Valle d’Aosta Italy

Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, arriving by train at the station near the old town centre, one will see the central bus station diagonally across the road to the right, the ruin of an ancient fortification to the front and the gondola to Pila ski resort heading out of town to the rear. Welcome to Aosta, Italy.

Aosta Italy is the capital city of the famed Valle d'Aosta and is surrounded by some of Europe's best ski resorts at nine different locations. Its own sovereign territory for much of history, the Aosta Valley is replete with castles & fortifications, plus Roman ruins, monuments & gates within the city itself.

A pleasing mix of great skiing, food and history, Aosta or one of the smaller nearby towns, makes a wonderful base from which to explore all the region has to offer.

Aosta Valley Skiing & Snowboarding

The Aosta Valley is blessed with a wealth of skiing riches. From huge interlinked resorts to quirky local ski hills that no one has ever heard of, skiing in the Aosta is never dull. Apart from Pila and Courmayeur, all the ski resorts are in side valleys.

Pila is an exceptional north-facing, medium sized ski resort with access direct form the Aosta city centre via gondola. Courmayeur is the ritziest of the Valle d’Aosta ski resorts, but like all Italian skiing areas, its style is approachable to everyone and by no means exclusive. Only 30min drive from Aosta, Courmayeur includes the amazing Skyway Monte Bianco with its stunning views & freeride terrain.

Between Pila and Courmayeur is the super fun resort of La Thuile. An excellent choice on a powder day, La Thuile has trails & off-piste freeride for all abilities, including tree & heli skiing.

In a remote valley between La Thuile & Aosta, the small ski resort of Cogne resides splendidly with the Gran Paradiso looming nearby. With one of the most authentic villages in the Valle d'Aosta ( and with several Michelin rated restaurants, the lifted ski area is complemented by 80km of superb cross-country ski trails and vast ski touring opportunities.

North of Aosta is the Powderhounds secret stash of Crevacol. Its unique feature is the ability to use the roof of the elevated Grand St Bernard Pass Road as a backcountry return trail. Crevacol's lift pass is so cheap it is practically free!

Down the valley north of Chatillon & St Vincent is the Valtournenche, with 3 ski resorts culminating in the well-known Cervinia below the Matterhorn. Two smaller resorts are the beautiful Chamois and gentle Torgnon.

Further along the Valle d’Aosta at Verres and Pont St Martin, the Ayas & Lys valleys head towards the myriad ski resorts that make up the number 1 ski resort for Powderhounds, Monterosa Ski. The village & lifts at Champoluc or Frachey are the easiest starting point to ski Monterosa from Aosta.

Between Verres and Pont St Martin, near the imposing Forte di Bard, the interesting Champorcher ski resort lays south of the valley, secluded from the rest of the world.

For detailed information see the individual ski resort pages via the links in the text above or left column.

Summer Skiing at Cervinia

Cervinia ski resort offers summer glacier skiing from the Plateau Rosa during June to early September. The skiing is limited on the Italian side but more expansive in neighbouring (& lift interlinked) Zermatt. Note that summer skiing in Europe is in serious decline due climate change impacts, so if you are keen on glacier skiing in summer, go sooner rather than later!

Heli Skiing

Several heli-ski options are available from Aosta, and are the amongst the most numerous in Europe. Operators utilise Cervinia, La Thuile, Courmayeur, several Monterosa Ski locations (including Gressoney la Trinite, Stafal & Alagna) plus the Valgrisenche.

Lift Passes

The Aosta valley has an all resorts season pass option known as the Aosta Valley Skipass. Zermatt can also be included.

Where is Aosta Italy?

The city of Aosta is in the heart of the Aosta Valley, 110km (1½hr) by road north of Turin, Italy. Main international gateway airports are Milan Malpensa (MXP) (170km by road) & Geneva (GVA) (150km by road) in Switzerland. Turin (TRN) airport serves only European & UK flight origins. Search & book private transfers to the Aosta Valley.

The E25 motorway (autostrade) runs through the Valle d'Aosta past the city of Aosta, heading west to France via the Mont Blanc Tunnel and east to Turin and Milan. The motorways put Aosta only 2hr away from central Milan.

Aosta is well served by train & bus transport. A railway line from Chivasso (on the Milan - Turin line) terminates at Aosta. A central bus station provides links to ski resorts & villages further afield. Search & book train tickets to Aosta.

Car hire & rental is available at several locations in the Aosta city centre and near the small local airport. Ensure the rental is an all-wheel drive with snow tyres.

For more information see our Travel to Aosta page.

Aosta Accommodation

A city like Aosta and its adjacent valley towns make excellent bases to conduct the ultimate ski safari of the entire region. In Aosta itself, some hotels & guesthouses within the Aosta old town are charming and in lively locations but note they can be inconvenient from a ski perspective due to vehicle access restrictions. The outskirts of the old town or up on the sunny south-facing terraces presents the better accommodation options.

Search & book all Aosta accommodation.

The ski resort of Pila has numerous hotels & apartments overlooking Aosta from its perch 1,200m above the city.

Search & book all Pila ski accommodation.

Alternatives to the city of Aosta include the villages of Morgex & Pré-Saint-Didierto the west. They are convenient to Courmayeur, Monte Bianco and La Thuile.

East of Aosta, hotels at Fenis & Nus are close to the beautiful Fenis castle and the excellent local restaurant Trattoria Le Bourg - a 'must do' for foodies.

Further east still, the larger towns of Châtillon & the adjacent St Vincent are perfect bases for forays to Cervinia, Chamois, Monterosa & Champorcher.

Regardless of where one stay in the Aosta valley, everything is still relatively close. All ski resorts are accessible from any town in the valley as a day trip.

Aosta Ski Rentals

Ski rentals are available in Aosta next to the Pila ski resort gondola near the centre of town. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Skiset partner outlet in Aosta.

Aosta Activities

The history of Aosta forms one of the city's great activities. Visiting castles, fortifications, Roman bridges and ruins is fun as well as instructive.

Whilst the Aosta town centre has numerous historical structures including the old town walls and towers, Porta Praetoria, Roman theatre and Arch of Augustine, down the valley are a number of castles, forts and other structures worthy of a visit including at Castello di Fenis, Forte di Bard and the 2,000 year old Pont St Martin in ....... St Martin!!

Aosta has numerous laneways, nooks & crannies in its old town which hide intriguing shops selling local wares including the traditional wooden 'coppe trattate' communal drinking vessels.

Review

The Powderhounds have been to Aosta numerous times in the last few seasons. We love it for all the right powder-seeking freeriding reasons, but it has suffered a little from declining snow in recent years. We will be heading back again soon though. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.

See how the Aosta Valley ski resorts compare to the rest of the Italian ski resorts on the Italy ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

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