Getting there

Weekend skiing: getting there

Flights
Geneva lies within easy reach of several key resorts and ski areas, such as Chamonix, Les Portes du Soleil, Le Grand Massif and Megève. New flights to Sion for the 2006/2007 winter make it easier to get to Verbier and its ski area for the weekend - as well as to Saas Fee and Zermatt.

NEAREST WEEKEND RESORT TO... Berne - Grindelwald Geneva - La Clusaz Sion - Nendaz Zurich - Flims-Laax Chambéry - St. Martin Grenoble - Villard de Lans Nice - Isola 2000 Milan - Alagna Turin - Sauze d'Oulx Venice - Cortina Innsbruck - Stubai Salzburg - Saalbach Friedrichshafen - Lech-Zurs   Munich - Garmisch

If you can bear a longer transfer, Zurich is another option, with Flims-Laax and Klosters just over an hour away. Innsbruck is also close to Solden and Mayrhofen.  It's easy to overlook France's regional airports: Grenoble (for Villard de Lans, Les Sept Laux and Alpe d'Huez), Chambéry (for Les Trois Vallées and Paradiski) and Nice (for Isola 2000, Auron and Valberg). The resorts are used to catering for the local weekend market, so it's often easier to find somewhere to stay.

The closest airport isn't always in the same country: the nearest to Lech-Zurs is Friedrichshafen in Germany and for St. Moritz, Milan is only 2 hours away. The Italian airport is also close to the Monterosa resorts of Alagna and Champoluc, while resorts close to Turin include Cervinia and Sestriere.

Transfers
Splashing out on a helicopter transfer rewrites the geography, putting almost anywhere within reach, at surprisingly good rates (for the pilot, at least). Next quickest and unbeatable value with a full load is car-hire, with car rental companies at all of airports. If you land at Geneva, beware the cheaper French-side rentals which don't include the Swiss motorway vignette (essential whichever direction you're heading in, for all but top multi-lingual navigators); Swiss rentals also come fully equipped for winter with snow tyres/chains (by law), so you don't need to book them as extras. Switzerland is best too for rail transfers, with stations frequently in resort centre or linked by excellent public bus connections. Though not usually as quick as road transfers, Swiss public transport is incredibly easy: train platforms are within a few minutes trolley-push of the airport luggage carousels, and services are ultra-reliable and comfortable enough to make an excellent start and end to your holiday. They can usually be booked online at cut-prices a day or two before travelling.

Finally, a growing number of transfer specialists offer online booking and a range of services, with bus and minibus transfers to many of the major resorts - an excellent option if you don't want to hire a car, though relatively expensive and at risk of groupage delays when more than one flight is being met. Less popular routes at obscure times are also covered, but in practice they are simply private taxi rides - fine for a reasonable group size but outrageous for small numbers. If you can bear public transport, buses run to the more popular European resorts from the airport or the nearest big town - with connecting services between the airport and the town.

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