Eurostar + Urlaubs-Express

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Eurostar + Urlaubs-Express journey summary

Photo: Eurostar International

The first thing you'll do is to take a Eurostar train from London St. Pancras to Bruxelles-Midi.

At Brussels-Midi, you'll have plenty of time to change trains and grab drinks or snacks in a cafe at Brussels-Midi station, before boarding another Eurostar train from Brussels to Cologne. 

At Cologne, you’ll also have time to get a drink or bite before boarding the Urlaubs-Express.

Photo: Urlaubs-Express

When you board the Urlaubs-Express, you'll find your couchette compartment. There are different categories of couchette compartments on board.

Before sleeping, you can visit the European Sleeper’s restaurant carriage and bar. 

When you arrive at your destination in the morning, all that you’ll need to do is transfer to your resort.

Photo: Urlaubs-Express

As you'll have seen from the timetables above, the Urlaubs-Express calls at lots of stations in Austria. Some stations are located in resort villages themselves. Others are a short bus or taxi ride away from the nearest resort village. The table at the end of this guide shows approximate transfer durations. 

If you’re travelling by taxi, it's a good idea to pre-book a transfer, although larger stations such as Wörgl and Innsbruck Hbf will also have taxis waiting at the taxi rank.

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Rail-ski map of Austria

Together with graphic designer David Cooper and Austria Tourism, SnowCarbon has created a rail-ski map of Austria.

The aim of the map is to help skiers and snowboarders plan rail journeys to ski resorts.

Here's a link to download the Austria rail-ski map as a PDF.

 

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How to book Eurostar + Urlaub Express journeys

Photo: Urlaubs-Express

Unfortunately, for the time being, you'll need to book your Eurostar tickets and your Urlaubs-Express tickets separately.

Booking London to Cologne or Rotterdam to London
You can book the Eurostar journeys between London and Cologne on the Eurostar website.

Booking the Urlaubs-Express:
You can book Urlaubs-Express tickets on the Urlaub Express website.

If, for whatever reason, you want to book tickets for the Urlaubs-Express before deciding on your resort in Austria, you can do so by booking to the final destination (Schladming or St. Anton) and getting on or off the train earlier. 

Urlaubs-Express' spokesperson confirmed this to be the case, telling SnowCarbon: "If passengers have booked the final destination, they can of course get off earlier."  However, it is always advisable to check this directly yourself, before booking tickets. 

Regarding cancellations and refunds for the Urlaubs-Express, the same spokesperson told SnowCarbon: "If the trip is cancelled completely, you will find our cancellation policy in section 5.3 of our General Terms and Conditions.”

Contact details for Urlaubs-Express:
Phone: +49 (0) 221 800 20 820
Email: info@urlaubs-express.de

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How much does Eurostar + Urlaubs-Express cost?

Cafe bar on the Urlaubs-ExpressPhoto: Urlaub Express

Prices for London - Brussels - Cologne (by Eurostar) and Cologne to Austria (by Urlaubs-Express) and Rotterdam - Brussels - London (by Eurostar) aren't set. They fluctuate depending on demand, usually getting more expensive closer to the date of travel.

London to Cologne / Cologne to London / Rotterdam to London

According to the excellent Seat61 website:

• London to Brussels by Eurostar starts at £51 one-way or £78 return in Standard, £98 one-way, £140 return in Plus (1st class).
• Brussels to Cologne by Eurostar (formerly Thalys) starts at €19 each way in 2nd class, €49 each way in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead. 
• Rotterdam to London is £51 one-way or £78 return in Standard (2nd class). £97 one-way or £168 return in Plus (1st class).

Remember—the above prices are just starting prices, and when you book, if tickets have already been on sale a while or if it's a peak date, prices will likely be higher.

Cologne to the Austrian Alps / Austrian Alps to Cologne/Rotterdam 

You can check prices for the Urlaubs-Express on their website and see how much the tickets cost for your specific dates. An Urlaubs-Express spokesperson told SnowCarbon: "We do not have a price list because prices can vary daily depending on train occupancy. Experience shows that those who book early will get to their destination more cheaply."

On June 12th, 2025, SnowCarbon made some dummy price enquiries on the Urlaubs-Express website, to give an idea of what things can cost: 

Here are the results - St Anton is the example but, the price would be the same for any Urlaubs-Express destination:

Outbound Friday 13th Feb, inbound Saturday 21st Feb 2026
Four people, travelling together in one compartment, outbound Friday 13th Feb, Cologne to St Anton, inbound Saturday 21st Feb, St. Anton to Rotterdam, total return price is €706 (therefore each person pays €176 euros).

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Transfers to Austrian ski resorts

Photo: Urlaubs-Express

The table below shows the average transfer times between popular ski resorts in Austria and the closest nearby station.

As you'll see, in many cases the train station is in the actual resort village, so the transfer is minimal (a short walk or a couple of minutes in a taxi). 

Depending on your date of travel, the Urlaubs-Express calls at most of the train stations below. Other stations can be reached by an onward local train.

Ski resort	Train station	Transfer time
Alpbach	Jenbach	20 minutes
Bad Gastein	Bad Gastein	Station is in the village
Bad Hofgastein	Bad Hofgastein	Station is in the village
Damüls	Bludenz	35 minutes
Dorfgastein	Dorfgastein	Station is in the village
Ellmau	Kufstein	19 minutes
Ellmau	Wörgl	21 minutes
Hinterglemm	Zell am See	21 minutes
Hopfgarten	Hopfgarten	Station is in the village
Ischgl	Landeck-Zams	31 minutes
Kaprun	Zell am See	9 minutes
Kitzbühel	Kitzbühel	Station is in the village
Lech	Langen am Arlberg	20 minutes
Leogang	Leogang	Station is in the village
Mayrhofen	Mayrhofen	Station is in the village
Niederau	Wörgl	7 minutes
Obergurgl	Ötztal	47 minutes
St. Anton am Arlberg	St. Anton am Arlberg	Station is in the village
St. Johann in Tirol	St. Johann in Tirol	Station is in the village
St. Johann in Salzburg	St. Johann im Pongau	5 minutes
Saalbach	Zell am See	18 minutes
Saalfelden	Saalfelden	Station is in the village
Scheffau	Kufstein	16 minutes
Scheffau	St Johann in Tirol	16 minutes
Schladming	Schladming	Station is in the village
Schruns	Schruns	Station is in the village
Seefeld	Seefeld in Tirol	Station is in the village
Sölden	Ötztal	34 minutes
Söll	Kufstein	14 minutes
Zell am See	Zell am See	Station is in the village
Zürs	Langen am Arlberg	20 minutes

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Like help choosing Austrian resorts and accommodation?

Austria has so many fantastic ski resorts and accommodations that it can sometimes be hard to choose.

If you'd like some help, please feel free to contact SnowCarbon founder and seasoned ski writer Daniel Elkan, who can give you recommendations and make sure you find something suitable. Just send him an email and he'll be in touch ASAP.

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Ski holidays by train — Ask SnowCarbon

At SnowCarbon, we are always happy to help you with suggestions for great resorts, fantastic accommodations, and how to get where you're going.

We look forward to helping you.

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