Getting to Chamonix from Colmar

I thought it was about a 6 hour train ride. I don't know how much faster it would be by bus. Driving would be quicker but you still will arrive late.

We just found a train to Geneva from Colmar, then there is a van available at the station that goes to Chamonix. Arriving in Geneva around noon. The vans run every 45 minutes for 29 Euros. What do most people do who travel trains in France. Do you make a reservation, or just get a pass without a reservation? Do you us TGV or Eurorail? Also, we have never transferred on the trains...how does that work at the stations?

Jane , Eurail is an american reseller of of european rail tickets . TGV stands for Train a Grande Vitesse . That is the line of French high speed trains operated by SNCF ( Societe National Chemin de Fer ) the French State Railway . They are two completely different entities.

Jane, I've been looking at the rail websites and this is just a terrible train run from Colmar to Chamonix. I've looked at the German and French websites. I see nine runs from Colmar on the German network that will get you to Chamonix by 6:30. They are all 6.0hr+ runs with 4-6 train changes. Most of the train journeys go through Swizterland which is just fine. However, if you have a Eurail pass, you will have to pay extra to cross the Swiss areas. LINK to see what I see. I see only two runs for Sept 7 on www.tgv-europe.com and this is the official French network. You can buy tickets from these people but I don't see all the runs. If you use this website, Great Britain as your Ticket Collection Country. If you U.S.A., the website will switch you to RailEurope which you do not want for this transaction. For this journey, you will need to pick up your tickets at a staffed station in France. Also, there is a small bus from the Geneva airport to Chamonix. I'm not sure if it goes by the train station but I know it runs from the airport. I think you really would do better by taking the train to Geneva and catching the bus.

Sorry to make an incorrect comment . I confused eurail and raileurope . I meant raileurope . Sorry for providing uneccessary confusion !!

Jane, You can take a SAT bus from the Gare Routiere (central bus station) in Geneva to Chamonix for €33.00. The bus departs at 08:30, 11:30, and 17:30. It's a 2-hour ride. According to viamichelin.com, the bus station is a 7-minute walk from the train station. You could take the train from Colmar to Geneva (with connections in Basel and Biel/Bienne), departing at 06:53 and arriving at 10:46. Then take the 11:30 bus. Or you could take the train (with connections in Mulhouse Ville, Basel, and Biel/Bienne), departing at 12:34 and arriving at 16:46. Then take the 17:30 bus. For detailed timetables for Colmar-Geneva, see the German Rail site.

I'd recommend you to drive. The route between both cities is nothing short of awesome. It can get "stunning" if you opt for a leisure drive instead of using the main highway. I'd go for the drive. Since both cities are in France, drop-off fees are not going to be expensive. You could drive this route for a scenic lakeside drive. Or you could go through the Jura mountains for some scenery. If you have the best part of a day to spare (including many roadside stops + around 6h actual driving) you can go via Interlaken, the Grimsel pass (where no trains ever go) and then all the way through Valais with snow-capped mountains in the background via this longer route. for a straightforward driving, go via Basel, Freiburg, MArtigny and you shall arrive in less than 4 hours driving time.