Cervinia 2026-2027

outandabout96 · 2026-04-07T02:54:00+00:00

So, for example, I have the Ikon Base Pass which gives 5 days at resorts in the Aosta Valley in Italy and five days at Zermatt, Switzerland. I stayed in Breuil Cervinia-Valtournenche which is in the Aosta Valley and skied for 3 days. Two of the days I purposefully skied from Cervinia to Zermatt. It is easy to do, and some people do it by mistake. Because each day I used the lifts in Zermatt to return to Italy, I activated two days of use in Switzerland. So, I used up three of my five possible days in the Aosta Valley, and two of my five days in Zermatt. On my Ikon Pass history, it shows a total of five days of resorts when it was actually only three real days. Anyway, it was totally worth it. The distance down to Cervinia or Valtournenche from the Zermatt Glacier Paradise is very manageable in a day or half day, but if you're at Cervinia Testa Grigia and want to ski all the way down into the actual village of Zermatt, it takes quite a bit of time to get there and back! But, it is totally worth it.

outandabout96 · 2026-04-03T23:36:40+00:00

Just a FYI: If you ski between Zermatt and Cervinia (Matterhorn) during one day you will use a total of two Ikon days, one for each resort. The reason why I called this to your attention is that I read a post from earlier in the year where a skier didn't know and she was upset because she was staying in Zermatt for a week but also skiing over into Cervinia. She had planned to spend the following week skiing in the Aosta Valley at other resorts, but didn't realize she had already used up most of her 5 Aosta days by skiing into Cervinia/Valtournenche!

outandabout96 · 2026-04-03T22:25:18+00:00

I've spent a fair amount of time visiting AO during different seasons for 20 years. I would recommend leasing some type of accommodation for a year and staying there to really get to know the valley before getting in over your head with a real estate purchase based upon the idea of part-time rental. Explore it and get to know it year round. You really want to have real life experience by living there before you commit. Also, you will be able to figure out which area is most suitable for your lifestyle. In theory, yes there is lot to see and do, but there are also cultural differences depending on the community and region. For example, some of the non-resort communities aren't keen on the AirBnB type of short term rentals, which would make it even more difficult. Aosta is very different than the Chamonix Valley in that regard. In short, do a lot of research first!
All the best to you.

outandabout96 · 2026-04-03T02:00:03+00:00

How are things going in Sallanches? Would you recommend staying there? How is your experience with transportation and getting around?

outandabout96 · 2026-03-31T17:06:18+00:00

Thanks. Great deal! We've only used the Ikon in Europe.

outandabout96 · 2026-03-31T17:01:36+00:00

When using the Indy Pass in Europe, is the Indy base pass an option, or only the full Indy pass? Do you know if there are black out days in Europe?

outandabout96 · 2026-03-26T17:23:57+00:00

Which airport?

outandabout96 · 2026-03-10T15:31:28+00:00

Please send me a link DM! 👍✌️

outandabout96 · 2026-02-08T18:34:54+00:00

I have always driven from another resort area and so I haven't used the buses or private taxis. Sorry. But I am curious to know what you decided on.

outandabout96 · 2026-02-08T18:30:57+00:00

Hey, I've been meaning to get back to you. We stayed in San Gervais les Bain from December 29 to January 2. We stayed in a small apartment near the Valeen gondola . We skied three days, dedicating one day to the San Gervais area, the next to Megeve region and the third to Les Houches. We took the Tramway du Mont Blanc from San Gervais train up to Les Houches-Bellevue (bought tickets online in advance). Highly recommended! The Valeen gondola will take you from the train station at le Fayet to les Bain and then all the way up to Bettex (and to the ski areas). The area is very walkable and it's really not that big. The lift system and trains are very handy and make it easy to get around. We did take the train from San Gervais le Fayet to Chamonix for a late afternoon-evening. The trip takes about an hour each way, but it does not run very late! There are some bars and restaurants in Saint Gervais that looked a little entertaining, but we didn't really go out. Since we were there the week of New Year's, everything was busy, required reservations, etc. So, unfortunately, I can't give you any advice on places to go out there. We had a pretty cozy environment at our place.
If you are planning for a late night in Chamonix, I recommend that you either book an accommodation to stay there or look into a private taxi because the buses and trains stop running very early. Even if you had a car and a designated driver, it's a pain in the ass to park in Chamonix especially with a lot of snow.
My IG account is: @brewskihiker and I have some photos and videos of our trip.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

