Visitor reviews for Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche

• February 23, 2008
  ruby walker from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  WOW!!! This is absolutely brilliant. I came here with my mum and dad and we love it! We are here 4 the whole season because we love it soooooo much. I haven't been over 2 Switzerland yet, but everyone is saying that the view is better from the other side. I'm not a skier, I'm a good snowboarder and I'm loving it. Ciao, ciao, bye for now.
  xxx

• February 19, 2008
  Richard cole from ITALY
  

  Wow, what a great week's skiing in Valtournenche/Cervinia,
  Sunshine everyday, no wind and good snow cover. I booked my group of 17 people into a family run 2 star hotel (the hotel Tersiva in Valtournenche). It is one of the friendliest I have ever stayed in. I chose 1/2 board accommodation. The food was the usual Italian cuisine but it was excellent and plentyful: mornings there was a full buffet breakfast, evening meal was salad plus 3 course menu with extras if anyone was like my 15 stone son-in-law who eats like a horse. Rooms are very comfortable. However, the showers were on the small side in some of the rooms. There was a very comfortable lounge on the 1st floor and the drinks were very reasonable. A courtesy bus takes you to the lifts a 9am and will collect you by arrangement when you have finished skiing. We skied everyday between Valtournench & Cevinia. Enjoyed th 19 km run from Val to Cervina. I went at the mid term - 9th Feb and it only cost us 320 Euros per person. The proprietors name is Fabritzio. I can highly recommend this Hotel. My ski holiday was one of the best I have enjoyed in all my many years of skiing. So make it your next ski holiday, you won't be disappointed espesially if you choose the Hotel Tersiva.
  Richard Cole.

• February 12, 2008
  Jack from CANADA
  

  Stayed at Club Med and had a great time. Perfect weather for 6 days so no problem with winds on top. The runs at Cervinia are great for lessons and the mountains are full of breathtaking views. No powder as the slopes are consistently groomed. Not safe for off-piste due to crevices on the glaciers. You have to plan your day to Zermatt as there is no way back, except up the lift.
  Overall, well worth a visit.

• December 24, 2007
  mike rowlands from AUSTRALIA
  

  Great place for messing around , great snow and ok food and hotels, Cervinia is great for learners and skiers that like to cruise on long slopes. Ok for intermediates and advanced but boarders will soon become bored with scooting or walking as there are huge flat areas!!!
  But you can go over into Zermatt (Swiss) which is great. However, I think that Cervinia is better as the food and hotels, ski passes etc are all a lot cheaper than Zermatt and it doesn't take long to head up and over to Zermatt. I reckon that you can ski/ board everything in a week if you are keen but it would also be great for two weeks.

• March 12, 2007
  Garfield from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just back 04/03-11/03. What a fabulous week's skiing and what a gem of a resort! Very snow sure and everything is no more than 5 minutes walk away. The steps up to the Plan Maison gondola can be a challenge in ski boots but if you want to avoid this, stay at the Hotel Astoria which is just 30m away (but don't expect gourmet food at the hotel)! The Dragon is excellent for apres with live music and big screen for sports (and Guinness!)and the Matterhorn Pizza does great food. Eating on the mountain is pricey (as expected) but try Chalet Etoile between Blues 4&6(stop by in the morning and book a table).
  A few things to note about this resort though because it's not all a bed of roses:
  1) The weather is VERY unpredictable, more so than any other Alpine resort I have visited. The links with Zermatt close frequently and I would recommend buying a local pass and upgrading to the area pass when the lifts are open. Getting stuck in Zermatt will be pricey!!!
  2) The lack of challenging skiing means that the Blues and Reds are plagued by 'speed freaks' who seem to have little regard for anyone else on the mountain and really spoil a wonderful array of cruisy blues and fun reds.
  3) As noted below the chair lifts stop frequently and are painfully SLOW, even the brand new ones, it does seem to take an age to get anywhere. Also the piste grooming isn't the best as, despite the fact that there was tons of snow, the pistes were often hard and icy and didn't look groomed at all, even at first lift! All of this doesn't really mean value for money in one of the most expensive lift passes in the Alps!
  4) You can all but forget the weekends as the car-parks and lower lift queues are packed by 08:30. This was the only time I had to queue all week and it made the pistes even more dangerous.
  I would happily go back to Cervinia now I know what to expect and hope for some more fresh powder as this really does bring out the best in this super resort.

• December 20, 2006
  jorge sousa from PORTUGAL
  

  Just back from Cervinia 08/12-19/12. Great snow, good ski lifts, not many queues, not all the slopes were open or groomed but amazing off-piste. They´ve got good hotels with very competitive prices. The after-ski is not the best and the night life, forget it. The Swiss part, the slopes are better groomed and more challeging and the town of Zermatt with the electric cars and the chalets is unique do not miss it, here the prices are much higher. In conclusion, a place to return.

• April 18, 2006
  Campbell McCaughrain from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Just back from Cervinia 8 - 15 April 2006. The skiing is as good as everyone says but Ski convenience does not exist here. From leaving the village to stepping onto the snow at Plan Maison there are 162 steps to negotiate plus a lot of uphill climbing in ski boots while carrying skis and poles. If you want to go higher there are even more steps to climb. On the slopes you will find every lift will drop you off well below the next one so more climbing. Considering how much the lift company are charging for a lift pass I think they need to do better than this. Looking on the bright side you will come back a lot fitter than you went. With typical Swiss efficiency the sign in the cable car station queue on the Zermatt side said "Waiting time from this point 50 mins and it was indeed exactly 50 mins. The Matterhorn seems to generate its own weather and for 4 days we could see blue sky all around but we were in cloud and falling snow.

