Courmayeur

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Courmayeur Mont Blanc Funivie, Skyway Monte Bianco, Courmayeur Mont Blanc tourist office, Aosta Valley Region, Arriva

Find a place to stay in Courmayeur

Courmayeur is in the Aosta Valley, in north-west Italy, at the head of the Valdigne, right at the foot of the Italian side of Mont Blanc, at 1,224 metres above sea level. Geneva airport is 115 km away, Turin Caselle airport about 150 km, Milan Malpensa 212 km. The town of Aosta is about 35 km down the valley, and Chamonix in France is roughly 20 km away, on the other side of the 11.6 km Mont Blanc Tunnel.

It is the only Italian municipality that borders both France and Switzerland. The territory covers almost 210 km² and includes the village, the hamlets of Dolonne, Entrèves, La Palud, Villair and La Saxe, and two side valleys under the massif: Val Veny towards France and Val Ferret towards Switzerland. About 2,500 people live here.

In winter you come to ski: 33 runs, 20 lifts, a top station at 2,755 metres and serious freeride from the Skyway cable car. In summer it is a base for hut-to-hut hiking and a stage of the Tour du Mont Blanc. The village has a pedestrian high street, the mountain guides’ house with an alpine museum and, a few minutes away, the thermal baths of Pré-Saint-Didier.

The village is built around Via Roma. Dolonne is across the Dora river; Entrèves and La Palud are towards the tunnel, where Val Veny and Val Ferret begin.

Old town, Via Roma and the church of San Pantaleone

The historic centre is Via Roma, a pedestrian street of shops, cafés and pastry shops, and Piazza Abbé Henry. The parish church of Saints Pantaleon and Valentine dates from the first half of the 18th century, but its bell tower is older, probably 14th century, with the octagonal spire typical of Aosta Valley churches.

Inside, look for the black marble high altar and a votive painting from 1704, linked to the French invasion the village escaped. On the square stands a statue of Abbé Joseph-Marie Henry, priest, mountaineer and historian of the valley.

Duca degli Abruzzi Alpine Museum and the Mountain Guides

Next to the church is the Casa delle Guide, home of the Courmayeur Mountain Guides Society, founded in 1850: the oldest in Italy. Inside is the Duca degli Abruzzi Alpine Museum, named after Luigi Amedeo of Savoy, the explorer who led expeditions to K2, Alaska and towards the North Pole.

The museum tells the story of mountaineering through the guides: the early mule guides, photos of the great 20th-century expeditions, period gear, the history of bivouac huts and the guides’ log books. It is a short visit that works for children too. Check opening times and tickets at the tourist office.

Skyway Monte Bianco

The Skyway is the cable car from Pontal d’Entrèves (1,300 m) to Pavillon du Mont Fréty (2,173 m) and on to Punta Helbronner (3,466 m), on the French border. It opened in 2015 and its cabins rotate 360 degrees on the way up. From the terrace you see Mont Blanc, the Dent du Géant and the Grandes Jorasses up close.

On the fare list valid until 1 November 2026, a return ticket to Punta Helbronner costs €59 in low season and €63 in high season; to the Pavillon €25 or €27. The family ticket (2 adults and 2 young people aged 8 to 23) is €177. It is cold at 3,466 metres even in August: bring a jacket. Fares and opening dates on the Skyway website.

Saussurea Alpine Botanical Garden

At the Pavillon, at 2,173 metres, the Saussurea garden grows more than 900 species of mountain plants on about 7,000 m². It opened in 1987 and takes its name from saussurea, a genus of high-altitude plants. It opens in summer only, usually from late June to late September, and you reach it with the Skyway.

Entrèves and La Palud

Entrèves is the hamlet next to the tunnel and the Skyway: stone and timber houses, narrow lanes and Mont Blanc right above. La Palud, just beyond, is where the Val Ferret road starts. Both are a quiet alternative to the centre.

Dolonne

Dolonne sits on the other bank of the Dora and has kept its old houses. The gondola to Plan Checrouit starts here, and the longest run in the area ends here, from Cresta d’Arp down to 1,210 metres: more than 1,500 metres of vertical in one go.

