Travelling to Verbier

Geneva (CH) airport is the best and closest airport to use for Verbier at just over two hours away by motorway. Alternatives include Sion (CH) and Turin (IT), 40 minutes and 2½ hours away respectively. To travel from these airports you have the choice of scheduled bus, shared shuttle, hire car, taxi, tour operators, private helicopter transfer or train. However, make sure you check with whomever you booked your accommodation in Verbier with to see if they make arrangements for you anyway or as an 'optional extra'.

Train: The trains are a great way to travel around the place and are notorious for their punctuality and reliability. There is a station at Geneva airport (far left as you come out of Arrivals) from which you can catch roughly two direct trains per hour or one non-direct (via Geneva centre or Lausanne) to Martigny. At Martigny change on to the Grand St. Bernard Express to Le Chable (bottom of the Verbier mountain) from where you can catch the Post bus to resort. Cost is around 55CHF one way and takes around 2½hours. The seemingly the simplest option for ticketing for an airport transfer is the Swiss Transfer Service, consisting of a return ticket from the Swiss border or one of Switzerland’s airports to your destination. The Transfer Ticket cannot be purchased in Switzerland and so must be purchased on-line and is slightly more expenive than booking the train directly for as short a journey as from Geneva.

Shared Shuttle: ATS (Airport Transfer Service) provide means to reserve shared minibuses which take you door-to-door to and from most ski resort destinations. Booking on-line is recommended. From Geneva Alpine Express provides a means for booking coaches on-line to and from Verbier. Costs around 75CHF one-way running ~every 3 hours on a Saturday.

Buses: From Geneva Gare Routiere provides a means for booking coaches on-line to Verbier. From Sion the airport bus operates a route to Verbier.

Car hire: Car hire can be arranged from each of the airports above and if there are several people travelling is not always an expensive option. Pre-booking is highly recommended if not obligatory. Try using Holiday Autos for the best searches and prices.

Taxi: A taxi for up to 4 people will cost approximately 650CHF if you get a taxi at the door from Geneva. For more than 4 people the cost will be higher for the vehicle and probably cheaper per person.

Tour Operators: Here there are two possibilities: 1. you can book a Flight & Transfer with an operator which they sell through their agents/web-sites/call-centres - therefore is paid for in advance and you will appear on the transfer manifests 2. you can make your own flight arrangements and upon arrival at the airport catch up with a rep from one of the companies and book onto their coaches. In both cases as the reps are unlikely to know where you are staying (they have no details as you made your own accommodation arrangements), make sure you establish the return journey procedures: give them the flight you are on, get the resort office's contact details and call on Thurday evening for transfer details/confirmation. Method 2. is not guaranteed but is ususally fine. Expect to pay €50 one-way for Geneva-Verbier and you will have to pay the two journeys seperately (as the return cannot be guaranteed till the end of the week). See Tour Operators listings for contact details

Helicopter: A helicopter transfer with (turn your volume down before clicking!) Air Glaciers for up to 5 people (without much luggage) can be arranged to Verbier. In bad weather conditions the helicopter cannot fly and it must arrive during daylight hours. Expect to pay around 1500CHF.

There are a number of companies that offer a long-distance coach service from various pick-up points in the UK to the Alps. The coaches are usually more comfortable than the type you used to get on school trips and many travel through the night, allowing you more time on the slopes once you are in resort.

Although the actual journey time is obviously longer, you don't have the usual airport hassle of checking in luggage and hanging around in the departures lounge waiting for your flight to board. It is also more eco-friendly and often a bit gentler on the pocket. Check out our Bus & Coach section for details of companies that provide this service.

There are numerous options for getting your sports equipment to resort, be it flying, train or coach. Most travel companies have their own individual policy terms and conditions depending on the type of sporting equipment you are transporting. Here's a snap shot of the different transport options and a guide to their restrictions:

Several airlines from around Europe will get you to the Alps without too heavy a hit on the old purse strings, check here for further airline information. Low-cost carriers such as Easyjet or Flybe regularly fly between Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble and the UK. You then have a number of options to get you from the airport to your resort, all of which are explained further in the following sections.

A review of airlines terms and conditions in relation to sports equipment baggage indicates that it is highly likely that you will be subjected to a standard charge for taking your sporting equipment on board. Leisure 'Equipment' that will require additional handling can include bikes, golf clubs, parachutes, mountaineering equipment or skis/snowboards. If you like your skis, it is imperative that you pack them in a ski or board bag for protection! Most airlines will still take your skis if they are not in a ski bag; just don’t be surprised at the condition they arrive in at the other end of your flight. A ski or snowboard bag can also be packed with soft items (ski trousers, jumpers etc) around your skis or board to give them added protection. Just be careful if the equipment is covered in storage wax.

Recently we decided to test the airlines by taking our mountain bike over from the UK to Geneva. ; bmibaby; Aer Lingus; and KLM indicated that there was an average additional charge of between £15 (€22.50) and £25 (€36) to take your mountain bike, one-way. However, having recently travelled from the UK to Geneva with our mountain bikes on a low cost carrier we feel the need to clarify this minor detail as we ended up getting stung at check in for 'excess baggage'!! Having duly paid the £15 for bike carriage, and with our luggage weighing in at about 20kgs, we were informed that even though we'd paid to take the bike on board, the combined weight permitted for all luggage was 32kgs. Anything over and above that would be subjected to 'excess baggage' charges. Full suspension bikes although light are generally not below 12kgs so our excess baggage payment ended up costing us another £35! Our bike was carried in its original cardboard box so who knows what the charges would have been had it been transported in a plastic case! Interestingly though we had to get a connecting flight from Belfast to Geneva on the same day, not wanting to pay another £35 we cleverly selected our check-in staff, a few cheeky smiles and bit of banter all proved to be a winner, no excess baggage charges, so we guess that's the random lottery that is excess baggage charges and check-in staff!

The more conventional airlines such as British Airways its code share partner Swiss airlines permit free transport of bikes providing they fit within the free baggage allowance, and are packed in a hard shelled container.

Airport Transfer companies - If you choose to take a mountain biking holiday most holiday firms will collect you from the airport where the hours drive from the airport is included within your holiday price. However, should you choose to book your transfer independently most airport transfer companies will still permit you to take your mountain bike in the vehicle provided you give advance warning at the time of booking. By

Car or Hire car from the airport - If you prefer the use of your own car you can drive down the autoroutes to Verbier. It’s approximately an 8-10 hour drive (895kms/550 miles) from Calais and will cost around €70 in road tolls. Check out Viamichelin for exact route information. The most convenient way to travel with skis is a roof "coffin" style box that will carry several pairs of skis/boards, boots and poles. A roof rack is also a handy alternative and can be retned from many ski shops. If using a roof rack, try to cover the bindings over to prevent them getting covered in grit and salt. Roof boxes and roof racks should be lockable and therefore fairly secure from thiefs.

By Train - If you choose to take a train all the way to your ski resort it may involve a couple of changes and cost slightly more than a cheap flight. Eurostar recommends using its registered luggage service for your bike if you’re travelling from London, Paris, Brussels or Lille and charges approximately £20 for carriage of your bike. If travelling by France's national rail system check here for further train and route timetables.