La Thuile

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Aosta Valley Region (lovevda.it), La Thuile (lathuile.it), Anas, Arriva, Wikipedia

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La Thuile is in the Aosta Valley, in north-west Italy, at 1,441 metres, in a basin below the Rutor glacier on the road to the Little St Bernard Pass and France. Aosta is about 40 km away (around 50 minutes by car), Pré-Saint-Didier 10 km and Courmayeur 15 km. The nearest airport is Geneva, about 120 km away through the Mont Blanc Tunnel; Turin airport is about 160 km. The village has just over 700 residents.

In winter people come to ski: La Thuile is part of the Espace San Bernardo, the cross-border ski area linked with La Rosière in France, with 156 km of runs and a lift pass cheaper than Courmayeur’s. In summer people come to hike: the Rutor waterfalls, Lake Verney, the pass with its prehistoric stone circle, over 500 km of trails and 22 lakes within the municipality.

Until 1966 this was a coal-mining village. Once the mines closed, it switched to tourism, now its main income. The centre is small and most accommodation is in apartments and residences.

You can walk round the village in an hour. The highlights are outside it: to the south, the Rutor valley and its waterfalls; to the west, the pass road with Lake Verney and the Little St Bernard. Here is what to see, from the centre up into the mountains.

The village and the church of San Nicola

A parish has existed here since the 12th century, but nothing survives of the first church. The present building was rebuilt in the 15th century and again in the 18th, after damage caused by passing French troops. Inside are a 15th-century crucifix and an 18th-century gilded wooden tabernacle from a convent in Aosta. The wall paintings are by Ettore Mazzini (1945–46), made to fulfil a wartime vow.

Next to the church, a small museum of sacred art shows statues and gold and silver work from the 13th to the 19th century. Opening hours are limited: ask at the tourist office.

Maison-Musée Berton

This was the holiday home of two collector brothers, the Bertons, who left it and its contents to the village: about 200 pieces of Aosta Valley craftwork, prints, drawings, sacred art and more than 4,000 books, many of them Aosta Valley literature. There are activities for children, which makes it a good rainy-day option.

The old coal mines

Anthracite and silver-bearing lead were mined at La Thuile. The coal went to the Cogne steelworks in Aosta; the last mine closed in 1966. Some trails pass the remains of tunnels and mine buildings: ask the tourist office which routes are signposted.

Rutor waterfalls

The best-known sight in the valley. The stream from the Rutor glacier drops in three falls: the first at 1,678 m, the second at 1,850 m, the third at 2,100 m. The walk starts at La Joux, a hamlet about 3 km from the village at 1,594 m. The first fall is 20 minutes away through the woods, so it works for families with small children. The third means about 500 m of climbing. Times and trail numbers are in the summer section.

The Rutor glacier and Rifugio Deffeyes

Above the falls the valley opens onto the Bella Comba lakes and the Rutor glacier, a large glacier that dominates the whole valley. At its foot is the Rifugio Deffeyes mountain hut, where you can stay overnight. It is a long climb for fit hikers, and the starting point for mountaineers heading up the Rutor. In winter there is heli-skiing here.

Lake Verney

Lake Verney lies at 2,088 m, just below the Little St Bernard Pass, between the Becca dei Rousses and Monte Chaz Dura. You can drive there only when the pass road is open, roughly June to October. It is a natural lake in a landscape shaped by glaciers. Harder trails start from its shores, such as the one to the Lancebralette viewpoint, about 800 m higher (just over two hours). The lake is also a fishing reserve.

Little St Bernard Pass

Thirteen kilometres from the village, at 2,188 m, the pass marks the border with France. People have crossed here since prehistory: right on the border stands a cromlech, a circle of 46 stones from the 1st millennium BC whose purpose is unknown. A little further on is the hospice founded in the 11th century by St Bernard, which, like the whole upper pass, has been French territory since 1947. Beyond it is the Chanousia alpine botanical garden, founded in 1897 by Abbé Chanoux and open in summer.