Val Veny, Lake Miage and Notre-Dame de Guérison

Val Veny runs from Entrèves up to the Col de la Seigne and the French border. At its mouth, at about 1,440 metres, the sanctuary of Notre-Dame de Guérison faces the Brenva glacier. The first chapel dates from 1792; the present building was rebuilt in 1867 after the advancing glacier damaged the old one.

The road ends at La Visaille. From there it takes about 1 hour 15 minutes and 300 metres of climbing to reach Lake Miage, at about 2,020 metres, held back by the moraine of the Miage glacier. One of the easiest walks with children, best from July to September.

Val Ferret

Val Ferret heads the other way, up to the Col Ferret and Switzerland, below the Grandes Jorasses. In summer you walk or cycle through meadows and larch woods to the Bertone, Bonatti and Elena huts. In winter the cross-country trails start at Planpincieux. At peak times the road is regulated: use the shuttle bus.

Pré-Saint-Didier thermal baths

About 5 km away, in Pré-Saint-Didier, the thermal baths have warm outdoor pools facing Mont Blanc. The classic plan after a ski day or when the weather turns. Book ahead on winter weekends.

The Courmayeur Mont Blanc ski area opens on 28 November 2026 and closes on 11 April 2027. It has 20 lifts (4 cable cars, 3 gondolas, 7 chairlifts, 3 drag lifts and 3 magic carpets) and 33 runs: 11 blue, 17 red and 5 black, for 42.4 km of groomed pistes. Including off-piste routes, the resort quotes around 100 km. Altitudes range from 1,210 metres at Dolonne to 2,755 metres at Cresta d’Arp. Snowmaking covers 28 of the 33 runs.

The pistes

The heart of the area is Plan Checrouit, at 1,704 metres. You get up there by cable car straight from the village or by gondola from Dolonne. From there the lifts spread towards Val Veny, facing Mont Blanc, and up to Cresta d’Arp. Red runs dominate, so it suits confident intermediates best, but beginners have 11 blue runs and three magic carpets. The snowpark is in the Aretu zone, at 2,000 metres.

Lifts open at 8.45am on weekdays and 8.25am at weekends and on holidays, and close at 5pm. The village cable car runs until midnight, so you can go up for dinner on the mountain. Live piste status on the Courmayeur Mont Blanc Funivie website.

Off-piste and the Vallée Blanche

From Cresta d’Arp, off-piste routes drop to Dolonne and Val Veny. From the Skyway start high-mountain routes (Toula, Marbrées) and the Vallée Blanche, the glacier descent to Chamonix. These are not pistes: this is glacier terrain, to be skied only with a mountain guide and avalanche kit.

Lift passes 2026/27

An adult day pass for Courmayeur only costs €75; with the Skyway included, €90. Reduced day passes: under 24 €60, under 16 €53, seniors €66. Children under 8 pay €19, or nothing if a matching adult, youth or senior pass is bought at the same time. A 6-day adult pass costs €396. Add the keycard (€2) and insurance (€3.50): in Italy third-party liability insurance is compulsory on the slopes, and helmets are compulsory for under-18s.

With passes of 4 consecutive days or more, the evening cable car is free. If you want to ski both sides of the tunnel, the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass covers Courmayeur, Skyway, Chamonix and Evasion Mont-Blanc: €198 for 2 days (adult).

Cross-country, snowshoeing and ski schools

Cross-country skiing is in Val Ferret, on loops of different lengths starting at Planpincieux. On snowshoes, the classics are the climbs to the Bonatti or Bertone huts, ideally with a guide if you cannot assess avalanche risk yourself. The village has several ski and snowboard schools, and the Mountain Guides Society for off-piste and ski touring.

From late June to September Courmayeur is one of the best hiking bases in the Alps. Times below are for the ascent only.

Rifugio Bonatti

The Bonatti hut sits at about 2,000 metres on the side of Val Ferret, facing the Grandes Jorasses. The shortest approach starts at the car park just past Lavachey: about 1 hour, 320 metres of ascent, 3 km. Fitter walkers continue to the Col Entre-Deux-Sauts (2,520 m): about 2 hours 30 minutes and 800 metres from Lavachey.

Rifugio Bertone and the Val Ferret balcony

The Bertone hut, at about 1,990 metres, sits above the village. From Villair Superiore it is about 1 hour 30 minutes and 664 metres of ascent. From there a balcony trail leads to the Bonatti: 10.7 km, 874 metres of ascent and 4 hours 15 minutes in total from Villair. Graded E (marked hiking trail), June to October.

