Verbier Transport & Parking

Transport & Parking in Verbier

Although the resort is growing every year, nothing in Verbier is ever too far to be reached by foot; it is possible to walk from one end of the village to the other in roughly 30 minutes. However, the resort also offers an excellent free bus service as well numerous car parking facilities.

Car Parking in Verbier

It is forbidden to park along all resort streets and the local police definitely enforce this, especially during the winter season months. To avoid annoying (and somewhat heavy) fines, it is better to park in one of the resort’s designated parking areas. There are four paying grounds and one free parking area.

Parking de l’Hermitage (Rte de Verbier, just off Place Centrale)

Parking le Catogne (Rte de Verbier, on the right-hand side as you enter the resort)

Both are run by the local Police…cost is 1 SFR/hr, payable in automated machines situated at the parking entrance. Bear in mind however that for maintenance & snow removal purposes, it is forbidden to park there between 4-8am.

Parking de Médran, (Rue de Médran, just passed the lift station, at Médran)

Parking de Savolyeres (Rte de Savolyeres, behind the Savloyeres lift station)

Both are run by Téléverbier…cost is of 1 SFR/hr, payable in automated machines situated at the parking entrance. Bear in mind however that for maintenance & snow removal purposes, it is forbidden to park there between 4-8am.

Parking Perrin (Chemin de Plan-Pra, next to the Sports Center)

The only free parking in the resort…overnight parking is also possible. A great option if longer term parking is needed during your stay. Verbier’s free shuttle bus service passes nearby, linking it to Place Centrale and Médran.

To Be Noted: For those of you coming from the valley floor, there is also a free parking down in Le Châble, right at the lift station which offers direct access to Verbier’s exceptional skiing domain!

last updated 23-Jan-2008

Public Transport in Verbier

During peak periods, it can actually be faster to walk around Verbier, as excessive traffic can congest the resort roadways.

If walking isn’t your thing, why not use Verbier’s free bus service? During the winter season, four routes (Carrefour via Savolyeres, Le Hameau and Les Esserts via Savolyeres; Patier which passes by the Sports Center, and Verbier Village) run daily from 8am to 7.20pm, at regular offset intervals of 15 minutes. All routes pass through Place Centrale and Médran, meaning there’s a bus service between these two points every 5 minutes or so. During the winter’s early and late season as well as the summer season, a limited bus service also circulates.

Other less attractive alternatives include:

Driving – Quite straight forward as all main resort roads are one-way, although the lack of parking, the traffic jams during the busy periods, and alcohol consumption can be heavy deterrents.

Taxi – Only alternative to driving (or walking) in the evening. Can be disproportionately expensive for how short the ride is.

last updated 28-Feb-2008

Travelling between the airport and 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'.

Perfect Swiss Timing - Le Chable Train & Bus

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, see the 2004/05 Geneva/Verbier Timetable. 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.

last updated 23-Jan-2008