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Ski resorts in the Alps where you can go to by train

There are plenty of people who are conscious about the environment and prefer not to fly, but of course, still wants to go on skiing holidays in the Alps. Because of this there are more and more people looking into the option of going by train to the ski resort, and that is why it might be interesting to know what ski resorts in the Alps that have their own train station.

Lady looking out the train window over the snowy mountains

If you your home is really far from the Alps, taking a train from home might not be doable. But another benefit of ski resorts that have their own train station is that the transfer from the airport is very convenient with train, so even if you have to fly you can think more environmentally friendly by taking a train instead of a car or bus the last bit. Transfer busses and taxis are also quite expensive, so by choosing to go to a ski resort where you can take the train you can save you a lot of money.

Not many ski resorts with direct trains from bigger cities

Even though there actually are quite a few ski resorts in the Alps that do have a train station, the normal case is that you have to change train once or twice to get to your destination. However, there are ski resorts that do have direct trains from bigger cities, and this is especially the case in Austria, but also in Italy and Germany you will find a few.

Tips regarding transfer by from the airport to the ski resort

As with most travel nowadays, it is important to book your train well in advance. Although, while airlines often release their prices up to a year ahead, train companies rarely do so, often they only have pre-booked tickets available a few months ahead. If you plan your ski holiday at an early stage, by booking the hotel and a flight, it might not be possible to book the train at that point. Because of this it is good idea to set a reminder for when it is time to start looking for train tickets. As with flight, train companies often have an allotment of tickets in the cheaper range, but as the cheap tickets sell out the prices gradually get higher.

Note regarding prices in this article. The prices are one-way prices and there are no fixed prices, all prices are approximately starting prices, and they might be seasonable as well. Also note that prices change with time, the prices here reflect the cost at the time this article was published.

Ski resorts in the Alps that have direct trains from major cities

These are the ski resorts that not only have a train station, but they also have direct trains from major cities close by, usually the city you would choose to fly to.

Bad Gastein & Bad Hofgastein, Austria

These two resorts are basically connected so it is the same train to get to those two resorts. Bad Hofgastein has 12 minutes lesser travel time since it is located before Bad Gastein when coming from the north.

From Salzburg - There are direct trains from here and the train ride is 1.5 hours. Standard price is from 16 euro.
From Munich - There are actually direct trains from here as well with prices as low as from 20 euro. The direct trains take about 3.5 hours.
From Innsbruck - The train ride is about 3 hours and 20 minutes and there is one change of train. Prices from 30 euro and up.
From Vienna - You can go here from the Austrian capital with one change of train in just above 4 hours. Prices starting from 40 euro.

St. Anton, Austria

One of the most popular ski resorts in the Austrian Alps is St. Anton, and they do not only have a train station, but also direct trains from both Innsbruck and Salzburg.

From Innsbruck - There are direct trains from here that takes a bit more than an hour, and another fast option that takes about 1.5 hour is to change train in Ötztal. Prices are normally from around 20 euro.
From Salzburg - Also from here you have direct trains that takes almost 3 hours. Prices from about 20 euro.

Zell am See, Austria

Zell am See is one of the most famous ski resorts in the world, not just because of its great skiing possibilities, but also because of its beautiful location right be the lake Zeller See.

From Salzburg - There are direct trains from here, with a 1.5-hour train ride. Prices from 16 euro
From Innsbruck - There are direct trains from Innsbruck as well, a just below 2-hour journey from here. Price from as low as 10 euro.
From Munich - You need to change train at least once from here, and best case the journey takes 2 hours and 40 minutes. Prices from about 20 euro.

Schladming, Austria

Schladming is an old mining village and constantly is growing in popularity. It has great skiing and is very snow sure, and the benefit of having direct trains from three big cities.

From Salzburg - Go directly from here in 1.5 hour. Prices from 10 euro.
From Innsbruck - Direct trains are available that takes 3.5 hours. Prices from around 30 euro.
From Munich - There are direct trains from here that takes 3.5 hours. Prices starting from around 17 euro.

Kitzbühel, Austria

The ski resort of Kitzbühel, with the very famous Hahnenkamm piste, is very popular especially among advanced skiiers.

From Innsbruck - Direct trains are available and takes a little bit more than 1 hour. Prices starts from around 18 euro.
From Salzburg - From here you would have to change train at least once, and the travel time is just above 2 hours. Prices can be found from 25 euro.
From Munich - You can go from here in less than two hours, but one change of train is required. Price starts at around 20 euro.

