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La Thuile: Skiing in Aosta Valley

La Thuile is one of the ski resorts in the Aosta Valley. Much less known than the famous Courmayeur and Cervinia, but with a respectable ski area, it is a resort appreciated by those who prefer quieter places. Its slogan is "La Thuile - the wild side of Mont Blanc".

How to Get to La Thuile?

La Thuile is located in the upper part of the Aosta Valley region (an area called Valdigne), at at a distance of 40 km from the city of Aosta.

To get there, it is recommended to rent a car from the airport where you land. The nearest ones are Turin Airport and the Milan airports.

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Without a car, you will need to take a bus to the city of Aosta (you can find more information in our article about transport in the Aosta Valley), where you will change for Courmayeur, getting off at Pré-Saint-Didier. From there, you will take the bus to La Thuile. During the winter, the "Winterbus" operated by the Arriva company - which connects Courmayeur to La Thuile via Pré-Saint-Didier - is free of charge.

Train travel is the least recommended option because, just to reach Aosta, you would have to change at least two trains, followed by several buses.

The Ski Area

The ski area is called Espace San Bernardo and includes the slopes on the Italian side in La Thuile and those on the French side in La Rosière. The maximum altitude from which you can ski is approximately 2,800 m, in the Mont Valaisan area.

The entire ski area has 82 slopes (33 blue, 35 red, and 14 black), totaling 152 km.

Among the most famous ski runs are the San Bernardo slope (no. 7) - a panoramic 11 km trail that winds through forests and past World War II-era mountain shelters - the Franco Berthod slope (no. 3), featuring a 73% incline that has hosted various competitions, and slope no. 25, which stretches from Belvedere to the Forclaz Express chairlift.

The ski area features two snowparks: one on the Italian side near slope no. 36, and another on the French side near the La Poletta chairlift, which is also the location of the ski school.

There are also trails in the resort for cross-country skiing enthusiasts.

You can download the Espace San Bernardo ski map from LaThuile.it.

Ski Lifts

There are 38 ski lifts:

• 1 gondola
• 20 chairlifts
• 12 ski lifts
• 5 conveyor belts

Access to the ski slopes is provided by the Les Suches gondola and the nearby Bosco Express chairlift.

During the winter, there is a free shuttle bus that runs through La Thuile, stopping at several points and reaching the cable car station.

Ski pass prices 2025-2026

The company managing the cable transport facilities is Funivie Piccolo San Bernardo S.p.a.

The ski season runs from November 29, 2025, to April 12, 2026. The connection to France is scheduled to open starting December 13, depending on weather conditions.

The skipass is loaded onto a key card, which costs €2.

Third-party liability insurance is mandatory and costs €3.5 per adult/ day, or €1.5 per child under 8 years/ day. The insurance is linked to the skipass and is only valid if medical teams are requested and intervene directly on the slopes.

According to the latest regulations, wearing a helmet is mandatory for everyone, regardless of age.

Children under 8 years old (born after October 31, 2017) receive a free skipass of the same type as one purchased by an adult (over 16 years old). Otherwise, they are eligible for a 75% discount off the rates listed in the table.

Junior = child under 16 (born after October 31, 2009)

Young = person between 16 and 24 (born after October 31, 2001)

Senior = person over 65 (born before May 31, 1961)

Discounts are granted only upon presentation of a valid ID.

Morning = until 12:30 PM

Afternoon = after 12:30 PM

The La Thuile skipass can be purchased online (often featuring discounts compared to the standard rates listed in the table).

Those who have purchased a ski pass for several consecutive days are entitled to ski in other ski areas in the Aosta Valley (including La Rosière and Alagna, but excluding Zermatt), as follows:

• 3-5 day skipass: you can ski one of the days in another resort in the Aosta Valley
• 6-10 day skipass: you can ski two of the days in other resorts in the Aosta Valley
• 11-21 day skipass: you can ski three of the days in other resorts in the Aosta Valley

What to Do in La Thuile?

Located at an altitude of 1,400-1,500 m, the town of La Thuile is divided into 11 hamlets (frazioni): Buic (1,531 m), Thovex (1,520 m), Moulin (1,495 m), Bathieu (1,460 m), Capoluogo (1,441 m), G. Golette (1,500 m), P. Golette (1,485 m), Entrèves (1,460 m), Pera Carà (1,480 m), Villaret (1,485 m), and Arly (1,470 m). It is frequented by tourists both during the winter for skiing, and during the summer for hiking, mountain biking (on high-altitude trails), or simply for relaxing in an authentic mountain setting.

