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How to get to La Plagne

Discover the top ways to get to La Plagne

Updated

With three nearby airports and a train station only 20km away, there are plenty of options for getting to La Plagne.

La Plagne sits at the heart of Paradiski, one of the largest and highest mountain resorts in Europe.

Chambery is the closest airport, although Geneva is probably still the airport of choice for most international visitors. You can expect transfers from Geneva to La Plagne to take 2h30 or so.

La Plagne isn’t on a train line, but high speed (TGV) trains from Paris and the Eurostar snow train stop at Aime, which is only 20km away. From there, you can catch a bus to the resort.

If you're driving, it's straightforward as far as Aime. The road after that gets increasingly twisty.

So given the options, what’s the best way to get here? 

Plane over snow-capped mountains

Flying to La Plagne

La Plagne is around 2h30 from Geneva, Grenoble and Chambery, so in theory any of those airports are good for the resort. 

Flying to Geneva is probably still the easiest way to get to La Plagne for most international visitors, due to the number of airlines and transfer companies that operate there. 

You'll easily pick up a transfer from Geneva. You can also hire a car and be on your way in no time.

The only trouble with flying anywhere is the environmental cost. Driving, coming by coach or catching a train are usually better options if you want to reduce CO2 emissions.

Flying to other airports

Lyon is also an option for La Plagne. The journey time is just under three hours.

We wouldn't recommend flying to Turin or Milan - even if they look close on the map. It usually takes a lot longer to get to the resort, and you'll often have to rely on pricey private transfers.
 

About Transfers to Val Thorens

Getting from the airport to La Plagne

There are several ways to get from the airport to La Plagne.

Airport transfer options for La Plagne
Flying to Best option Journey time
Chambery Private transfers
Regular bus services during the winter season, changing at Aime
1h45
2h45
Geneva Airport transfer 2h30
Grenoble Private airport transfers
Regular bus service, changing at Aime
2h20
3h+
Lyon Private transfers
Regular bus service, changing at Aime
2h50
3h45
About Trains to La Plagne

Train to La Plagne

Getting to La Plagne by train may involve a few changes, which can be tricky with baggage or kids. But:

  • it's the most environmentally-friendly option
  • you get more leg room than on a plane or in a car
  • you normally won't have to pay extra for luggage
  • journey times can be similar to driving or flying if you're doing a trip like London to La Plagne

Which train station is closest to La Plagne

Aime is the closest train station to La Plagne. It's about 20km from the centre of the resort, or 45 minutes by bus. 

High speed (TGV) trains from Paris and the Eurostar Snow train stop here. 

If you're coming from the UK, London to La Plagne by train is about 11 hours.

About Transfers to Val Thorens

Driving to La Plagne

La Plagne is relatively easy to get to by car, but you don't really need your car once you're in resort.

Read more about parking in La Plagne

If you're using the French autoroute, the journey as far as Aime is straightforward. The final 25 minutes is a little more arduous as you wind your way up the 20km stretch into La Plagne.

This road is cleared every day during winter, but if you're a nervous driver, you might prefer to do this bit by bus.

Remember too that if you're coming here for a ski holiday, you'll need to fit winter tyres or keep snow chains in the boot of your car.

Driving to La Plagne from the UK

It takes about 9h30 to drive from Calais to La Plagne - a distance of around 920km.

Unless you're driving an electric car to the Alps however, driving isn't very environmentally friendly.

About Transfers to Val Thorens

Coach to La Plagne

Getting to La Plagne by coach takes longer than flying. It's usually cheaper though, which makes it a good option if you're on a budget.

It's also a relatively environmentally-friendly way to travel.

International coach companies like FlixBus, Eurolines, BlaBlaBus and RegioJet run services to Lyon, Grenoble and Geneva. From there, you can pick up a bus transfer to La Plagne.

Coaches from London to La Plagne

There's an overnight coach from London to La Plagne that runs once a week during the winter. The coach stops in Aime, where you can pick up a local bus to the resort. Buses take about 45 minutes to the centre of La Plagne, or an hour to Plagne Aime 2000. 

Total journey time is about 20 hours.

About Getting to Val Thorens

Reducing your environmental impact

We know flying is often the most convenient way to get to La Plagne, but we'd encourage you to look at alternatives.

One option is to take the train as far as Geneva, Grenoble or Lyon and do the last leg by transfer from the airport or city centre. This allows you to minimise your carbon footprint while still getting to the resort in good time.

Carbon footprint | Comparing ways to get to La Plagne
Mode of transport CO2 per km per person
Train 6 grams
Electric car with 4 passengers 13 grams
Coach 28 grams
Diesel car with 4 passengers 43 grams
Petrol car with 4 passengers 48 grams
Flying 156 grams

Source: Carbon footprint of travel per kilometre (ourworldindata.org)