Leogang, Austria

Leogang is not the most famous ski resort in Austria, but it does have very good skiing, and there are direct train connections from both Salzburg and Innsbruck.

From Salzburg - Direct trains exists, but other routes with one change of trains are also available with the approximate same travel time, around 2 hours. Normal price from about 18 euro.
From Innsbruck - There are direct trains from here that takes about 2 hours. You can also go via Wörgl and change train, and the train ride can be less then, about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Normal price from around 25 euro.
From Munich - One change of train is needed to go from here, with a journey of 2 hours and 20 minutes best case. Price can be as low as 20 euro.

Fieberbrunn, Austria

Fieberbrunn is part of the ski area Skicircus together with Saalbach, Leogang and Hinterglemm, and can be accessed by direct train from both Salzburg and Innsbruck.

From Salzburg - You can find direct trains, but time wise there are options with one change that are just as good. Expect a little bit more than 2 hours train ride. Normal prices from around 30 euro.
From Innsbruck - Direct trains from here are about 2 hours, but options with one change of train will get you to Fieberbrunn in only 1 hour and 20 minutes. Normal price from about 18 euro.

Sankt Johann im Pongau-Alpendorf, Austria

The ski resort Sankt Johann im Pongau-Alpendorf is part of the ski area Snow Space Salzburg together with the more famous resorts Flachau and Wagrain.

From Salzburg - There are direct trains from here that only takes 50 minutes. Prices from just above 10 euro.
From Innsbruck - Also from here there are direct trains, but the travel time is longer, 2 hours and 40 minutes. Price is normally from around 35 euro.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany

Germanys biggest and only ski resort that is interesting enough for people travelling from abroad to is Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Fortunately, Garmisch-Partenkirchen has its own train station, and thre are direct trains from Munich.

From Munich - There are direct trains from here that takes just above one hour. Prices from 24 euro.
From Stuttgart - You cannot go directly from here, at least one change is required. Prices from 24 euro, but usually between 30 to 50 euro.
Innsbruck in Austria is closer than both Munich and Stuttgart way the crow flies, but it is not a smooth ride with train as you would hope. Getting to Garmisch-Partenkirchen requires at least one changes of train. The price is around 50 euro, but there are cheaper options where you go with bus from Mittenwald the last half an hour, and the price for this option is about 18 euro.

Bardonecchia, Italy

Bardonecchia is not the biggest ski resort, but they do offer good skiing, One of the main reason it is popular is that it has very convenient and cheap access from Turin.

From Turin - You can go from here by direct train in 1 hour and a half. The price is only from 8 euro.
From Milan - From here it requires you to change train in Turin, and the ride is in total 2 hours and 40 minutes. Best prices are from 17 euro.

Pila, Italy

The Pila ski resort is located in the Aosta Valley, by the village of Aosta, so to get to the ski resort you go to the train station of Aosta.

From Turin - There are direct trains that takes two hours from here, and the ticket price is from 10 euro only.
From Milan - The train ride is about 3 hours from here and you would have to change train once in Turin. Prices starts from 15 euro.

Aprica, Italy

Aprica is a rather small ski resort, but it is very closely located to Milan which makes it a popular destination for people living there. You can go with direct train from Milan in about 2 hours and 20 minutes, with prices starting from as low as 12 euro.

Other ski resorts in the Alps with their own train station

Apart from all those resorts with direct connection, there are plenty of other ski resorts that do have their own train station but where you must change train to get to. Bear in mind though, changing train is not like flying with a connecting flight. Usually, the change of train is a very smooth process and waiting time between the trains are often just a few minutes. This means that the actual travel time not necessarily is that much longer.

Ski resorts with train stations in Switzerland

Plenty of ski resorts have their own train station in Switzerland, even though they don't have direct connections from the bigger cities. Because of how the long list it would be if we list them all, we are just listing the bigger Swiss ski resorts that has a train station here.

Andermatt

From Zürich - 2 hours by train, with one or two changes. Lowest price from just 20 euro, can even be cheaper.
From Bern - Just above 3 hours, minimum one change of train. Prices usually from 65 euro.
From Basel - 3 hours, one or two changes. Prices can be as low as around 30 euro, often higher.

Zermatt

From Geneva - Trains from here requires at least one change and takes about 3.5 hours. Prices usually are around 45 - 65 euro.
From Bern - From here the travel time is shorter, around 2 hours. Lowest price from about 50 euro.
From Zürich - Just above 3 hours from here, with at least one change of train. Lowest price from 65 euro.
From Milan, Italy - Expect at least one change of train and a 4 to 6 hours ride and there are not many daily options. Price usually from 80 euro.

