The closest airports
There are few air hubs from which you can get to Courchevel: Grenoble, which is 180 km away from the resort, Chambery (111 km), Swiss Geneva (190 km), French Lyon (186 km), Italian Milan (370 km).
There is a small airport in Courchevel. You can get there by helicopter or by private jet from nearby air terminals. It will cost at least 2200 Euro per person.
Intercity transport to Courchevel
If you are going to take ski gear with you, it will be difficult to travel by train or by bus and change from one to another.
From Geneva
So, you landed in Geneva. You’ll get from the airport to Courchevel by bus in 4 hours. You can buy a one-way ticket for 89 Euro on the Altibus official website. Buses run daily.
If you get carsick when traveling by bus, take a train at the airport and get to Moutiers Salins station, which is the nearest to Courchevel. You can buy tickets on the SNCF website for 34 Euro, at least. You have to get ready for 4 hours of road and 2-3 changes. Choose a bus for 15 Euro or a taxi for twice as much, to reach from Moutiers Salins station to the resort.
Pay attention: you need a Moutiers Salins station, which is in France, not Switzerland.
From Lyon
Bus carrier Altibus will get you from Lyon Airport to Courchevel for 59 Euro, and Ouibus – for 68 Euro.
By train, you can get from Lyon to Moutiers Salins with changes. Be ready to pay at least 32 Euro for a ticket.
From Milan
A trip through Milan is very popular because you can easily find cheap airline tickets to Malpensa and Linate airports. There are two ways to get from Milan to Courchevel:
- fast and expensive by taxi or transfer;
- cheaper but time-consuming by bus or train with changes in the nearest big cities.
There are no direct routes of public transport from Milan to Courchevel.
Rent a car
If you don’t like depending on the transport schedule, rent a car when you get to the resort.
To hire a car, you’ll need a driving license, a passport, and a credit card to make a deposit. A driver has to be more than 21 years old. If you are traveling with your ski gear, choose a kind of transport that can accommodate all the oversized baggage.
❗In France, it is permitted to use studded tires from November 10 to March 31, in Switzerland – from November 1 to April 30, in Italy – from November 15 to March 15. If you rent a car with summer tires, make sure there are anti-skid chains on the wheels. It is too dangerous to ride in the mountains without them. The maximum allowed speed for cars with the studded tires is 80-90 km/h (it depends on the country). You should check it in advance.
Are you a Swiss? The destination expert of The Telegraph Sophi Butler informs about one difficulty for you:
Drivers are not permitted to take Swiss-registered hire cars into EU countries. This rule came into force in May 2016 and is a particular issue for passengers who want to hire a car at a Swiss airport for travel to a ski resort in France.
Taxi and transfer to Courchevel
You can get to Courchevel using a cab or by booking a transfer in advance.
To book a transfer is a more convenient way:
- if you warn a carrier that you have skis or snowboard, a roof box will be installed especially for you
- if you travel in a large group, take a minivan. Split the sum among all of you – it’ll be cheaper than a taxi ride and even than using public transport. If you compare this with a train or another transport ride during which you have to change from one transport to another, you’ll see how it saves your time.
Public transport in Courchevel
The free bus runs along all the stations of the resort, including Saint-Bon-Tarentaise and luxury Courchevel 1850.
A user of Snowheads Forum, johnseymour writes:
It is not to difficult to get from 1650 to 1850 – you can always use the free ski bus. The ski bus runs until late in the evening so you can always go to 1850 for a night out if you wish.
It takes 5 minutes to get from point 1650 to point 1850. You have to have a ski-pass to use this service.
On the map, the routes look like this:
In a high season, you can see the routes schedule on the official website.
If you are traveling light and have a tight budget, you can reach the resort using public transport. Do you want to save time or take ski gear? Book a transfer to Courchevel in advance.
