© Chris Barbalis
How to get to Meribel
Discover the top ways to get to Meribel
With a nearby train station and several airports within a three hour drive, there are plenty of options for getting to Meribel.
Méribel sits at the heart of the Three Valleys, the world's largest ski area.
Chambery is the closest airport, although Geneva is probably still the airport of choice for most international visitors. You can expect transfers from Geneva to Meribel to take 2h30 or so.
Meribel isn’t on a train line, but high speed (TGV) trains from Paris and the Eurostar snow train stop at Moûtiers, which is only 25km away. From there, you can catch a bus to the resort.
If you're driving, it's straightforward as far as Moûtiers. The road after that gets increasingly twisty.
So given the options, what’s the best way to get here?
Flying to Meribel
Flying to Geneva is probably the easiest way to get to Meribel for most international visitors.
You'll easily pick up a transfer from Geneva. You can also hire a car and be on your way in no time. Journey time is around 2h30.
The only trouble with flying anywhere is the environmental cost. Driving, coming by coach or catching a train are usually better options if you want to reduce CO2 emissions.
Flying to other airports
If you can’t get a flight to Geneva, try Chambery.
Chambery is closer than Geneva and journey time is only 1h30. But the airport is lot smaller and not as many airlines fly there.
Lyon or Grenoble (both around 180km away) are also options for Meribel. Journey times are around 2h15.
We wouldn't recommend flying to Turin or Milan - even if they look close on the map. It usually takes a lot longer to get to the resort, and you'll often have to rely on pricey private transfers.
Getting from the airport to Meribel
There are several ways to get from the airport to Meribel.
Flying to | Best option | Journey time |
Chambery | Airport transfer Regular bus services during the winter season, changing at Moûtiers |
1h30+ 2h40 |
Geneva | Airport transfer | 2h30 |
Grenoble | Regular bus service, changing at Moûtiers Airport transfer |
2h30+ 1h45 |
Lyon | Regular bus service, changing at Moûtiers Private transfers |
3h40 |
Train to Meribel
Getting to Meribel by train may involve a few changes, which can be tricky with baggage or kids. But:
- it's the most environmentally-friendly option
- you get more leg room than on a plane or in a car
- you normally won't have to pay extra for luggage
- journey times can be similar to driving or flying if you're doing a trip like London to Meribel
Which train station is closest to Meribel
Moûtiers is the closest train station to Meribel. It's about 24km from the centre of the resort, or an hour by bus.
High speed (TGV) trains from Paris and the Eurostar Snow train stop here.
If you're coming from the UK, London to Meribel by train is about 11 hours.
Driving to Meribel
Meribel is relatively easy to get to by car, but you don't really need your car once you're in resort, thanks to the free shuttle buses.
Read more about parking in Méribel
If you're using the French autoroute, the journey as far as Moûtiers is straightforward. The final hour is a little more arduous as you wind your way up the 25km stretch into Meribel.
This road is cleared every day during winter, but it's not a trip for nervous drivers - especially in bad weather.
Remember too that if you're coming here for a ski holiday, you'll need to fit winter tyres or keep snow chains in the boot of your car.
Driving to Meribel from the UK
It takes about 9h30 to drive from Calais to Meribel - a distance of around 920km.
Unless you're driving an electric car to the Alps however, driving isn't very environmentally friendly.
Coach to Meribel
Getting to Meribel by coach takes longer than flying. It's usually cheaper though, which makes it a good option if you're on a budget.
It's also a relatively environmentally-friendly way to travel.
International coach companies like FlixBus, Eurolines, BlaBlaBus and RegioJet run services to Lyon, Grenoble and Geneva. From there, you can pick up a bus transfer to Meribel.
Coaches from London to Meribel
There's a direct overnight coach from London to Meribel that runs once a week during the winter. The coach stops in Moûtiers, where you’ll need to change on to a bus for the last 25km of the journey.
Total journey time is about 20h15.
Reducing your environmental impact
We know flying is often the most convenient way to get to Meribel, but we'd encourage you to look at alternatives.
One option is to take the train as far as Geneva and do the last leg by transfer from the airport or city centre. This allows you to minimise your carbon footprint while still getting to the resort in good time.
Mode of transport | CO2 per km per person |
Train | 6 grams |
Electric car with 4 passengers | 13 grams |
Coach | 28 grams |
Diesel car with 4 passengers | 43 grams |
Petrol car with 4 passengers | 48 grams |
Flying | 156 grams |
Source: Carbon footprint of travel per kilometre (ourworldindata.org)