Rail Ski Holidays around Europe

Since the very early days of European skiing there has been a strong link with rail travel. The Swiss were the first to realise that if people wanted to get high up the mountain then they needed some help in getting there. This was before the days of the cable car, so they built the most amazing railways which are still taking skiers to the mountain tops of the Alps. The red trains have the rear carriage racked for the skis, and the trains, working with the usual Swiss efficiency, trundle up the steep inclines. They make for great rail excursions for non skiers who will undoubtedly find a café or restaurant at the summit rail terminal.

But Switzerland is not the only winter sports country where rail travel excels in its drama and scenic beauty. One of the great rail excursions of the world is the service from North Vancouver to Whistler and this is regarded as one of the truly great rail journeys of the world. It is not known as the Sea to Sky service for nothing!

On the family ski holidays which takes the kids along there will be some extra considerations and those are the ones which relate to travel and transport. Looking carefully at resorts which can cater for skiing with infants will help make a success of the trip. Once again the Swiss are very good at providing all the right facilities for the younger skier, and maybe this is why they are so good at the sport – they start a very young age. However the country which has become synonymous with nice looking cows, chocolate and high mountain peaks is being challenged by the countries to the east. In the lower cost end of the market there are last minutes ski holiday in Bulgaria which may attract the budget skier.

The late deal is an alternative to making a booking well in advance. There are two sides to this and there are advantages and disadvantages to the strategy. A holiday arranged well ahead will offer the better choice of accommodation, and the traveller will most probably get exactly what they want. The disadvantage is that the chances are that the trip will be full price. So the skiers who are willing to take the chance on getting somewhere which is fine, but maybe not the perfect location, can get one of the cheaper last minute ski holidays.

Wherever the trip is located there will almost certainly be a high standard of accommodation and facilities. Over the border from Switzerland is the French region of Haute-Savoie where skiers will find the ski chalets in les gets as good as anywhere. Whilst the chalets of Europe may look similar when covered in snow they differ quite a lot inside. Many are old farmhouses which have been converted or they may be family homes which are rented out for the high season. They will be equipped with all the kitchen utensils needed and there are plenty of configurations for rooms and numbers accommodated. In the larger ones anything up to 20 people can stay in the one property. So getting a place in a resort which boasts such chalets is a bonus for the large group who want to stay together. The meribel ski chalets have such a range and one example shows that a chalet in this ski resort has seven bedrooms.

Perhaps the best known names in the ski travel market are in the mountain towns of Switzerland. A name which always conjures up an image of class and quality is one where winter tourist will find the Verbier ski chalets in very much to their liking, although this is one of the bigger ski resorts of Europe. For those looking for a smaller location where they can be on the slopes quickly then the ski chalets in morzine may be more appropriate.

The rail trips and excursions are important when looking at the entire holiday, as there are always days when some time away from the mountain slopes is a good thing. With the facilities in the resorts of British Columbia, there is certainly that option so looking at ski holidays in Canada will be a good idea. However there are those traditionalists who believe a ski holiday should be centred around a European location and will most probably plumb for one of the last minute ski holidays in France.