Will the Eurostar Ski Train run at Easter 2020?

Lots of skiers ask whether the Eurostar Ski Train will run at Easter 2020.   In other words, departing from London to the Alps on Saturday 4th April, returning on Saturday 11th April.

The answer is: probably not.   Last year it didn’t - and various indicators make it unlikely that that will change for this season.  The final outbound departure is likely to be Saturday 28th March 2020.

This week, I asked Eurostar’s press office whether the Eurostar Ski Train would run at Easter, and a spokesperson said: “I can't give out the specific dates until we announce the sale in the summer. At this point I would just say that our timetable is based on demand, so I would hope we can accommodate [Snowcarbon’s audience].”

Hmm. That might sound hopeful - but actually I wouldn’t be too hopeful about Eurostar running it at Easter. We'll find out in early/mid-July, when Eurostar announces it's Eurostar Ski Train schedule, and then puts the tickets on sale a few days later.

However, if the Eurostar Ski Train doesn't run at Easter, there are other indirect options that you can take to reach the same ski resorts that the Eurostar Ski Train accesses, such as Les Arcs, Tignes, Val Thorens, La Plagne and many more.

Alternatives to the Ski Train at Easter
You can use the Snowcarbon Journey Planner to look up schedules, but in summary, here are two alternative options:

A)    Travel outbound on Friday 3rd April (choose any Eurostar you like), stopover in Paris, and the take a TGV from Paris to Moutiers, Aime La Plagne, Landry or Bourg St Maurice on the morning of Saturday 4th.   Then on the return, travel back to the UK on Saturday 11th by TGV to Paris and then Eurostar to London St Pancras.

B)    Travel outbound on Saturday 4th April on the 06:18 Eurostar from London to Paris, then the 11:45 TGV from Paris to Moutiers (arrives 16:07), Aime la Plagne (arrives 16:31), Landry (arrives 16:42) and Bourg St Maurice (arrives 16:53).  Then on the return, travel back to the UK on Saturday 11th by TGV to Paris and then Eurostar to London St Pancras.

Other ski destinations at Easter
The Eurostar Ski Train goes to one part of the French Alps, but if you are travelling to different resorts in France, Italy, Switzerland or Austria by train at Easter, you’ll be travelling via Paris or Brussels on different rail schedules from those mentioned above.  Many of these journeys have schedules that run all the way to the end of April and beyond, so your options at Easter are many. You can use the Snowarbon Journey Planner to look these up.