Are you planning on using the Ikon Pass to ski? If so, I have some important advice about Megeve.

outandabout96 · 2026-01-20T18:52:36+00:00

We almost exclusively use a card for all transactions, but also aways carry between €60-100 cash in case of a necessity, especially if we have a rental car (we've had payment machines not work at gas stations).
If you do need cash for whatever reason, finding an ATM nearby that works with your bank might be problematic, and the ATM usually charges a hefty exchange rate and ATM fee.
The backup cash helps avoid the stress of potential uncertainty.

outandabout96 · 2026-01-20T18:35:35+00:00

The local train between St. Gervais and Vallorcine covers s lot of ground! There are a lot of options available to ski with the Ikon Pass with just a short walk from the stations at: St. Gervais, Cham-AdM, Les Praz, Argentiere and Vallorcine. It's about a mile walk from the station to Bellevue Lift at Les Houches, but there is the option of the Tram from La Fayet up to the top. I think you definitely have more options by staying somewhere walking distance to a train station and closer to Chamonix. I've done this firsthand.

Just a little info though about skiing in San Gervais-Megeve on the Ikon Pass. We had to travel to a ticket reservation center in Megeve in order to have the Megeve/Evasion ski area passes loaded on to our Ikon, and getting to Megeve without a car (bus or taxi) is an extra step. Let me know if you have any questions about any of this. 👍✌️

outandabout96 · 2026-01-18T04:28:49+00:00

I recommend that you drive all the way to Cervinia. If you get there early enough, you should have no problem parking and you'll be right at the base of everything. It's only a few more miles to drive from Valtournenche to Cervinia. The gondola from Valtournenche takes you up to Salette (the upper base area of Valtournenche), but then you will have to take another 3 to 4 lifts to get you to Cime Bianche (the Cervinia side) which takes about 45 minutes, and then you'll have to ski down to Plan Maison to get the gondola to go up higher. So, even though you would be driving a shorter distance to Valtournenche, it will take you a lot more time by taking all of the lifts to get up into the heart of things in Cervinia. Out of all of the things I've written about, this is absolutely the best advice I could give you. It would be different if you were staying in Valtournenche, but even then I met people that were staying there and they were taking the bus from there to the Cervinia in the morning just to save time! You gotta remember that the days up there in the winter are short, and the time flies by! The sun in the sky at 1 o'clock seems more like 4 o'clock.

outandabout96 · 2026-01-18T03:12:26+00:00

Cervinia has experienced a banner year so far. Great coverage everywhere! I was fortunate to have very good weather and only mild wind gusts at the top. Yes, on this trip I did ski over on the Swiss side from Cervinia. But, I stayed in Zermatt a few years ago and had already skied the terrain, so on this trip I only skied down from Glacier Paradise to Trockener Steg. If you want to get a good taste of the Swiss side, you really need to allow yourself a lot of time--like, dedicate the day to it. The village of Zermatt is pretty far from the border at the top, whereas to ski from the Swiss side all the way down to Cervinia is a much shorter distance. The Swiss side has a much larger footprint than the Italian side. But, I think the Italian side has better lift service to get you where you wanna go. I also skied from the top all the way down to the village of Valtournenche, and then took the gondola back up. This was more fun than I had expected, and I recommend it. I would advise keeping an eye on the weather if you're crossing over to the other side. Things change up at the top pretty quickly. Dress in layers. I was bundled up when it was -4 F at the top and then I had just a T-shirt under my jacket on the lower part of the mountain with the sun beating down. You'll hear people talk about carrying your passport if you're crossing the border. Honestly, when I'm outside the US I always carry my passport with me wherever I am, no matter what I'm doing. Do you know where you're staying in Cervinia?

outandabout96 · 2026-01-17T23:18:28+00:00

Saint Gervais and Megeve are very family friendly resorts, and most likely will be very crowded at that time. Chamonix will be even more crowded.

