Travel to Cervinia / Valtournenche with travel insurance from Essential Travel

Ski resorts in Cervinia / Valtournenche

The extensive ski resort of Cervinia / Valtournenche is situated in Italy’s scenic Aosta Valley, with extensions over the border into Switzerland. Known as the ‘Queen of the Snow’, this vast snowy area begins at 1,524m in Valtournenche, embraces Breuil-Cervinia, rises up to Plateau Rosà at 3,480m, touches the 4,000-metre peak of Piccolo Cervino, and climbs to 4,478m, the top of the Matterhorn.

Despite their popularity, the villages of Cervinia (known as Breuil before the early 1930s) and its lower neighbour, Valtournenche, have retained their traditional Alpine atmosphere and way of life. In Valtournenche, there is a pleasant square dedicated to the famous mountain guides of the Matterhorn, celebrating the village’s mountaineering tradition.

There are 110kms of downhill runs at Cervinia, which interconnect with 40kms of ski runs at Valtournenche, making up a total piste distance of 150kms in the resort. The main gripe of serious skiers is that there isn’t a great deal of skiing for advanced and expert levels in the immediate Cervinia / Valtournenche area, with most slopes geared towards beginners and intermediates. However, the ski resort’s high altitude means that snow conditions are almost always good, and the numerous interconnected pistes afford fabulously long runs.

The ski season at Cervinia / Valtournenche is extensive, running from November to the end of April. Special offers on accommodation are available in various hotels from the beginning of winter season to December 19, from April 2 to May 1, and from December 3 through 12 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception).

Skiing in Cervinia / Valtournenche

Located in Italy’s Aosta Valley, and globally renowned as the ‘Queen of the Snow’, Cervinia / Valtournenche has established the best snow record in Italy, and connects a colossal ski area that rises up as high as 4,478m to the top of the Matterhorn. Thanks to the introduction of an international ski pass, it is now possible to cross over the border into Switzerland, all the way to Zermatt.

The linked runs of Cervinia and Valtournenche make up a total piste length of 150kms, with 110kms of downhill slopes at Cervinia and 40kms at Valtournenche, interconnected by a system of 31 lifts. The bulk of these pistes are suitable for beginners and intermediates, and there is not a great deal in the immediate ski area to satisfy advanced and expert level skiers.

Those looking for more of a challenge should try the higher slopes above Cervinia, or take advantage of the recently introduced international ski pass, which allows visitors to the resort to cross over the Swiss border to Zermatt, a route that provides some testing slopes.

Although Cervinia / Valtournenche may be lacking in super-steep ski routes, its high altitude means reliable ski conditions throughout the winter, and the inter-linked area provides some excellent long runs. Additionally, Cervinia / Valtournenche has 16kms of cross-country skiing routes.

The high altitude of the resort makes skiing in Cervinia / Valtournenche possible from November right through to the end of April. Special are offered by certain hotels at the beginning of winter season to December 19, April 2 to May 1, and December 3 to 12, during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The resort can be accessed by road, or a combination of either rail and road, or air and road.

Apres-ski in Cervinia / Valtournenche

Cervinia / Valtournenche is world famous for its snow record and extensive ski slopes, and most visitors to the resort come here to ski, but the villages do offer a variety of alternatives to skiing. These include: heli-skiing, bobsledding, a natural ice-skating rink, indoor swimming, paragliding, a sauna, a fitness gym, cinemas, a museum and horseback riding.

Skiing takes first priority at Cervinia / Valtournenche, but there are also many off-slope and après-ski activities, facilities and venues at the resort. The villages offer indoor swimming pools, saunas, bowling, an ice-skating rink, cinemas, numerous shops and boutiques, and a plethora of restaurants, pizzerias, bars, and discos.

Visitors are able to choose accommodation to suit their needs from a selection of hotels, apartments and private residences. Childcare facilities are also available in the villages.

Nearby Zermatt, in Switzerland, offers many diversions, including a popular curling centre with eight rinks – each equipped with precision-crafted curling stones. The Alpine Museum tracks Whymper’s race to climb the Matterhorn. Exhibits include climbing equipment, relief models of the great mountain, and artefacts discovered near Zermatt from prehistoric and Roman times.

Transportation to Cervinia / Valtournenche

Cervinia / Valtournenche is located in the scenic Aosta Valley of the Italian Alps, very close to the border of Switzerland. The resort can be accessed by road, or a combination of either rail and road, or air and road. As driving from the UK is a tiring, time-consuming journey, it would be more advisable to either fly into the international airport at Turin, or take rail transportation followed by a bus transfer, to reach the resort.

Driving from the UK to Cervinia / Valtournenche is a long, tedious journey that is only advisable if you have plenty of time and driving stamina. If you do decide to take your own vehicle, you will need to take a car ferry across the English Channel to France, from where you continue by road to Italy. Once in the country, head for Milan, and then take the motorway to Turin, and the Cervinia exit.

Train travel is an affordable, efficient and relaxing alternative to taking your own vehicle. The Eurostar runs from Waterloo station in the UK to Paris, from where you can connect with a direct overnight express train (run by a consortium of French and Italian trains known as Artesia) to Milan. From Milan, take an Intercity train to Turin, then another train to Chatillon, 27kms from Cervinia. The last leg of the journey requires a bus transfer from Chatillon to the ski resort.

If you are limited by time, or simply averse to a long journey, the most advisable means of transportation to Cervinia / Valtournenche is to fly into the gateway airport at Turin, 150kms away, and complete the journey by car, bus, or train and bus.

Eurolines buses run to Italy from all over the European continent. Once you reach Italy, you can connect with local buses to take you to Cervinia / Valtournenche.

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