St Foy to Val Thorens: Why Our Early Departure Was Worth It

 

After four and a half hours on the road, we finally arrived in Val Thorens

After a wonderful week in Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, it was time to continue our family skiing holiday. Our next destination was Val Thorens, part of the enormous Les 3 Vallées ski area in the French Alps.

We also had to say goodbye to some of our family members. Some returned to London, some departed for Japan, and others continued to Innsbruck in Austria. Our family group became much smaller, reducing from 12 people to five.

Although St Foy and Val Thorens are both in the Savoie region, the road journey between them is approximately 73 kilometres. Travelling with five people, suitcases, and ski equipment still required careful planning. After a great deal of research, we decided that a private transfer would be the most comfortable and practical option for us.

Planning Our Transfer from St Foy to Val Thorens

Beautiful Alpine scenery during our private transfer from St Foy

We booked our journey with Savoie Transport, operated by Anthony Rougier. Anthony was very helpful while I was arranging everything, and the service we received was wonderful.

My original plan was to leave our residence in St Foy at around 10:00 am. I thought this would allow us to enjoy a relaxed morning before arriving at our next hotel around check-in time.

Anthony, however, strongly recommended that we leave at 6:30 am. He said that 7:00 am should be the latest possible departure.

At first, I was slightly annoyed. We were on holiday, and getting everyone up so early, packing our remaining belongings, and organising all our luggage and ski gear did not sound very appealing.

Anthony explained that if we departed later in the morning, heavy traffic could make the journey to Val Thorens much longer. We trusted his local experience and agreed to a 7:00 am collection.

When Local Advice Makes All the Difference

Once we were on the road, we quickly understood what Anthony had meant.

For the first part of the journey, the roads were reasonably clear. Before long, however, the traffic became much heavier and our progress slowed considerably. Cars filled the mountain roads as many holidaymakers travelled to and from the different ski resorts.

Traffic gradually became heavier as we travelled towards Val Thorens

Although the road distance was only about 73 kilometres, there was no short, direct route across the mountains. We had to travel along the Alpine roads connecting the two resort areas, where winter weather and holiday traffic could greatly affect the travelling time.

We had expected the trip to take approximately two hours. Instead, we arrived in Val Thorens about four and a half hours after leaving St Foy.

Our driver told us that a journey that would normally take two or three hours had taken him around eight hours only a few days earlier. Hearing that made us very grateful that we had followed Anthony’s advice and left early in the morning.

What had initially felt like an unnecessarily early departure turned out to be a very sensible decision.

Our First View of Val Thorens

Approaching the much larger mountain resort of Val Thorens

As we climbed towards Val Thorens, the scenery became increasingly dramatic. High walls of snow lined the road, while brilliant white mountains rose all around us beneath patches of blue sky.

Then we saw the Val Thorens sign. After the long drive, it felt wonderful to know that we had finally arrived.

Val Thorens sits at approximately 2,300 metres above sea level and is recognised as Europe’s highest ski resort. It forms part of Les 3 Vallées, one of the world’s largest interconnected ski areas, with around 600 kilometres of ski slopes.

Despite its name, Les 3 Vallées includes seven main resorts: Courchevel, Méribel, Brides-les-Bains, Les Menuires, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, Val Thorens, and Orelle. These resorts are connected by an extensive network of ski lifts and slopes.

The difference between Val Thorens and St Foy was immediately noticeable. St Foy had felt intimate, peaceful, and village-like. Val Thorens seemed much larger and busier, with substantial accommodation buildings, shops, restaurants, ski lifts, and slopes stretching across the surrounding mountains. We were amazed by the scale of everything.

Our first look at the extensive ski slopes and lifts of Val Thorens

Arriving Before Our Room Was Ready

Because of our early departure, we reached our hotel well before the usual room check-in time. Fortunately, we were still able to complete the registration process.

The hotel stored our suitcases and ski equipment securely while we waited for our room to become available. This meant we were free to walk around the resort and begin exploring instead of sitting with all our belongings.

For anyone arranging a similar transfer, it is worth asking the hotel in advance whether early registration and luggage storage are available. It can make an early arrival much easier and more enjoyable.

Our First Meal in Val Thorens

Our first Val Thorens meal on a sunny terrace overlooking the mountains.

After such an early start and a long journey, we were ready for something to eat.

We found a restaurant with an open terrace overlooking the snowy valley. Sitting outside together for our first meal and drink in Val Thorens was a lovely way to begin the next part of our holiday.

The sky had cleared, the mountains looked magnificent, and the busy journey was finally behind us. We relaxed around the table, enjoyed the view, and took in the lively atmosphere of this much larger resort.

It was one of those simple travel moments that stays in your memory—not because everything went exactly as expected, but because the day gradually turned into something special.

Key Takeaways for Alpine Ski Transfers

• Consult Your Driver: Local transport providers know peak changeover traffic patterns much better than navigation apps.

• Budget Extra Travel Time: Always allow 2 to 3 extra hours on winter weekend changeover days.

• Confirm Vehicle Capacity: Ensure your transfer vehicle specifically accommodates all passengers, oversized bags, and ski equipment.

• Keep Essentials Handy: Keep water, snacks, warm layers, and medication in your carry-on luggage in case of heavy delays.

• Coordinate Early Arrival: Confirm in advance if your destination hotel offers secure luggage storage before room check-in.