Ski enthusiasts will find it easier to reach the piste this Christmas with Eurostar's ski train taking passengers directly to the French Alps.
The service will run for the second year running between the 17th December 2011 and 14th April 2012, ferrying holidaymakers and overseas property owners between St Pancras or Ashford International to the French towns of Moutiers, Aime-la-Plagne and Bourg St Maurice.
Buses will be laid on to take travelers to the most popular ski resorts including Courchevel and Les Arcs. Cutting down journey times significantly, the service will be a boost to tourism in the area, good news for second home owners who have found the Alps to be a savvy year round investment.
Overall, this is a good time to invest in French real estate. The price of property has dropped by 1.6% in the first quarter of the year with other one third of the country's departments reporting falling house prices.
The trains will run twice at weekends, with an overnight service on Friday evenings and a Saturday day service, with return fares from £149.