At the entrance from Pré-Saint-Didier, you will find a Tourist Information Office.

The name of the town La Thuile originates from the Latin term tegula, which translates to "tile". While strolling through the village, you can still see many traditional houses today, built from stone and covered with tile roofs.

In the center stands the town's main church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas. The church was built in the 15th century on the site of an older one and was later rebuilt in the 18th century after being devastated by French troops passing through the area. The interior paintings are more recent, dating from 1945-1946; they were commissioned by the residents of La Thuile to thank God for the protection granted during World War II.

The town's festival, which takes place every year on May 9, is dedicated to Saint Nicholas himself.

Near the center, you can visit the Maison Berton Museum. The house was built in 1975 by Louis Berton as a place to enjoy his retirement and to host the collection of craft objects belonging to his brother, Robert.

In the 1990s, the house was donated to the Town Hall, which transformed it into a museum. The rooms preserve the original furniture and local craft objects collected by the former owners.

During the winter, the museum is open only on weekends, while during the summer and holidays, it is open every day.

Don't miss a stop at the Chocolat Collomb pastry shop, owned by master chocolatier Stefano Collomb, located near the Berton Museum, by the bridge. Chocolat is a historic establishment, managed for over 40 years by the Collomb family, and its products have been awarded multiple times at various fairs and exhibitions in Italy.

Among its specialties is the Tometta chocolate of La Thuile, whose name and shape are reminiscent of a cheese produced in the Alpine regions. It is a 350g chocolate made with milk, gianduja cream, and Piedmont hazelnuts - the very treat that earned La Thuile the title of "City of Chocolate".

Be sure to also try the hot chocolate, the forest fruit tarts, or the apple tart - one of the traditional desserts of the Aosta Valley (see also the article What to Eat in Valle d'Aosta).

If you take a walk through La Thuile, in the hamlets of Villaret and Pera Carà, you will discover many abandoned mines and mining equipment. In the last half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, La Thuile developed as a mining town. The extraction of lead and anthracite generated significant income for the residents.

In winter, you can take a light hike of about an hour from Pera Carà (1,480 m) to La Cretaz (1,736 m). In the summer, among the numerous hiking trails available, the most popular route leads to the Rutor River waterfalls, which originate from the glacier of the same name.

If you want to enjoy the high-altitude mountain scenery, you can take the Les Suches gondola up to approximately 2,200 m.

Those who wish to relax can do so at the Montana Lodge, Re delle Alpi, Planibel, and Le Miramonti hotels, which feature SPA centers available (for a fee) to non-guests as well.

Just 9km from La Thuile lies the town of Pré-Saint-Didier, renowned for its thermal spa center, as well as for the Orrido (a gorge that can be admired from a panoramic walkway), near which you will find the Mont Blanc Adventure Park.

A little further, 18 km from La Thuile, you will find the spectacular Skyway cable car. Another 15km further is the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which provides a quick route into France, to Chamonix.

Where to Stay in La Thuile?

Even though it does not have many inhabitants, La Thuile covers a fairly large area and offers plenty of accommodation options - both hotels and apartments.

We highly recommend, first and foremost, B&B Le Thovex, where we have already stayed twice (and would definitely return). It is a cozy little guesthouse with only six rooms, featuring attentive owners and excellent service.

The guesthouse is tastefully decorated with high-quality materials, where wood is the predominant element, offering you a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

On the ground floor, there is a beautiful lounge where you can spend time reading or chatting with friends, with tea available throughout the day.

Breakfast is included in the accommodation rate and offers, in addition to the classic Italian breakfast (coffee and sweet pastries, with an emphasis on local products), homemade yogurt (made by the owners themselves), boiled eggs, and some cold cuts and cheeses.

The free shuttle bus station is located right next to the guesthouse, but the owner often drives tourists to the slopes himself in his personal car.

One thing you should know: Le Thovex is situated at the top of a hill, so if you want to walk to the restaurants in the center, be prepared for a bit of exercise. The walk from the center back to the guesthouse takes about 15 minutes.

For those who wish to stay right at the foot of the slopes, Hotel Planibel (along with Residence Planibel and Planibel Apartments) is available and also features a SPA center.

Other hotels with SPA facilities include Montana Lodge, Re delle Alpi, Le Miramonti (a historic hotel located right on the banks of the Dora di Verney river, which flows through La Thuile), and Chateau Blanc.

A nice apartment is Les Chemines, located near the center in the hamlet of Moulin.

You can also search for apartment accommodation on the Vrbo website.