommodation.

Anyhoo - we're determined to head there at some stage, I guess this year just isn't going to be the year.

Thanks for all your info and here's hoping the night train puts in an appearance. If you are flying to CDG then it would be worth looking at the TGV straight down and cutting out the whole Paris bit. It's expensive but at the same time you don't have to RER into Paris and then across the far side.

Incidentally, I discovered that Lyon airport has a train station in it also and there are trains (mostly with changes) to Modane from there also.

z