Courchevel transfer: how a private transfer works on your first ski trip

A Courchevel transfer is a pre-booked ride between an airport or railway station and your hotel or chalet in Courchevel, with a chauffeur who meets you in arrivals and a price agreed before you fly. Most visitors from North America land in Geneva, about 148 km (92 mi) and 2 hours 34 minutes from Courchevel 1850 on a clear road; a few fly privately into the Courchevel Altiport, about 4 km (3 mi) above the resort.

With Elly8.net, a private transfer from Geneva Airport costs from US$525 in a Business Sedan to US$1,365 in an Executive Sprinter, and from the Altiport from US$120. Prices are per vehicle, not per person, and include the chauffeur, taxes, standard gratuity and meet and greet. This guide explains how it works the first time, step by step.

What is a Courchevel transfer, and what does it include?

The word "transfer" is used loosely in ski resorts. Tour operators use it for shared coaches, chalet companies for minibuses, and taxi firms for metered runs. A private transfer means the vehicle is yours alone, leaves when your flight lands rather than when a timetable says, and drives straight to your door without calling at other resorts. That is the service described here.

See Courchevel prices and reserve

Courchevel is six villages, not one address

The first thing to know is that Courchevel is a group of villages at different altitudes on one mountainside, part of Les 3 Vallées ski area with Méribel and Val Thorens. The tourist office presents six villages. They include Courchevel 1850, the highest and best known, with the Altiport above it; Moriond (1650); Courchevel Village (1550); Le Praz (1300); and La Tania, the wooded village towards Méribel.

This matters for the transfer. Elly8.net's published fares are calculated to Courchevel 1850; the lower villages are a short drive below it and are quoted on the web booker. When you book, give the full address and the village, not just "Courchevel", plus any access note from your host. Some chalets sit on steep private lanes with a turning area that only a smaller vehicle can use, and the chauffeur needs to know before the climb, not at the gate.

Which airport should you fly into?

Geneva (GVA). The usual gateway, with connections from North America through the big European hubs. The route is motorway to Annecy, the valleys to Albertville and Moûtiers, then the mountain road. Our guide to Geneva Airport to Courchevel by car covers it leg by leg, with the stops worth making.

Lyon-Saint-Exupéry (LYS). The second gateway, slightly quicker on a clear road by our routed estimate. See Lyon to Courchevel: private car or train for the train, shuttle and taxi options from Lyon.

Chambéry. The tourist office lists Chambéry as an access airport too, about 100 km (62 mi) from Courchevel 1850 by our routed estimate. Transfers are quoted on the web booker.

Courchevel Altiport (CVF). The resort's own airfield. The Courchevel tourist office says it accommodates certain private and commercial flights, and lists helicopter providers that fly in from nearby airports and resorts. A transfer from the Altiport to Courchevel 1850 costs from US$120 in a Business Sedan to US$315 in an Executive Sprinter, with round trips from US$230. See private jet and FBO transfers.

Arrival day, hour by hour

Here is a typical Geneva arrival for a family of four with skis, landing late morning after an overnight flight.

Before you fly. You book a Business SUV or Van, give the flight number, the chalet address and the number of ski and boot bags, and request two child seats with the children's ages. Confirmation arrives by email; the chauffeur's details follow before pickup.

Landing. The chauffeur tracks the flight, so an early or late landing changes nothing for you. Waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary.

Baggage. Ski bags usually arrive on the oversize belt, often after the suitcases. This is the slowest part of many arrivals, and it is fine: the chauffeur is waiting.

Meeting. Walk out of customs into arrivals and look for the name board. The chauffeur helps load the skis, fits the child seats and confirms the address.

The drive. About 2 hours 34 minutes on a clear road, more on a winter Saturday. A coffee stop in Annecy, about an hour in, suits travellers who have been awake all night.

The climb. From Moûtiers the road climbs for about 30 minutes, according to the tourist office. If the signs call for chains, the chauffeur fits them; partner vehicles on Courchevel transfers are equipped for the winter rules of Savoie from 1 November to 31 March.

The door. The chauffeur drives to the chalet or hotel entrance and unloads. There is nothing to pay on arrival and no tip to calculate: the standard gratuity is already in the fare.

Choosing the vehicle: count the bags, not the people

First-timers usually choose the vehicle by passenger count and then discover that skis take more room than people. Our fleet table gives each class a passenger and bag allowance; on European routes, the Business SUV is a Mercedes-Benz V-Class van.

