Here 4 the Apres

Flying from New York City, USA

Because I am an American, this guide will compare the International airports to fly into from New York City, where I currently live. The best options for airports are Geneva, Lyon, and Paris. There are some pros and cons for each airport that I will explain below.

Flying into Geneva Airport

United / Swiss Air now have direct flights again into Geneva from New York City. They had gotten rid of this service during Covid. I prefer to fly into Geneva because this airport is the closest International Airport (direct 2.5 hours away) and has the most frequent bus service up to Val Thorens. I usually fly in on a redeye on Friday night, landing on Saturday, and then return on a Sunday flight. Because I never trust that the bus would make it back in time for my flight, I usually take a late Saturday bus back to Geneva, and spend the night there. The benefit of Geneva is there is 4pm bus, so I can do a couple laps in the morning before heading to the city.

The biggest drawback to Geneva is that currently only United / Swiss Air have direct flights. I flew Delta / Air France, and the last two times I flew through Paris and they lost my bags both times. (I highly recommend having travel insurance!). Also, as I mentioned above, I always return to Geneva on Saturday and spend the night. I can always find a decent priced hotel in Geneva, but the cost of food is ridiculous! I spent $40 on ramen! Food costs make New York City look cheap. But at least hotels are usually around $100, must more reasonable than $400-700 in New York.

Flying into Lyon

The biggest benefit of flying into Lyon is staying in Lyon to enjoy the city and their world famous gastronomy. While all the Michelin Star restaurants aren’t cheap, there are lots of delicious options that are more budget conscious than Geneva. And although there are less buses to Val Thorens than Geneva, as long as you don’t arrive past 6pm, you can just jump onto a bus straight to Val Thorens, which is 2 hours and 45 minutes direct. Only slightly further than Geneva.

The drawbacks to Lyon are there are no direct flights. You will always have to connect, and likely through Paris CDG, so you’ll need to make sure have enough time to clear immigration and go through security again before changing gates. The one time I flew to Lyon, I wasn’t going skiing and didn’t check a bag, so I don’t know if you need to pull your bag and then recheck it before boarding your Lyon flight. Another drawback is there are less frequent buses from Lyon than Geneva, so you could be waiting longer for your bus, or if you flight is delayed and the next bus is full, you could get pushed to the next day.

Flying into Paris

Honestly, I love Paris, so that’s the biggest Pro of flying into Paris! Its a beautiful city with so many sites to see and places to eat. If you want a couple days before heading off to the mountains, this is a great stop. And who isn’t exhausted after a redeye from New York?

As for myself, I think ski season is too short to spend anywhere NOT skiing during the season. Getting from Paris to Val Thorens is too involved. Generally you’ll have to take at least 2 modes of transportation. A plane to Lyon, Geneva, or Grenoble, and then take a shuttle bus. Or take a train to Lyon or Moutiers, and then a shuttle bus. And all of this will take at least 6 hours, if not longer. If you’re lugging a 50 pound ski bag, this can become quite cumbersome.