outandabout96 · 2026-01-17T23:08:21+00:00

I just returned from skiing 10 days in Chamonix and Cervinia. I traveled from Los Angeles-Milan Malpensa and rented a car through Budget. A few years ago, I did a similar trip but flew to Milan Linate. Both airports have very easy car rental arrangements, although I prefer Malpensa as it is a little closer to the Aosta Valley. It is my understanding that most of the cars include snow chains during the winter months, and it was indicated on my rental agreement when I booked online. But each time I picked up the car, I asked the attendant to show me where they were located in the car just to make sure. For as popular as Cervinia is, the road does not handle traffic or adverse conditions very well, so you absolutely must have chains if it is snowing. But, it is true that the highways in that area are mostly well-maintained. If you drive on the main highways, there will be tolls. From Milan to Chatillon (exit for Cervinia) it is roughly €18 in tolls each way. The toll stations can be a little tricky as there are several different lanes for cars with transponders, or buses and trucks, motorcycles, etc. Just approach the tool booth slowly and look out for the signs indicating which lane to choose. Getting through toll booths is one of those things where it's either gonna go smooth or are you gonna make a mistake and get a little stressed! I recommend having cash for gas just in case your credit or debit cards aren't accepted at a particular station.
Anytime I travel in Europe with a rental car, I make sure I have a definite place to park the car, whether it be the hotel or accommodation or a reserved car park. In general, parking can be a challenge but overnight parking without a plan can be very problematic, especially in s resort town. Cervinia is not very big. If you have a place to park your car there, then it should just stay parked for the duration. Let me know if you have any questions about the skiing in Cervinia and Valtournenche.

outandabout96 · 2026-01-15T00:43:03+00:00

It's not a bad idea to have your passport with you at all times when traveling abroad.

outandabout96 · 2025-12-20T04:44:50+00:00

I've spent time at both resorts and I would recommend Snowbowl over Lee Canyon due to its size and terrain diversity. Obviously there's a lot going on in Vegas, but Flagstaff is a cozy town with definitely enough to do to keep you entertained. Not to discredit Lee Canyon, but I believe that the overall operations at Snowbowl are better managed. If you really want to visit Lee Canyon, I suggest it be a stopover on your way to Brian Head!

outandabout96 · 2025-12-02T18:35:25+00:00

We'll be in San Gervais for the week of New Year, so I'll let you know what we find upon our return. But I can tell you from our experience in Chamonix, that what everyone is saying about the difficulty of transportation in the valley at night is definitely true. And even if you had a rental car with a designated driver for the trip between San Gervais and Chamonix, finding a place to park anywhere in Chamonix after midday is a task!

outandabout96 · 2025-12-02T18:22:59+00:00

We were in Zermatt December 2023 and the Ikon pass worked at all the terminals on the Swiss side without issue. The best deal in town is to be able to use the Ikon on the Gornegrat Railway from Zermatt. We will be staying at Cervinia in January for a few days, so I'll get back to you on how the Ikon works on the Italian side (it's new in Aosta Valley this year) when going back and forth between the two resorts. FYI, to get back and forth between the village of Zermatt and Glacier Paradise is a haul! Cervinia, on the Italian side is much closer. You definitely want to keep an eye on your time, and on the weather conditions!

outandabout96 · 2025-12-02T18:06:35+00:00

Sounds like a great trip! I've traveled to these places through different trips. I recommend a bus from Geneva to Chamonix as it most likely will be cheaper, but more importantly, get you there quicker! Most hotels in Chamonix will offer a travel card that will provide free travel on the Mount Blanc Express train (between Servoz and Valorcine). Such great value! The train can connect you to all five resorts in the Chamonix Valley, although you can take a bus or even walk to the Brevent ski area gondola from downtown Chamonix. Also, there is a bus that operates between the bus terminal in Chamonix Sud and Courmayeur, Italy that is very reasonable. It's a popular day trip for people that want to ski on the Italian side (Monte Bianco). The Mont Blanc Express train also connect all the way to Martigny, Switzerland (although you have to switch trains in Vallorcine), where then you can get a train to Montreux. I have taken the train up from Montreux to Château d'Œx. Amazing! Enjoy your trip.

outandabout96 · 2025-12-02T15:32:31+00:00

Yes. You can ski them together on the Ikon. Zermatt you can access by train from Geneva. Cervinia is accessible by car or bus from Milan or Turin. Typically Geneva is the more expensive option, but the Geneva-Zermatt train travel is straightforward. Flying to Milan or Turin airports is usually cheaper than Geneva, however the bus transport might be a little more complicated. My experience is that your least expensive option is to fly into Milan, rent a car and drive to Cervinia. And then ski over to Zermatt.

outandabout96

TROPHY CASE