Count every long ski or board bag and every boot bag as a bag. If the total is close to the limit, move up a class, or rent skis in the resort and travel with boots only. Groups larger than a Sprinter book two vehicles; the group transportation page explains how the desk coordinates them, and the Sprinter van with driver page shows the cabin.

When plans change: delays, diversions and snow

First trips to the Alps rarely go exactly to plan, and a transfer should absorb the changes rather than add to them.

A delayed flight. Nothing to do. The chauffeur follows the flight number, and waiting after a tracked landing is complimentary.

A missed connection. If you miss a connection in London, Paris, Frankfurt or Zurich and are rebooked onto a later flight, message the 24/7 desk with the new flight number. The pickup moves to the new arrival; there is no need to rebook.

A diversion. In bad weather, flights are occasionally diverted to another airport. Tell the desk where you have landed, and the desk works out the new route and the price difference with you before the car is sent.

Heavy snow on the day. The chauffeur checks conditions before leaving and may suggest an earlier departure. The fixed fare does not change with the traffic or the weather. If the mountain road is restricted, the desk keeps you informed and agrees a new pickup time with you.

A change of dates. Move the booking as early as you can. Changes made more than 72 hours before pickup avoid any cancellation charge.

What is included, and what is not

Included in the fixed fare. The chauffeur, the vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity, flight tracking, meet and greet with a name board, complimentary waiting after a tracked landing, and help with luggage.

Billed at cost. Motorway tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time, for example if you ask the chauffeur to wait while you shop.

On request. Child seats and booster seats, a stop on the way, a different meeting point such as Geneva's French Sector, and NDAs for confidential travel.

Tipping. Tipping customs vary across Europe, and first-time visitors from North America often ask what is expected. On an Elly8.net booking the question is settled in advance: the standard gratuity is part of the price. Anything extra for exceptional help is entirely your choice.

Getting around once you are there

Most guests do not need a car every day of a ski week. The tourist office says a free shuttle bus service runs between all the villages of Courchevel and the neighbouring hamlets in winter and summer, which is the easy way to reach the lifts or a village restaurant. For a door-to-door ride, the tourist office also lists the resort's taxi companies, which you book directly.

A chauffeur by the hour earns its place for specific evenings and days. Hourly chauffeur service in Courchevel costs US$95 an hour in a Business Sedan and US$190 in an Executive Sprinter, with a 3-hour minimum. The evening out and event night package, five hours from US$475 in a Business Sedan, covers a dinner at a mountain restaurant with the car waiting for the return. A full-day chauffeur, eight hours from US$700, suits a day skiing at Méribel or Val Thorens with the car carrying the equipment between resorts.

Mistakes first-time visitors make

Booking only one way. In peak weeks, cars across the valley are committed early. Book the return with the arrival; the round trip from Geneva costs from US$1,000 in a Business Sedan.

Planning the return too tightly. The trip down needs more margin than the trip up, especially for morning flights and Saturday departures. The desk works back from your flight time and the forecast.

Writing "Courchevel" as the address. Give the village and the full chalet address.

Underestimating the bags. See the table above, and count boot bags.

Ignoring the season dates. The tourist office gives the winter season as 4 December 2026 to 18 April 2027. Christmas, New Year, the European February school holidays and Easter are the busiest weeks; book transfers as early as your flights.

Shared shuttle, taxi or private transfer

A shared coach from Geneva or Lyon is the budget option and the right one for a solo skier with one bag; the tourist office points visitors to Altibus for schedules. A taxi from Moûtiers station suits travellers arriving by train. A private transfer is the choice for families, groups with equipment, late arrivals and anyone with a chalet host expecting them at a set time. Our chauffeur vs airport shuttle and chauffeur vs taxi comparisons set out the trade-offs in general terms.

Rides in Courchevel are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer, seven for Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley; see the fleet.

How to book your first Courchevel transfer

1. Pickup and drop-off. Enter the airport or station, your flight or train number, and the village and full address of your accommodation.
2. Vehicle. Choose the class by bags, then add child seats and any stops.
3. Reserve. Press Reserve now for a published fare and pay by card in US$, or use the web booker for Lyon, Chambéry, Moûtiers or the lower villages. Confirmation arrives by email.

Book any address

Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before pickup; 10% applies at 72 hours or less, 50% at 48 hours or less, and 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show, with refunds to the original card; see the cancellation policy. Chalet operators and travel agents can book guests on account through hotel accounts and travel agent accounts. Elly8.net books the car only; our travel desk explains how BookingWorldwide.net handles flights and hotels. Elly8.net is a member of LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory. Travelling on to the coast after the mountains? See the Nice chauffeur and Geneva car service.