Here 4 the Apres

From Geneva Airport

Bus

Ben’s Bus runs directly to Val Thorens, no bus transfer. This option only runs on Saturday and Sunday, see Altibus below if you are planning on arriving on a weekday. Transfer time is about 3 hours to 3 hours and 30 minutes unless its the French school holiday which could take significantly longer. The bus I took did a rest stop at a gas station with fairly clean restrooms (run off that bus fast so you can get in there before the rest of the bus) that had a small market to buy snacks and drinks. Round trip cost (in 2023) is 105 Euros. Be sure to arrange your flight so that it lands before their last bus at 9:35pm time (check Ben’s Bus link to make sure that’s the last bus, I’m sure it varies). If your flight is delayed, they will put you on a later bus if a seat is available. If you miss the last bus, get a hotel (make sure you have travel insurance to cover this!), and they’ll put you on the next available bus the next day. The bus was clean and comfortable. It also conveniently makes multiple stops around Val Thorens so you can get dropped off closer to you accommodations. The biggest drawback to Ben’s Bus is that most of the drunk university students from the UK tend to use it. The group is very loud and rowdy, drinking booze and SINGING all the way up to Val Thorens. If you just took an exhausting redeye in, this is the last thing you want hear is “give me give me give me a man after midnight” being sung off key and very loudly for hours. For your return, if you are planning to spend the night in Geneva before your flight out, and want to get some runs in before your bus, the last bus to Geneva on Ben’s Bus runs at 2:40pm.

Altibus is another option that runs to Val Thorens. It caters to an older (than college age) quieter crowd, so you can take a nap after your brutal redeye flight. Round trip cost (in 2023) is 125 Euros, with the last bus running at 7:30pm on Saturday. On weekdays and Sunday there is only one bus per day leaving at 3:45pm and 2:40pm respectively. See schedule here. They do run less frequently than Ben’s Bus, so you might have to wait a bit longer if your flight is delayed. The buses are also clean and comfortable. But I remember one year I used it when there was a great deal of traffic on the highway due to the French Half Term Holiday, and the air conditioner turned off because the bus was at a standstill. It was an unseasonably warm winter, so it was sweltering in the bus. The other main drawback is that Altibus does not run directly to Val Thorens, you’ll have to transfer buses at Moutiers. It can be quite confusing if you don’t speak french. There should be a person that works for Altibus at the station to direct you to the correct bus. If she isn’t there, you step into the station (while lugging 50 pounds of ski gear), you can check the schedule boards to see which gate your bus will be at. Also unless you’re traveling with someone you trust, it’ll be difficult to use the restroom if you’re carrying all your gear. I haven’t tried using the restroom at Moutiers, so I do not know if its public without coin pay, if you happen to have any euros with you, and if its clean. As for return to Geneva airport, the last bus is also 2:40pm.

Rent a car

I have never rented a car to drive to Val Thorens. Honestly, I live in NYC, and I haven’t driven a car in almost 20 years. Val Thorens is very small, so you won’t need it on resort. I think the only advantage is if you would like to grocery shop before you get to Val Thorens to save some money. There is no free parking in Val Thorens, make sure you have parking arranged because I saw Val Thorens police handing out parking tickets to unattended cars. You can find information here about parking garages in Val Thorens. In 2023, the prices ranged from 72.5-92.5 Euros on resort for a week. But the cheaper ones are further away and you would need to use the shuttle to retrieve your car. Unfortunately the shuttle only runs until 10:15pm on Saturday and 8pm the rest of the week. My apartment rental through Booking.com included a free parking spot in a close by garage, so watch out for those options.

From Lyon Airport

Train

You have the option to take the train to Moutiers and then transfer to a shuttle bus to Val Thorens. But the drawback is that you’ll have take a train from Lyon airport to Lyon Station in the city center (less of a problem if you are staying in Lyon for a couple days to sitesee and eat) and there are no direct trains, looks like most involve multiple transfers. These transfers are tough when you dragging 50 pounds of gear with you. I personally find buses easier because they run from Lyon Airport.

Bus

Both Altibus and Ben’s Bus also run from Lyon. Altibus costs 115 Euro round trip in 2024, and runs until 3:30pm with only 3 departures. The last return bus to Lyon is at 7am. Ben’s Bus costs 109 Euro round trip, and runs until 4:55pm with the last return at 7:50am. I always travel through Geneva because I prefer getting another half day of skiing.

Of course car rental is also an option, but I cannot give advice but see above about parking information at Val Thorens.

From Paris Airport

Train

Unless you are planning to stay in Paris for a day or two on either end, I don’t recommend flying into Paris.

From Paris CDG Airport you can take a direct train to Moutiers that takes about 4.5 hours (maybe only during french ski holiday?), but these trains only run direct on Saturday. There are only two trains and both run before 8am, which hard to coordinate with a flight, plus if you’re delayed, you’ll miss your train. Plus the train is pretty expensive, it would be cheaper connect into Lyon Airport and take a bus.

If you spend some time in Paris before heading to Val Thorens, there are direct trains from Gare de Lyon, but it looks like those only run during the French Half Ski Holiday. Otherwise, you’ll probably have to transfer at Lyon.

From Moutiers you can take Altibus to Val Thorens. If you want to save a little money, you can spend one night in Moutiers near the station, and then take the first bus up to Val Thorens the next morning.

Car Rental

As for car rental and parking, see notes in the “From Geneva” section