Arrive at the foot of the tracks (almost) when you get off the train?
As in France, certain mountain areas in border countries offer this luxury to travelers coming from Paris and a few large French cities.
By night, regional or panoramic (as there are so many in Switzerland), the train is a more ecological and often practical alternative than the plane and the car.
In Switzerland, Austria, Italy or Andorra, our selection of eight mountain resorts easily accessible by rail.
Read alsoSkiing: these French resorts easily accessible by train
In Swiss
Zermatt (7 hours)
Apart from walking, electric taxis or shuttle buses, the only way to get to Zermatt is by rail.
Private cars are only permitted up to Täsch, 6 km upstream, from where trains run to Zermatt every twenty minutes.
The trip from Paris Gare de Lyon lasts around seven hours and begins with a TGV Lyria journey to Lausanne (3h40).
From there take an InterRegio (IR) to Visp (1h30), then a regional train to Zermatt (1h).
The village is at the heart of the Zermatt-Matterhorn ski area and its 360 km of slopes shared with Italy.
It is a must-see stop on the Grand Train Tour of Switzerland, a route through Switzerland aboard prestigious panoramic trains: from here depart the Glacier Express (towards St. Moritz) and the Gornergrat Bahn cogwheel train which takes skiers to the Gornergrat summit, 3089 meters above sea level.
Routes during which you can admire the Matterhorn and its majestic profile at 4478 meters above sea level.
Read alsoZermatt and Cervinia, skiing in the shadow of the mythical Matterhorn
Gstaad (7 hours)
Symbol of luxury in the mountains, the very chic village of Gstaad has its own train station.
Along with nine other villages, the destination has a total of 200 km of downhill ski trails and 180 km of cross-country ski trails.
From Paris Gare de Lyon, you must first take the TGV Lyria to Lausanne (3h40), then an InterRegio (IR) to Montreux (20 minutes) and finally the GoldenPass Panoramic to Gstaad (1h30).
With connections, count seven hours from Paris or five hours from Dijon.
See also Stopover in Lausanne: our must-sees in the Vaud capital
Verbier (5h30)
Le Châble is the privileged access point to Verbier, a village in the canton of Valais linked to the 4 Valleys area and its 410 km of slopes.
From Paris, the journey takes at best five and a half hours and involves two connections: one in Lausanne, the other in Martigny.
From Le Châble station, a cable car takes you to the heart of Verbier in 10 minutes.
Read also Verbier, great spring skiing in Valais
In Austria
St. Anton am Arlberg (7 hours)
The Schindlergratbahn gondola lifts, renovated in 2019. TVB St. Anton am Arlberg / Patrick Bätz
St. Anton Am Arlberg, a village of 2,400 inhabitants located in the Tyrolean Alps, is considered the birthplace of alpine skiing.
Its ski area has 305 km of slopes and 88 ski lifts.
To get there from Paris, count less than seven hours of travel with a single connection.
First take a TGV Lyria to Zurich (4 hours), then a Railjet Xpress (RJX) from ÖBB to St. Anton am Arlberg (2h20).
Read alsoSkiing in freedom and panorama in St. Anton, in the Austrian Alps
Bischofshofen (9 hours)
The launch of the Paris-Vienna night train in December will greatly facilitate access to mountain resorts in the Salzburg region from Paris and Strasbourg. To reach Bischofshofen, known for its ski jump, the best is to take this train to Salzburg (11:30 am journey from Paris, 6:45 am from Strasbourg, arrival at 7:26 am). From there, a regional train runs to Bischofshofen in 20 minutes. Want to make the day trip? Take the TGV or ICE to Stuttgart (3h40), then a EuroCity (5h). In Bischofshofen, many stations (Radstadt-Altenmarkt, Hochkönig, Filzmoos ...) are accessible by bus or train, but most hotels offer transfers to their customers, as the Austrian tourist office reminds us.
Also at the gates of Salzburg, seven reasons to visit the Salzkammergut
In Italy
Bardonecchia (4h30)
Bardonecchia is served by TGV without change from Paris, Lyon and Chambéry.
Luca - stock.adobe.com
Located in Piedmont, the Bardonecchia ski area has 100 km of slopes and 21 ski lifts divided into three sectors (Jaffreau, Colomion and Mèlezet).
The town of Bardonecchia is served by the SNCF TGV which provides the Paris-Milan link.
The journey takes 4h30 from Paris Gare de Lyon, 2h30 from Lyon Saint-Exupéry TGV or 1h30 from Chambéry.
Of the three areas of the resort, Jafferau, the closest to the station, can be reached in five minutes with a free shuttle.
Read alsoFrom Abruzzo to Sicily, the most beautiful tourist trains to travel Italy on low steam
Sauze d'Oulx (4h40)
Sauze d'Oulx is part of the Via Lattea (Milky Way), a cross-border ski area that totals 400 km of slopes suitable for all levels.
Oulx-Cesana-Claviere-Sestriere station, located ten minutes after Bardonecchia station, is also served by TGV on the Paris-Milan line.
From there, a bus leads to the village of Sauze d'Oulx in fifteen minutes.
To read also In the Aosta Valley, taste the alpine dolce vita
In Andorra
A ski slope in the resort of Grandvalira, in Andorra.
arenysam - stock.adobe.com
On the Franco-Spanish border, Andorra's three ski areas (Grandvalira, Vallnord, La Rabassa) have a total of 300 km of slopes.
Grandvalira, to the east of the principality, is the largest of the Pyrenees (193 km).
The night train that connects Paris to Latour-de-Carol stops at Andorre-L'Hospitalet station, a few kilometers from the principality.
In winter, a shuttle provided by the Montmantell group connects with the Pas de la Casa resort.
The direct journey takes 11 hours from Paris.
From Toulouse, the journey can be made by TER (2h30) or with Andbus buses (4h) which have the advantage of stopping directly in the principality.
Read alsoSnow-capped peaks and exceptional heritage, the hidden side of Andorra