Travel to La Thuile with travel insurance from Essential Travel

Ski resorts in La Thuile

High up in the Aosta Valley, with Mont Blanc on one side and the majestic Mount Rutor on the other, sits La Thuile, a charming little resort with a stunning backdrop. The resort shares a lift pass and is linked with the French resort of La Rosiere, offering a total ski area of around 150kms, stretching over the Italian-French border.

The town of La Thuile offers sumptuous cuisine in a typical Alpine setting. Try La Bricole, serving fine food as well as hosting a great bar atmosphere. For a little more charm, dine at La Raclette, one of the mountain restaurants affording superb views. There are around 13 hotels at the resort with 2,000 beds on offer. These are family-run and provide facilities such as restaurants, swimming pools and bars. A myriad of activities for children are also on offer, from ski tuition to football training.

The resort sits at an elevation of 1,450m, with a highest point of 2,612m and a vertical descent of 1,171m. There are 65 runs in total, with 28 suitable for beginners, 26 for intermediates and 11 for experts. Thirty-seven ski lifts service the area with access to the French resort of La Rosiere, offering around 150kms of ski slopes. The longest run at the resort is 11kms and there are 90 ski instructors on hand to offer assistance.

As well as being just across the border and a short lift journey to the resort of La Rosiere, La Thuile is in driving distance of Courmayeur. This resort offers an exciting ski alternative, with 100kms of runs, including the descent into the world famous resort of Chamonix in France. Mont Blanc is always in view from these appealing alternatives.

The season runs from early December to early May, with the busiest time around New Year’s Day. La Thuile is 2 hours, 30 minutes by car from Turin Airport in Italy as well as from Geneva International Airport in Switzerland.

Skiing in La Thuile

La Thuile sits between Mont Blanc (Europe’s highest peak) and the Mount Rutor Glacier, sharing 150kms of ski slopes with the linked resort of La Rosiere. The resort offers breathtaking scenery in a relaxed and amiable atmosphere.

La Thuile sits at an elevation of 1,450m at the top of the world famous Aosta Valley and offers a number of hotels, with a total of 2,000 beds. There are some charming restaurants both on and off the mountain side, with a few bars and a cinema for some light entertainment. This resort is well suited to families and couples. Additionally, children can enjoy some great non-ski alternatives.

There are 150kms of runs and a total of 65 slopes accessible from La Thuile. Of these, 28 runs are suitable for beginners, 26 runs are good for intermediates, and 11 runs are for advanced skiers. The longest run at the resort measures 11kms, while the total cross-country area measures 20kms.

There are 37 lifts with an uplift capacity of 29,000 skiers per hour. The highest lift reaches 2,612m, while the lowest reaches 1,441m. The lifts consist of 12 draglifts, 24 chairlifts and one cable car. The total vertical descent at the resort measures 1,171m.

The season begins in early December and runs until early May. The busiest time is around the New Year and during usual holiday periods.

La Thuile is 150kms from Geneva International Airport, from where airport transfer services are available. The journey time to the resort is about two hours. Alternatively, catch the Eurostar from London to Paris and transfer on to the night train travelling to Turin. Connect by rail and local bus to the resort.

Apres-ski in La Thuile

La Thuile is separated by a river, and features the purpose-built resort centre of Planibel, comprising most of the tourist amenities and facilities on one side, with the old mining town and the forest on the other. With the Rutor Glacier and Mont Blanc always in view, La Thuile is a functional gem of a resort with an ambience more suited to families and couples.

Aside from the skiing at La Thuile, there are a small number of activities available such as indoor and outdoor swimming, bowling, fitness centres, sauna and spa facilities. Walking trails afford great views of the area, over the surrounding mountains and woodlands; while great restaurants both on and of the mountain provide typically good Italian cuisine

Transportation to La Thuile

La Thuile sits high up in the Aosta Valley, and the journey here involves a combination of air and road travel, or train and bus service. The most convenient means of getting here is to fly to either Geneva or Turin, and hire a vehicle or take a transfer service to the resort.

Alternatively, you can catch the Eurostar train service from London to Paris, and then change to the night train to Turin and a connection via local rail and bus services to the resort. A package deal will often facilitate travel arrangements.

By car, La Thuile is around 700kms from Paris, with a total driving time of around 10 hours and toll road costs of about €100. The easiest route is to travel to Geneva from Paris and head along the roads to Chamonix and on to the Mont Blanc tunnel, which will cost an extra €32 for a one-week return. After passing Courmayeur, do not take the Aosta highway, but instead carry on to Pré-St-Didier and follow directions from there to the resort.

By train, catch the Eurostar from London Waterloo or Ashford in Kent to Paris, then transfer on to the night train travelling to Turin in Italy. In Turin, catch a local train service to the station at Pré-St-Didier, 10kms from the resort. A regular bus service operates straight to La Thuile. The journey from London to Paris is between 2 hours, 20 minutes and 3 hours, 30 minutes depending on day of travel; the overnight train should take around 8 hours, 30 minutes.

Geneva International Airport in Switzerland and Turin Airport in Italy both have direct services from the UK, and are both situated around two hours from the resort by road. From either airport, you can catch a transfer service to the resort or drive yourself. From Turin Airport, follow the road towards Aosta, making sure to travel to Pré-St-Didier and not Aosta town. From Geneva, head towards Chamonix, and travel through the Mont Blanc tunnel and on to the resort, again travelling to Pré-St-Didier and taking the turn-off for La Thuile.

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