Upon entry into the Livigno ‘duty free zone’, aside from being greeted by the cheapest fuel in Western Europe (was wondering why I saw so many fuel trucks on the road), the over-riding impression of the place is the snow. Lovely white, blinding snow. Where other valleys in Switzerland & northern Italy were bereft, Livigno was the perfect example of what an Alps winter village should look like & why it is so popular amongst the ski & snow holiday fraternity. Thick blankets of snow on the roofs & streets always bring a smile to a Powderhounds’ face. Part of the reason for the snow is its elevation. The village & valley is just over 1800m above sea level. Like all the best European ski resorts, altitude is king!
First up, a few Livigno survival tips (refer to rest of review for detail).
Primary among the things worth knowing before skiing at Livigno is which bus to take & where to get off to access the best terrain. Made a tactical error on the first morning (rookie mistake really) - a powder day, nonetheless. Up early even though lifts allegedly don’t open til 9am. Several were already spinning at 8.35am (note to all - ignore the opening times, just get up early on a powder day). Got off the bus too early and ended up doing fresh powder beginner runs from the shortish Cassana gondola & Botarel blue bubble chair! Finally got to the Tagliede Costaccia gondola & smoked down the advanced Larici piste. It was tracked, but not unpleasantly. After that - hardly saw another person. As with everywhere in the world, clearly the morning strategy is getting up on the mountain as high as possible, as quickly as possible. If staying in Livigno, that means one of four lifts. On the Carosello side of the valley; the Carosello 3000 gondola & less so, the aforementioned Tagliede Costaccia gondola. On the Mottolino side; the Mottolino gondola & the more difficult to get to Teola Pianoni Bassi chair.
And so there’s the other thing about Livigno. It has two non-lift connected sides. Neither is necessarily better than the other & both are similar in size. A small Ski-Link bus runs at the north & south ends of the resort linking both ends of the disparate resort Mottolino & Carosello). The buses are on constant rotation through the day. Every 10min at least.
The skiing in Livigno is undoubtedly fun, but it can be super busy on-piste when the sun comes out - even mid-week in mid-January. We are, however, somewhat torn about one of the main reasons to visit Livigno - the off-piste & freeride terrain. It promises so much. Just look at any of the advertising for Livigno. Whilst loads of skiers & boarders will simply adore the great snow conditions & the broad, easy-going swathes of alpine meadows (plus some trees & natural terrain features to spice it up a touch), for advanced & expert freeriders it feels a bit ho-hum. There of course are exceptions, but the general rule is it lacks steep fall line terrain. Regardless of the busy piste trails though, the off-piste is generally quiet & post lunchtime freshies are all but guaranteed.
For interesting off-piste options……. On the Carosello side, the tree skiing skiers’ left of the Costaccia is wonderful (you just gotta remember to turn right at some point or you are skinning & busing it back to the lift). Beyond that, one really needs to drop into the zone between the upper & lower ski lifts (often through the avalanche fencing) or venture beyond the boundaries up toward Monte Cantone to reap real rewards. Scoping the exits from the opposite side of the valley is worthwhile as some gullies can be awkward. On the Mottolino side, left & right of the gondola, left of the Monte della Neve chair & dropping off the right side near Monte Sponda & traversing back into Trepalle are the better bits. More adventurous is anywhere into the Vallaccia and exiting down to Ponte Vallaccia, but it requires a pick-up, hitch-hike or questionable walk back up the road to the Trepalle chair. A nice simple backcountry return run into Livigno is a quick skin up the snowmobile trails to Monte Crapene from Passo d’Eira. Locally the run is called the ‘Deschana’. The 600m vertical drop ends near the Livigno ‘Latteria’ (dairy), so you can sample some nice cheese before jumping on the Verde or Blu line bus back to town.
When visiting for the first time and looking to ski off-piste but the visibility is poor, Livigno is a location that benefits greatly from the help of a guide. We heard from several advanced freeriders that the local heli-skiing is an over-priced & over-rated experience. We didn’t try it but would not be surprised if the terrain is too mellow to warrant the cost. Happy to hear otherwise.
The Livigno terrain parks & fun slopes are absolutely first class. Even played on them on myself (albeit feebly!). Mottolino takes the chocolates for the terrain parks. Located above Trepalle, it has a full range of elements & jumps for all abilities, plus a spectacular backdrop.
Livigno is one of the best learn-to-ski resorts in the world. The number of ski schools & instructors is over the top; almost too many to choose from. Equally, the number of beginner lifts on the Carosello side of Livigno is bordering on the ridiculous. However, many have very cheap rates specific to a lift (or lifts) which is something which may be attractive to novices. All are easy to access via the free local buses. The broader Livigno ski terrain is great for progression except when the weather is poor. But then the town comes into its own, admirably filling the skiing void.
As duty-free shopping ski towns go, Livigno puts most to shame. Makes Samnaun in Switzerland look positively poverty stricken. Perhaps Andorra can match it, but that’s an entire sovereign nation & its duty-free offerings are spread over a broad disconnected area. One thing is for sure, the petrol is cheap. And just like Andorra, there are more fuel stations per capita in Livigno than just about anywhere in the world.