Tour du Mont Blanc

The Tour du Mont Blanc circles the massif on about 170 km through Italy, France and Switzerland, with roughly 10,000 metres of ascent and descent combined, usually in 7 to 12 days. From Courmayeur the first stage goes to the Bonatti hut and on over the Col Ferret into Switzerland. Book huts well in advance in summer.

Biking and days up high

In summer some lifts open to walkers and bikers, with a dedicated mountain bike area: dates on the lift company website. With children, Lake Miage is the easiest walk. On bad-weather days, the thermal baths and the Alpine Museum are the best alternatives.

• Pré-Saint-Didier (about 5 km): outdoor thermal pools and the gorge of the Dora di Verney.
• La Thuile (about 15 km): a ski area linked to La Rosière in France; in summer, lakes and the Rutor waterfalls.
• Aosta (about 35 km): the regional capital, with its Roman theatre, Porta Praetoria and Arch of Augustus.
• Chamonix (about 20 km through the tunnel): Aiguille du Midi, the Montenvers train and the Mer de Glace; there is a direct bus.
• Breuil-Cervinia (about 90 km, just over an hour): the Matterhorn from the Italian side and high-altitude skiing up to the Swiss border.
• Morgex and La Salle (10–15 km): the mountain vineyards of Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle.

Courmayeur is small but split into quite different areas. Pick one based on how you travel and what you plan to do.

• Centre and Via Roma: best without a car. Bus stop, restaurants and the cable car to Plan Checrouit on foot. Hotels in every category and apartments.
• Dolonne: for skiers and families. The gondola starts in the hamlet and the run brings you back almost to the door. Quieter than the centre.
• Entrèves and La Palud: for the Skyway, mountaineering and trips into France, a few minutes from the tunnel. Village feel.
• Val Ferret and Val Veny: in summer, for hikers. Chalets, campsites and huts; in winter access is limited and you need a car.
• Pré-Saint-Didier, Morgex and La Salle: for a tighter budget, with a car, 5 to 15 minutes away.

For a family ski week, an apartment or residence in Dolonne or the centre works best; for a weekend without a car, a hotel near Via Roma. Over Christmas and New Year, in February and in August, book early.

By car

From Italy take the A5 motorway Turin–Aosta–Courmayeur: about 150 km (2 hours) from Turin, about 220 km from Milan. From Geneva and France you come through Chamonix and the Mont Blanc Tunnel (11.6 km, opened in 1965), which comes out at Entrèves; from Switzerland you can also use the Great St Bernard Tunnel and Aosta. The tunnels are tolled and the Mont Blanc Tunnel closes for works in some autumns: tolls and closures on the Mont Blanc Tunnel website. In winter you need winter tyres or snow chains.

By train

There is no railway station in Courmayeur: the Aosta – Pré-Saint-Didier line has been suspended for years. The nearest working station is Aosta, on the line from Turin via Chivasso and Ivrea. Until 13 December 2026 the Ivrea–Aosta section is run by replacement buses because of electrification works. Check times on Trenitalia, then continue by bus.

By bus

Arriva buses link Aosta and Courmayeur in about an hour, terminating at Piazzale Monte Bianco. There are also services from Milan (Lampugnano), Turin, Milan Malpensa airport and a direct bus from Chamonix through the tunnel. Seat reservation is required on the Milan routes. In the village, shuttle buses run to Val Veny, Val Ferret, Dolonne and the hamlets. Timetables on Arriva Aosta Valley.

By plane

The closest airport is Geneva, 115 km away via the Mont Blanc Tunnel: from there you take a shared or private transfer, or a scheduled coach (check seasonal timetables). Turin Caselle is about 150 km away; Milan Malpensa (212 km) is linked to Courmayeur by Arriva bus.

Parking

The main car parks in the village are P1 on Piazzale Monte Bianco and P2 on Viale Monte Bianco. At P1 the first hour is free and a full day costs €22 in high season, €15 in low season; at P2 the first 30 minutes are free, then €26 or €20 a day. In Val Ferret and Val Veny parking is paid but cheaper. In May and the second half of November parking is free. The Skyway has its own car park at Pontal d’Entrèves.

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