Engelberg

From Zürich - Travel time best case scenario 1 hour and 45 minutes with one change. Lowest price from just above 30 euro.
From Bern - Expect around 2 hours with one change of train. Price between 30 and 60 euro depending on departure.
From Basel - 2 to 2.5 hours ride with one or two changes of train. Lowest price around 35 euro.
From Geneva - From here it is a pretty long ride, best case scenario just below 4 hours. Price usually around 65 euro.

St. Moritz

From Zürich - Just above 3 hours, at least one change of train. Price usually is around 60 euro.
From Basel - 4 to 4.5 hours, one or two changes. Price from 65 euro.
From Bern - More than 4 hours, minimum one train change. Price from 65 euro.
From Milan, Italy - You can go from here in about 6 hours, only with one change of train. Price from as low as 40 euro.

Davos & Arosa

Arosa and Davos are very close to each other so basically the same trains and prices applies for this ski resort.

From Zürich - About 2.5 hours with one change of train required. Price from just above 40 euro.
From Innsbruck, Austria - The train takes 4 hours and 10 minutes with two changes needed. Prices from 30 to 70 euro.
From Basel - 3.5 hours with one to three changes. Prices normally are around 65 euro but can be cheaper for some departures.

Wengen

From Zurich - 2 hours and 40 minutes train ride with minimum 2 changes. Prices normally from 65 euro but can sometimes be cheaper.
From Basel - 2 hours and 45 minutes from here, and at least 2 changes as well. Normal price around 75 euro but can be lower on some departures.
From Geneva - From here it is almost 4 hours and expect to change train three times. Prices normally from 75 euro, although some departures are even cheaper.

Another ski resort with a train station in Italy

Apart from the already mentioned Italian ski resorts, also Limone Piemonte has its own train station. The difference with the others is that you must change train to get here.

From Turin - There are trains with one change only that gets you here in just above two hours. Price from 10 euro and upward.
From Milan - You would have to change train 2 to 3 times from here, and the ride is best case just above 3 hours, but often longer. Best case you can find trains for just under 20 euro.
From Nice - Being close to the French border you can actually go easily here from Nice, and even with just one change of train and do it in 3 to 3.5 hours. Best case you can find tickets for only 15 euro.

More ski resorts with a train station in Austria

As mentioned, there are plenty of Austrian resorts with convenient direct connections, but we also want to mention Mayrhofen, even though you need to change train to get here. Not only is it a great place to go skiing, but it is also very easy to get to by train.

From Innsbruck - One change of train is required but travel time is only about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Prices starts from around 17 euro.
From Salzburg - Also from here you can get to Mayrhofen with one change of train in about 2.5 hours best case. Prices normally from around 40 euro.
From Munich - One change of train with a travel time of about 2.5 hours. Prices starting from 25 euro.

Ski resorts with train station in the French Alps

France is not the best country in the Alps to easily reach the ski resorts by train. There is actually only Chamonix of all the major ski resorts that has its own train station, but it is located very far from the bigger cities. There are however plenty of ski resorts with a train station close by with easy transfer from the train station.

Chamonix

From Lyon - One or two changes of train are required from here, and the travel time is between 4.5 to 5.5 hours. Prices from around 50 euro.
From Paris - You can go from here with just one change of train, but the train ride is 5.5 to 6 hours. Normal price is a bit more than 100 euro.

Ski resorts in France with train stations really close by

Here are a few of the more popular ski resorts in France that does not have any train station of their own but do have one within very short distance.

Les Arcs - Closest train station is Bourg Saint Maurice, and it is connected with Les Arcs with a funicular that takes 7 minutes and is free for anyone with a train ticket to show.
La Plagne - This is another ski resort that you can easily reach from Bourg Saint Maurice. There are no funicular taking you here, but you can reach La Plagne with a taxi in 15-20 minutes.
La Norma - There are trains to the village of Modane, and from there you can go by shuttle bus that only takes 15 minutes.
Montgenèvre - The city Briançon is located just a 20-minute drive from here, and there are regular shuttle buses between the Briançon and Montgenèvre.

Resources to book your train

Here you find links to book train in the countries in the Alps.

ÖBB - Austria
Trenitalia - Italy
SNCF - France
SBB - Switzerland
Deutsche Bahn - Germany

14 October 2023