Located 2km up the valley from Chamonix and about 5km from the French/Swiss border, Argentiere is part of the community of Chamonix Mont Blanc. At only 90 km from Geneva you can make it up to resort in one hour and Argentiere enjoys some of the best transfer links in the French Alps, so arranging your travel to this resort shouldn’t be complicated. However, if you’re flying into some of the other airports in France such as Chambery or Grenoble the transfer is much more complicated.
Driving to Argentiere is often an attractive option with it's close proximity to the well renowned Mont Blanc Region as well as easy access to other resorts slightly further afield.
By Plane
Geneva Airport - 90km / approx 1 hour
By far the easiest airport to fly to for Argentiere.
For private transfer or shared transfer, Ski Lifts are the best bet, or there is the hire car option as well.
Chambéry Airport - 155km / approx 1 hour 40 mins
There’s not much in the way of public transport between Chambéry and Chamonix, but the drive isn’t too long so you can hire a car or take a private transfer with Ski Lifts
Lyon Airport - 230 km / approx 2 hours 30 mins
Other than hiring a car and driving you can take a private transfer with Ski Lifts
Turin Airport - 180 km / approx 2 hours 10 mins
Other than forking out a small fortune for a taxi, your only real option here is hire car, but at 2 hours it is an easily doable drive.
Car Rental
If you require a hire car for your ski holiday, there are a number of fantastic car rental companies based in Europe.
By Train
Taking the train to Argentiere is certainly possible, however it’s far from easy involving numerous changes. You can take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord where you have to change stations across the city to Gare de Lyon. From here you can take a domestic TGV service down to Annecy. The penultimate leg by train is to St Gervais Les Bains where you can take a final train past Les Houches and up to Chamonix. There are regular buses that run between Chamonix and Argentiere. It’s not the easiest of journeys, but if you love trains you can certainly do it! To have a look at prices, and tickets go to www.rail-europe.com.
To cut the number of changes you can go for the slightly more expensive option of taking a direct TGV from Paris Gare de Lyon to Cluses, where you could take a taxi the final 40km up to resort.
Self-Drive
If you don’t mind driving long distances then driving to Argentiere is a great option. It’s one of the easiest resorts to get to by car, taking between 7 and 10 hours from Calais depending on the weather and traffic conditions.
Having a car in the Mont Blanc area makes getting between quick and easy to get around. You don’t have to think about taking the bus as well as giving you the option of exploring the surrounding areas. Day trips down to Megeve and Les Contamines are an option, or ever as far as Verbier or Flaine.
When driving we advise you add a working set of snow chains to your check list. It may also be worth topping up your coolant with a heavier mix of anti-freeze to resist the cold. For really good directions and estimations of your toll and fuel costs go to www.viamichelin.com.
On arrival in resort you shouldn’t have any problem finding a parking space, all parking is free. If you know that it’s going to snow during your stay, it may be worth paying a little extra to park in a covered car park and avoid having to dig your car out.