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 during the day, our 07.30 departure from Val d’Isère and 16.00 departure from Geneva can load and unload near the chalets as ever. At £40 per person per trip there is no cheaper way of travelling between Geneva and Val d’Isère other than hitchhiking!

7.30 COACH TO GENEVA. Guests board our coaches at the nearest bus stop, plus help with your luggage from the Land Rovers where necessary.

10.00 COACH TO GENEVA. Guests leaving our nine chalets in the village centre (Chardons, Choucas Penthouse, Comtes de Savoie, Amadeus, Otto, Patou and Charlotte) hop on the free and frequent Train Rouge to the new bus station at La Daille, while our 4x4s take their luggage.

People staying at our other nine chalets (Neiges, Pentes, Pistes, Maison du Rocher,Vieux Crêt, Pierre, Lucaval, Isère and Gnellets) are collected by our coaches from nearby bus stops as ever, plus help with your luggage from the Land Rovers except at Isère and Gnellets, which are a very short walk from the bus.

14.00 COACH FROM GENEVA. Guests coming to our nine chalets in the village centre (Chardons, Choucas Penthouse, Comtes de Savoie, Amadeus, Otto, Patou and Charlotte) alight at the new bus station at La Daille, give their luggage to a driver, and are accompanied by staff to their chalet on the special buses provided by the resort. This new system is safer and easier than in the past, when people had to drag their luggage out of the coach in the middle of the road in the middle of the village. In the dark. On the ice….

People staying at our other nine chalets (Neiges, Pentes, Pistes, Maison du Rocher, Vieux Crêt, Pierre, Lucaval, Isère and Gnellets) are dropped by our coaches at nearby bus stops, as ever, plus help with your luggage from the Land Rovers except at Isère and Gnellets, which are a very short walk from the bus.

16.00 COACH FROM GENEVA. Guests get off our coaches at the nearest bus stop as always, plus with your luggage from the Land Rovers where necessary.

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 has brought in has started but with some confusion. The EES requires UK passport holders to submit fingerprints and have photos taken in special booths. Geneva Airport started the process in December 2025 but after two weeks of queues, they stopped and only started again on Sundays towards the end of the 2025-26 season. Grenoble Airport didn’t operate the process at all during Winter 25-26 but apparently is going to start from May 2026. As they have no electronic gates for passports it seems they have some way to go!

After the EES has been introduced all over the EU, the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be phased in. This is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026 but it remains to see whether enough people will have registered for EES.

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 (still the suggested price April 2026). 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.