Every two years in August the pass hosts the Fête des Bergers, the shepherds’ festival, with a round of the Bataille de Reines, the Aosta Valley’s cow fights.

The Youlaz and Orgères valleys

Two side valleys listed by the regional tourist board among La Thuile’s hiking destinations. They are less known than the Rutor: the right choice if you want quieter trails in August, when La Joux is busy. Ask the tourist office for routes that suit your level.

La Thuile is the Italian side of the Espace San Bernardo, which crosses the border to La Rosière in Savoie. From the village you go up by gondola or the Bosco Express chairlift. The 2026/27 season runs from 28 November 2026 to 11 April 2027; lifts run from 8.45 am to 4.45 pm.

Espace San Bernardo in numbers

According to the regional tourist board, the area has 156 km of runs: 83 pistes (33 blue, 36 red, 14 black) and 37 lifts. The highest point is Mont Valaisan, at 2,800 m. The Italian side alone has 42 runs (12 blue, 20 red, 10 black), 2 gondolas and 9 chairlifts. Beginners get over 13 km of easy runs.

It suits confident intermediates best: lots of long, wide reds. Experts head for run 3, the “Franco Berthod”, with gradients of up to 76%; it hosted women’s World Cup races in 2016, 2020 and 2025.

The link with La Rosière

The link to France is not open all season: in 2025/26 it ran from 13 December to 12 April. If you come in late November or early December, you ski only the Italian side, which still has 42 runs. The ridge lifts can close in high wind: check the status in the morning and leave enough time to get back before closing.

Lift passes 2026/27

Prices published by the regional tourist board for winter 2026/27 are 61 euros for one day, 179 euros for three days and 322 euros for six days, valid across the whole Espace San Bernardo. Children up to 8 ski free if you buy an adult day pass at the same time; otherwise they pay 15 euros. Online prices are discounted depending on dates. In recent seasons, multi-day passes also included a day at another Aosta Valley ski area: check the conditions on the La Thuile website.

Ski schools, cross-country and off-piste

The village has ski schools and a snow playground for children. For cross-country skiing there are three loops at Arly, 11 km in total; more loops, from 2 to 7.5 km, are at Arpy above Morgex, 8 km away. There is also a snow park, snowkiting, ski touring, freeride and heli-skiing on the Rutor and Miravidi with mountain guides. In the evening you can ride up by snowmobile or snowcat for dinner on the mountain.

The hiking season runs from June to September. The municipality has 520 km of trails and 55 waymarked routes, from flat family walks to glacier trips with guides. Some chairlifts also run in summer, and two shuttle buses link the village with La Joux, the Little St Bernard and the Colle San Carlo: timetables on the La Thuile website.

Walking to the Rutor waterfalls

From La Joux (1,594 m) take trail 3/AV2 into the woods. In about 20 minutes you reach the first fall (1,678 m). The path then climbs in steps to the second (1,850 m) and third falls (2,100 m): around 500 m of ascent in all, one and a half to two hours up. At the third fall, cross the wooden footbridge and come down on trail 19 to make a loop. Difficulty E (hiking trail), best from June to September. In peak season the road to La Joux may be closed to cars during the day: use the shuttle.

Lake Verney and the pass

In summer Lake Verney is the easiest outing: drive up and walk along the shore. Then continue to the pass for the cromlech and the Chanousia garden. The pass road usually opens between late May and June and closes in autumn, on dates set each year by the road authority Anas: check before you go.

Lake Arpy from Colle San Carlo

Lake Arpy is not in La Thuile but in the municipality of Morgex. From La Thuile, drive up to the Colle San Carlo (about 10 km, 1,951 m). From there a trail through larch woods, about 3 km with little climbing, reaches the lake in under an hour. Good with children, but busy in summer: arrive early.

Road cycling and mountain biking

The climb from La Thuile to the Little St Bernard is about 13 km with about 760 m of ascent, possible when the pass is open. For mountain bikers there is an international bike park with downhill, enduro and cross-country trails for all levels, some on the French side; the chairlifts carry bikes. In summer La Thuile hosts Mountain Bike World Series races.

