Taking the overnight train to Chamonix

By Mark Hodson

I've just returned from a 4-day press trip to Chamonix where the snow conditions were superb, the sun was shining and the slopes were virtually empty. It was perfect skiing in one of the world's greatest resorts.

Most journalists elected to fly to Geneva, but I was joined on the train by Guardian staff writer Felicity Carus. Our journey began on the Eurostar, leaving St Pancras at 5.25pm, arriving in Paris at 8.53pm, local time. The Metro journey from Paris Nord to Gare d'Austerlitz took just 30 minutes. There were a couple of sets of stairs to negotiate, but nothing tricky.

We had time for a glass of wine and a quick meal at Cafe Austerlitz, a pleasant bistro inside the station, before strolling over to platform 14 to board the overnight train.

This is the Corail Lunea (pictured above), which departs Paris at 10.45pm, arriving in St-Gervais-les-Bains next morning at 9.11am. In St Gervais, a local train completes the journey arriving in the centre of Chamonix at 10.12am (it waits for the Paris train, so there is no chance of missing it). See full details of the train journey to Chamonix.

There are two classes on the Corail Lunea: 2nd class gets you a comfortable couchette in a 6-berth carriage, with a clean pillow and duvet. There is plenty of space to store luggage, and you even get eyeshades, earplugs and a bottle of water.

1st class is essentially the same, except there are just 4 berths, making it a lot more spacious. As it turned out, the train was far from full. Here's Felicity with a quick showaround.

The Corail Lunea is also the train you'd get for Les Gets in the Portes du Soleil. In that case you get off at Cluses, just before St Gervais. The stop is clearly announced and there is plenty of time to hop off, so there's little chance of missing your connection.

The journey was very smooth and I slept well, arriving rested and ready to hit the slopes. The final stage of the journey through the mountains and along the valley floor is particularly scenic.

After checking into my hotel and grabbing a quick breakfast I was skiing before midday. I'll post a report shortly on Chamonix itself, but here's a preview of the fabulous skiing - taken on the slopes of Brevent on January 20, 2010. The expert skier in the green jacket is one of our writers, James Cove.