UKC

Hi, Just about to book a trip to chamonix, been quoted £99 from Victoria return, so, how much have you paid and what form of transport did you use? There are no prizes for creative answers, sorry.

In reply to andrew breckill:

I'm looking at train from London, have been working on the fact it'll be about £200 return late in the summer. Booking not opened yet so basing it on prices a couple of weeks earlier for same days of the week.

What means of getting there are you looking at, and to what station?

In reply to andrew breckill:

Is that by coach? I did that last year to save money on flights and it wasn't a pleasant experience. This year I'm flying to Geneva in June (~£60 return from Gatwick) and getting an EasyBus transfer. It's actually turned out cheaper (£100<) than what the coach cost last year.

In reply to BarneyLoosemore:

Yeah I assumed coach, can't be a train for that surely. I looked at the coach but think it'd be a bit of a grim start/finish to a holiday! Train will be lovely though, and hopefully not too expensive.

In reply to JayPee630:

Yes by coach, I done it that way twice before, 1st time was great, ferry crossing made a nice break in journey, second time not so good, ended up in chunnel and missed dinner as had bargained on being on ferry, there was a last minute change of coach provider. cannot be chewed with flying seems more hassle than its worth these days.

In reply to JayPee630:

Coach from vicky station to chamonix bus station, its a bit off a journey i know but on a budget. Just curious as to how much more the other options are working out for people.

In reply to andrew breckill:
A return by car from Birmingham tends to be about £500 - fuel, tolls, Channel crossing and normally a cheap hotel on the way out. A bit less if you get a really cheap Channel crossing and sleep in the car.

Of course it's not just about the cost, it's also the convenience of getting around once there, particularly if you don't want to be in the Cham valley all the time. It's easy enough to get the train / postal bus to Switzerland but it's not cheap (I think Zermatt to Cham single by train was about €80 earlier this year).

I guess public transport is environmentally friendlier as well.

In reply to Misha:


Something worth giving serious consideration to, given the air quality problems in the valley for the people who actually live there. Especially if you have a diesel vehicle.

In reply to andrew breckill:

Can I ask which coach company you're using? I wasn't able to find anything that cheap!

In reply to planetmarshall:

Oh come on. There is a constant flow of HGVs using the tunnel and the smog in the valley was hugely reduced when the tunnel was closed after the fire. Cars are a just a marginal addition to that pollution.

In reply to Dogwatch:

Yeah, f*ck doing your bit for the problem. Others are contributing way more emissions, so why should you even bother?

In reply to planetmarshall:

I drove in to the valley last summer, parked the car at the campsite then used the free pass all week on the bus/train. Am I bad?

In reply to mrphilipoldham:

Nope, golden!

In reply to Pete Houghton:

Phew!

In reply to Pete Houghton:
Do you power your home entirely through the glow of your own self-righteousness?

You make your living as a chef in Chamonix where your clients will almost all be arriving by plane and then by diesel powered coach. So take a look at your own lifestyle before throwing cheap shots at me.

In reply to BarneyLoosemore:

Does that include baggage? Who's it with?

In reply to BarneyLoosemore:


I'm doing the same. It's even possible to leave late Fri night after work and arrive to Chamonix at 1AM. 2 days of climbing and where's EasyJet flight back on Sunday late evening
Usually under £80 per person with one hold bag for two people sharing.

In reply to roym:

Hi roy, it was national expresses website.

In reply to andrew breckill:


I would honestly suggest flying. We can do home to Chamonix in about 8 hours and that includes at least 3 hours drive to the airport.

In reply to Pete Houghton:


I'd guess about 90% of the actual inhabitants of Chamonix drive diesels themselves, its a bit rich to complain about visitors driving them.