Other activities

In the village: a sports centre with football pitches and tennis courts, an indoor pool and a heated outdoor pool, riding stables and a kids’ mountain-bike practice area. At Lake Verney you can fish from late June to mid-October with a permit.

The two resorts are 15 km apart, and in recent winters a free bus linked them, stopping at the Pré-Saint-Didier spa and the Skyway. La Thuile has more kilometres of runs, a cheaper day pass (61 euros against 75) and the link into France: the choice for families and mileage skiers. Courmayeur has Mont Blanc, freeride and livelier evenings. In summer La Thuile is quieter, with lakes and waterfalls; Courmayeur has Val Veny, Val Ferret and the cable car.

• Pré-Saint-Didier (about 10 km): the spa with outdoor pools and the gorge with its panoramic walkway.
• Courmayeur (about 15 km): Via Roma, the Alpine Museum and the Skyway towards Mont Blanc.
• La Rosière and Bourg-Saint-Maurice (about 21 and 44 km, only when the pass is open): Savoie and the Tarentaise valley beyond the Little St Bernard.
• Morgex and La Salle (about 15–20 km): the Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle vineyards and the Lenteney waterfall.
• Aosta (about 40 km): the Roman theatre, the Porta Pretoria and the Arch of Augustus.
• Chamonix (about 37 km through the Mont Blanc Tunnel): the Aiguille du Midi and the Mer de Glace.
• Breuil-Cervinia (about 95 km): the Matterhorn and high-altitude skiing.

La Thuile is small: first decide whether you want to be closer to the lifts or to the village centre.

• Near the lift base: for skiers out every day and for families. Residences and larger apartments, almost ski-in. The most sought-after area in winter.
• Village centre: everything on foot, restaurants and shops included, and handy if you arrive by bus. Hotels, B&Bs and apartments.
• Hamlets on the pass road and towards La Joux: for summer hikers who want peace and quiet. Stone houses and chalets to rent; you need a car or the shuttle.
• Pré-Saint-Didier (10 km): for evenings at the spa and generally lower prices. When the free winter bus is running, you can reach the lifts without a car.

Christmas, New Year, February and the week around 15 August book up early. Early December and March are usually cheaper.

By car

Take the A5 motorway Turin–Aosta to the Morgex exit, then the SS26 to Pré-Saint-Didier and up to La Thuile, about 15 km from the exit. From Turin it is about 155 km (around 2 hours 15), from Milan about 225 km (3 hours). From France in winter the only way in is the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which is tolled: prices and closures on the tunnel website. In summer you can also cross the Little St Bernard from Bourg-Saint-Maurice (about 44 km); dates on the Anas website. In winter carry snow tyres or chains.

By train

La Thuile has no station, and the Aosta – Pré-Saint-Didier line has been suspended since 2015. The nearest working station is Aosta. Until 13 December 2026 the Ivrea–Aosta section is served by replacement buses during electrification works: check Trenitalia. On the French side the nearest station is Bourg-Saint-Maurice, useful only in summer when the pass is open.

By bus

From Aosta take the Arriva bus towards Courmayeur, get off at Pré-Saint-Didier and change for La Thuile (about 16 minutes). Allow more than an hour including the change. In recent winters a free local shuttle linked the hamlets and the lifts, and the free WinterBus ran to Courmayeur. Timetables on Arriva Valle d’Aosta.

By plane

The nearest airport is Geneva, about 120 km (around 2 hours) through the Mont Blanc Tunnel. Next come Turin Caselle (about 160 km) and Milan Malpensa (about 220 km). From Turin and Malpensa there are buses to Aosta and Courmayeur, then local buses; from Geneva most skiers book a private transfer.

Parking

There are car parks near the lift base and in the centre. On winter Saturdays arrive early. In peak summer, leave the car in the village for the Rutor waterfalls and take the shuttle to La Joux.

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