EASY TRAVEL TO VAL D’ISÈRE

YSE holidays begin and end on Sundays, because however you’re travelling it is easier on a Sunday. The vast majority of visitors to ski resorts arrive and leave on Saturday, causing gridlock on roads and at airports, and although we can’t pretend that there is less likely to be heavy snow on a Sunday, there will be far less disruption with fewer aircraft in the air, shorter queues at airports and less traffic on the roads.

Also, the slopes are very empty on Saturdays whilst everyone else is on the road. You will be amazed how few people you see on the slopes on your final day!

We don’t provide flights with our holidays. However, the good news is that most of our guests can buy flights for less than the current cost of charter flights, and people from all over Britain are able to join us at Geneva Airport, not just those from the region served by Gatwick.

You can book flights with BA and easyJet, occasionally Swiss or Air France, and most fly to Geneva (details under Geneva Airport), where John Yates-Smith, resplendent in YSE yellow, will be waiting with directions to our coaches (details of our coach times can be found under YSE transfers).

Geneva is the obvious choice, and is a fairly civilised airport (on Sundays…). Lyon and Grenoble airports are about the same distance from Val d’Isère, but have far fewer flights from Britain. Chambéry is slightly closer, but has an appalling weather record. Even Turin is a possibility in the summer, though less so in winter.

TAXI TRANSFERS

It is possible to land in Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble or even snowy Chambéry, and take a taxi to Val d’Isère. On the whole we think that taxis based in Val d’Isère are less expensive and more reliable than airport cabs. They have driven for years on snow, they know our chalets, and for the return trip there is not the risk of their arriving late. Many of our guests use SnowDrone (click here) whose prices start at €340 for four people in a minibus. They also run shared transfers every day at €80 per person. We also find the first nine taxi firms pretty good on Val d’Isère’s list (click here).

We certainly wouldn’t recommend hiring a car. Trying to fit chains on a strange car in the middle of a blizzard will convince you to take a taxi next time.

YSE COACHES

There is no more comfortable, convenient or cost-effective way to travel to or from Val d’Isère than on YSE’s private coaches. No YSE guest ever has to drag luggage more than a few yards because our Land Rovers do the rest. Whereas public buses are no longer allowed beyond La Daille, our 07.30 departure from Val d’Isère and 16.00 departure from Geneva can load and unload near the chalets as ever. The 10.00 from the resort and 14.00 to it use the new bus station at La Daille for our 9 chalets in the village centre, but take guests to our other 9 chalets as before. With YSE staff accompanying you to the chalet on the special buses the resort provides, and Land Rovers taking your bags, the new system is safer and easier than in the past when people were dragging luggage out of the coach into the middle of the road in the middle of the village. In the dark. On the ice…

PUBLIC BUSES

There are buses from all of the local airports to Val d’Isère, though they take rather longer and cost much more than the YSE coaches from Geneva. They also have to drop you at the new bus station at La Daille, a kilometre before the main village.
For Altibus from Geneva, click here
For Ben’s Bus from Geneva, Lyon or Grenoble, click here

DRIVING OUT

Driving out to Val d’Isère from the UK is perfectly possible but is slow, expensive and can be very challenging for the final miles (see Arriving by Car).

TRAIN

We’re as keen as anyone on using trains instead of planes, but it is unfortunately rather slow (10-12 hours) and expensive (at least £400), and involves crossing Paris from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon (about €60), then taking a taxi from Bourg St Maurice (a further €100). For buses from Bourg to Val d’Isère click here.

EES and ETIAS

The Entry/Exit System (EES) that the EU are bringing in is now scheduled for October 2025. The official website says that the EU will give us “several months’ notice”. The EES requires UK passport holders to submit fingerprints and have photos taken in special booths.

After the EES has been introduced, the EU’s new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be phased in. This is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026 and won’t affect the 2025-26 winter season.

However when it does come in you will need to apply for authorisation to enter the Schengen area with a UK passport. You will be required to give personal information and details about your first trip and pay a fee of €7. The ETIAS will be valid for three years but if the passport it’s in expires sooner a new ETIAS will have to be obtained for the new passport.