• March 27, 2006
  Joy from SWEDEN
  

  We would have loved the opportunity to get over to Switzerland but the bad weather in the beginning of March put a stop to those plans. When the sun doesn't shine in the Alps you get to looking around a bit more than you would normally. Cervinia was probably a pearl in the 1960s and 70s. Unfortunately it's now unkempt and unattractive. Lots of very old lifts that are like park benches and freezing cold when the winds of Cervinia blow, as they often do. It was an unusual event to get on a lift and get to the top without at least 2 stops. The main lift terminals are badly in need of repair, broken and slippy floors, uphill and down dale so that you're bathed in sweat before the day even starts. Lots of rooms up on the mountain-side but very difficult to get transport up there after a restaurant visit in the town. Poor bus services to boot.
  The best things about Cervinia were the friendly resauranteurs and shopkeepers, the good food and reasonable prices. Will we be back? No siree.

• February 23, 2006
  mike from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I am inclined to agree with the previous report wholey, but renters of skis and boots beware ...check the underside of the skis before you take them out of the shop and make sure they have no scrapes or scratches and there is no damage on the boots and agree a price and ask for a copy of the contract. The reason I am reporting this is because we were taken for a ride by the hirer, there are loads of them so shop around (avoid the one on the left after the carpark near the tourist office on the main road into Cervinia.) Above all have a great time.

• February 17, 2006
  Andrew Downes from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  We used Cervinia as a base to ski all over Zermatt and it was awesome! Great scenery, the highest cable car in Europe and generally amazing lift infrastructure. Cervinia itself is a lovely resort but a little quiet for a lads' holiday (which is what we were on), though there is one fantastic night club and several decent bars, the pick of which for us was the Dragon. Restaurants are plentiful but very similar to each other and the traditional dishes are on the pricey side - I would recommend a half board deal for some good value variety of food. Thomson put us up in the 2* Hotel Gorret, which was basic but very friendly - great weather reports and run recommendations from the guy who does breakfast! The worst snow base for many years meant basically only 2 routes down the mountain were open in Cervinia, though each was made up of several runs many kilometres in length with lift points to go back. For the extra few euros the international lift pass was excellent value for money, opening up hundreds of runs and a great snow park on the Swiss side. We ate in Switzerland every day - take Swiss francs for best value, though they will accept euros. The shortest route back to Cervinia was a tiresomely long drag lift, though you can go a longer route via a cable car. The payback was not paying Swiss prices for accommodation. A great find, and a resort I would like to go back to.

• February 01, 2006
  Andrew from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Having skied in Cervinia twice in mid-December I can vouch for its snow certainty, although not all areas were open. The pistes are very well-maintained and as befits a resort with such a big drop, long. The only drawback is the tendency for it to get windy, so much so that everything closes. In December 2003 some of the chairs were open but slowed down due to the wind and frequently stopped - some of the gusts were over 100mph and that was scary stuff. Pretty lairy but part of life's rich pageant; the face-mask I bought for 20 Euros was essential.

  Watch out for the steps coming away into town from the bottom cable car. They are sloped and icy.
  Do get over to Zermatt - it's great skiing and worth it to see the prices you have to pay in Switzerland and laugh. And go up to the glacier on the Klein Matterhorn and ski down onto the Ventina and all the way back to Cervinia. 12+ Km of leg jelly. Then have a couple of drinks at Cafe Whymper.

  Fantastic place.

• December 16, 2005
  Keith (Skimonkey) from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I'm a now a frequent visit to Cervinia. I first visited on a Thomson package a few years ago but now travel independently. Really easy access from Turin or Milan. A great snow-sure resort with the international lift pass covering the fabulous Zermatt. The Hotel Edelweiss in Cervinia offers great value half board deals and the people are really friendly. There's a free ride to the gondola station each day. Excellent for families with Kids Clubs and crêche etc. Recommended.

• December 06, 2005
  G Ritchie from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Great intermediate, cruising resort. Huge amount of skiing, excellent lift system. Virtually guaranteed snow. Went week b4 Christmas, and was really quiet. On some of the pistes we were the only skiers. Hotel Grivola, well placed, 2 star hotel. Basic. Good value at that time of year, but is overpriced in the peak times. Would recommend Cervinia to everyone, especially families.

• October 31, 2005
  Elton from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Stayed at the fantastic Hotel Grande Murailles in Valtournenche 5 mins down the road from Cervinia. Short 4 day break so great spot to get access to Cervinia and Zermatt as it has its own gondola, although for quicker access into Zermatt I recommend getting bus or driving to Cervinia. Slopes are intermediate paradise big cruisers to make the heart sing aswell as some nice steep stuff in Zermatt. Overall great place great food and you can get over to one of the worlds best in Zermatt without Swiss prices.

• February 20, 2005
  DALE from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Skied Cervinia first week in Feb. 2005.Stayed in Hotel Breiul and were more than happy with everything they had to offer.Fantastic central location and not far from main lifts. Rooms very nice and clean although single rooms were a little small, staff wonderful and so friendly. Food also very good and we would certainly stop there again. Skiing in Cervinia was superb for all levels and the widest we have seen,very quiet and hardly ever had to wait to get on lifts.Only got over to Zermatt on our last day due to strong winds that closed the lifts to the top but is certainly worth getting an international pass to go.Overall, had a fantastic week in a great resort, superb slopes on great snow.

• November 09, 2004
  Muhz from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  One of the best kept secrets in the Alps. A small and unpretty town with a vast ski area, particularly suitable for intermediates. So called experts may get a little snooty about the lack of challenging runs (just a few blacks, and some reds are really only worthy of a blue, but the resort is linked to Zermatt which has miles of challenging piste and off piste.

  Stay in Cervinia and ski both sides of the mountain. The food and booze are much better than in zermatt, and the people are superb.