The duty-free zone of Livigno does bring with it a few disappointments. Skiing & snowboarding is generally a self-indulgent, frivolous pastime, but the rampant consumerism & duty-free mentality, cleverly disguised in amongst the authentic architecture, adds a new level of awful to it. It took me a full day to notice, but there it was …… the Emporio Armani! The shopping attracts far too many people & brings down what is otherwise a wonderful town. In the end it is a case of ‘each to their own’, but my observation is it just detracts from the amazing active/outdoors ethos of the region. Also, going through customs in the same country (at Passo Foscagno) is just plain ridiculous.
The main benefit of the duty-free for powder hounds is the town clearly attracts a large cohort of non-skiers or those whose ability is at best a little beyond beginner. That’s good news out on the slopes & evidenced during my first day on the hill where a -13oC air temp was coupled with a wind blowing 50 bastards & taking another 10 to 15 off the temperature (yikes). Snow was great, viz was not, but other skiers were nowhere to be seen above the tree line (probably fair enough). To the ski resort’s credit, they were running lifts regardless of the marginal conditions and lack of people. I had a fantastic (if cold) powder day.
Getting to Livigno can be quite the task depending on the weather. From Bormio to Livigno goes over two 2,200m (ish) passes. One is the Pass Foscagno. Its 2,291m elevation, even with its odd customs station, is quite bleak during a blizzard. The other is Passo d’Eira (2209m), an easier undertaking within the resort boundaries. The drive can be high adventure in poor weather. We drove up in a blizzard. Numerous other motorists were without snow tyres & caused many an issue on the slippery, twisting road up to Passo Foscagno. Take care. Buses to Livigno from Tirano or Bormio are a good option if not confident on the roads.
From Switzerland, the only route is via the over-priced Munt la Schera tunnel. You might be wondering what is going on whilst you wait at a set of traffic lights at the tunnel entry. The tunnel is only one-way, so each direction gets their turn & depending on traffic volumes (& the time & day of the week!), the wait can be substantial. Saturdays in winter usually have different operating times, and the tunnel can be closed most nights during the week. Check before travelling. From the Swiss side, payment isn’t until after the tunnel exit on the Italian side, so just when you think you got away with for free ……… whack, "That’ll be an arm & leg please"! Alternatively, instead of driving, take a public bus from Zernez.
Once in Livigno local buses are free & useful so a car is no longer needed. Lines are coloured i.e. Yellow (Giallo), Green (Verde), Blue (Blu), Red (Rossa) & Brown (to Trepalle). Be careful though. You may think you are on the right colour, but if it is heading in the wrong direction, a simple journey can be a torturous 40min to 1hr. Try and avoid the Verde or Blu buses at the point on the circuit where they head out to the cross-country ski trails at Forcola (or the Latteria at the other end). You will get to see loads of men, women & children on skinny skis in lycra & spandex plus the ice driving school, but otherwise its 30min you’ll never get back. For inner town circuits, stick with the Giallo & Rossa lines, then change closer to your destination if you need another bus.
As to where to stay in Livigno, there is a simple rule. Stay away from the via Fontana duty-free tourist-centric town centre. Try up the hill in the San Rocco area. This has the best of everything - best access to the Carosello 3000 gondola, best wine bars (Miwine et al), best bars (Daphne’s et al), best pubs (Marcos et al), best après dance party (Stalet), best local food (ristorante tipica La Piöda), best nightlife (Homelywood), quieter streets (ironically) & less duty-free crassness. (Is that even a word? Apparently so says my spellchecker!) Kinda makes sense huh. A host of nice hotels & smaller guesthouses (Garni) plus apartments in private houses (Baita) are available. There are also some excellent value lodging options at the opposite end of town clustered around the Hotel Adele (it does wonderful pizzas too). In & around the via Fontana the prices go up & the tourist numbers increase markedly. Alternatively, up near Mottolino, you can avoid the shopping throng, by staying at Trepalle or perhaps at Passo D’Eira. The Alpino Lodge is a cool ski-in ski-out alternative. You can test your Italiano & eat super-traditional at the Gatto Nera across the road, plus get easy first tracks off the chairlift in the morning.
If happy to do daytrip to Livigno, staying at sophisticated Bormio is a delight. If you don’t mind a bit of crass capitalism in a reasonably authentic town setting (architecturally authentic that is) then Livigno will absolutely float your boat.
Après ski is pretty good throughout the village. particularly at all the gondola bases early in the afternoon. The Camanel di Planon mountain hut on Mottolino is the pick of the lunchtime après offerings. In the centre of town, early in the evening, the competing Bivio Club Party disco bar and Mota Après Ski Bar dish out the tunes, food & classic Italian aperitifs in quantity, but with very little flair. The outdoor ‘flame tables' are wonderful to sit at in the cold. Afterward, the number of bar & restaurant options is dizzying.
Everyone should visit Livigno at least once in their powder-privileged lives. Combine it with the other Alta Valtellina resorts (Santa Caterina et al) plus a bit of Austrian Tyrol, or Swiss St Moritz & Davos. They are all close-by. Just writing that gets me excited.
You can see our thoughts on the pros and cons on the Livigno overview page. Also, see our Europe ski resort ratings regarding how we score it against other ski areas.