Guide to Courmayeur, Italian Alps

Courmayeur is scenic ski resort below Mont Blanc, in the Valle d'Aosta in the northwest corner of Italy. For intermediate skiers Courmayeur has a limited choice of runs, mainly moderate greens to testing reds. Courmayeur is excellent for cross country skiers, but not so suitable for beginners or those seeking serious challenges. The slopes can suffer from overcrowding at weekends, due to an influx of Italians. You'll also be able to ski in many nearby resorts such as Chamonix, Megeve, La Thuile, Pila, Cervinia, Verbier or Gressoney. Courmayeur itself is a charming Italian village with narrow cobbled streets, small bars and fabulous restaurants. This resort is a good choice for short or weekend breaks.

Mountain Information Courmayeur

Resort Altitude	1224m
Vertical Drop	1530m
Top Lift	2763m
Lifts	16
Total Runs	22, (100 km)
Longest Run	20 km
Advanced Runs	4
Intermediate Runs	12
Beginner	6
Cross Country	35 km

Getting to Courmayeur

The cheapest and quickest way to travel to Courmayeur ski resort is to first find one of the many cheap flights to Geneva or Turin. The nearest airport is Geneva at 6 miles distance via the Mont Blanc tunnel (1.5 hours), Turin is 95 miles away (2 hours) and Milan airport is 136 miles (2.5 hours). Train and bus services connect Milan and Turin with Courmayeur. The closest railway station is 3 miles away at Pre-St-Didier, which has a regular bus service.

Accommodation in Courmayeur

There is plenty of basic accommodation available with Bed & Breakfast being a particularly good choice, as well as affordable hotels or self-catering. Courmayeur has around 50 hotels to choose from, but chalets are not so common in Italy. The recommended hotels and apartments in Courmayeur are all close to the town centre, but a long walk from the main cable car, there is no bus. Try the Bouton d’Or, Croux or Vittoria for Bed & Breakfast, Bon Souvenir for basic apartments in town.

Bars, restaurants and apres ski

Cosy bars line the the cobbled, traffic free main street of the village. Après-ski is a long, leisurely affair in Courmayeur. Not to be missed are the Bar Roma and Poppy's disco which is open til 4am for a good dance. The cafes on the piste are all excellent and not overpriced. The nightlife has some hotspots, but this is perhaps not the resort for serious party animals. There are plenty of suberb restaurants serving food for all tastes and budgets. Many of the hotel restaurants are excellent. The best local restaurants can often be discovered by checking if they are crowded with locals.

Activities

The cities of Geneva, Milan and Turin offer excellent museums and sightseeing opportunities. The Val d’Aosta is spectacular with splendid scenery, castles and Roman ruins in the town of Aosta. Courmayeur's traffic-free cobbled streets with their attractive shops and weekly market are worth exploring. Non skiing activities a sports centre, a large ice rink and indoor climbing wall, curling, snowbiking, dogsleigh rides, paragliding, snowshoe walking, heliskiing and heliboarding. Snowboarders will find superb wide open pistes and lots of off-piste possibilities at Crespa d'Arp.
 
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