Visitor reviews for Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche Ski Resort

• February 06, 2017
  Lewis from United Kingdom
  

  A huge disappointment due to high winds nearly every day. I went to Cervinia with the intention to ski into Zermatt for at least three days, but I barely even saw Cervinia from Valtournenche over the six days I was there. The snow, just after new year, was only down to 2000 meters and I was forced to ski down a boring red run with green grass and brown shrubs again and again. It got so bad that I even took a day off as saving the lift pass money was better than skiing.

  Of course, you could be lucky and get day after day of blue sky and light winds. But the risk of bad weather, in my opinion, is too high. Even then there is little to interest the advanced skier compared with Argentiere, Chamonix, or the stable weather you can find in Austria. I've pretty much given up with skiing in Italy, but I'll stick to cycle touring in the summer.

• Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche Ratings

  Overall: 3.9. Based on 14 votes and 26 reviews. Vote

  Access: 3.3 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche.	Public Transport: 3.1 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 4.1 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 4.7 (1) No places to stay in/near Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 3.7 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 4.1 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche.
  Ski in/Ski out: 4.5 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 3.9 (1) There are no child care facilities at Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 4.7 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 4.2 (1) Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 4.7 (1) There are no snow groomers at Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche are groomed daily.	Shelter: 2.4 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 3.3 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 4.5 (1) Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 4.3 (1) The staff at Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 4.1 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 4.2 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 4.4 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 4.2 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 4.4 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 4.7 (1) No intermediate terrain at Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 3.3 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 3.6 (1) Not even a kicker at Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 3.9 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 3.2 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 1.6 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 4.5 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 4.5 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 3.8 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 3.1 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 2.7 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 3.9 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 3.7 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 4.0 (1) Overall, Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 4.3 (1) Overall, Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Show all 35 ratings

• March 13, 2016
  James from United Kingdom
  

  Visited for a long weekend just before Christmas when there was almost no snow anywhere.

  Worth a shout out because of the snow cannon and high altitude. The resort was open and we were able to ski every day. It doesn't have 100% snow cannon coverage but enough to keep the resort open.

  It was freaky skiing down a strip of snow with grass/mud off to the side, but the quality of the snow on the ground really was good. It wasn't icy as you can sometimes get from over skied cannon snow.

  Really enjoy staying in Italy. Good food and wine at a decent price, especially when compared to Switzerland or France.

• December 12, 2014
  Pedro from United Kingdom
  

  We have been going to Cervinia, in December, for the past 5-6 years. The village is not the most charming, but it is nice, the food is great and the accommodation good. We like the fact that they are extremely 'kids friendly' and that there are many large and long runs. The weather, however, changes very quickly and when it is windy and/or there is a snow storm it is usually so bad they close the resort. But that is the compromise between being high and always having snow - you get the worse of the storm. Overall, we love it and will keep coming back. When the weather is nice it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

• February 14, 2012
  Collette from United Kingdom
  

  Went to Cervina 27th Jan 2012 for a week and can honestly say the conditions were awesome. No wind, light snow in the day which didn't stop us from going up which continued through the night, which meant fresh powder the next morning. That day was quiet on the slopes we had a full 4 runs all to ourselves, some off piste areas too, so much fun. I'm a boarder and so are the people who went with me. The terrain is great for all levels and will encourage the less confident of boarders/skiiers to travel a little faster as there are some flats in some areas. There is a great link over to Zermat but make sure you set off early to have a good day over there. We stayed in an all-inclusive hotel 50m from the gondola so we could practically board right back to the hotel at the end of the day. We went out a few times for drinks. The Dragon is a great pub set right in the town and at the base of the slopes and the Grivola Restaurant does a lovely steak and beautiful desserts we only paid about 50 euros for 3 courses and some wine, water etc, but you do need to book a table. Overall we all had a great time, and would come back again, the off piste sections are way too good and you can practically stay close to the slope so being new to off piste was welcome, I could go in and out as I pleased.

• January 25, 2012
  Jo P from United Kingdom
  

  Just returned from a week's skiing in Cervinia. We did, unfortunately, experience the high winds of this area. Friday wind and visibility made conditions poor so this was a short days skiing. Saturday no lifts were open in the area at all until lunchtime then one chairlift was opened that gave access to one blue and one red run. Even this lift kept stopping because of high winds. We did also have the most terrifying experience of being stuck on the old 3 man chair in the Valtournenche area in extremely high winds. Lift was shut by the time we got off but it is an experience I, and the rest of my party would never wish to repeat or for others to experience. I would advise, especially on older lifts, not to trust that because the resort are still running it, it will be ok to get on. Once we were off we went straight back to the hotel and had a large brandy which I don't even like!! Great to ski over to Zermatt, have lunch and come back to Italy! We did have 4 lovely days of great snow conditions and sun. Changing weather conditions are to be expected if skiing.

• December 23, 2011
  Andrew Crump from United Kingdom
  

  December 12 - 19th 2011

  My 8th time boarding and 8th resort and I would have to say I will be going back there without a shadow of doubt. It's a most fantastic resort especially for boarders and the best I have been to. The snow was just out of this world. It was amazing when we got there considering most of Europe had none and we had around 7 foot fall in 1 day and 3 meters of fresh snow at the top!

  The food and drink wasn't too cheep but I have certainly paid more else where. The mountain restaurants were very nice and there were lots of them. The resort restaurants were also very nice and there were plenty of bars to drink in after a hard day on the slopes!

  We stayed in the Hotel Sertorelli 4* Crystal finest and over all would highly recommend this hotel, it's has an amazing spa on the 6th floor overlooking the mountains.

  Last thing I would say is can't wait until March as will be going back for sure and look forward to red 7 which is around 14km long!!

• January 06, 2011
  Guy Pocock from United Kingdom
  

  We visited Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche from 27th December to 2nd January 2011 and had a fantastic time. We benefited from superb weather with bright blue skies and hardly a breath of wind all week (we were reminded however that for the time of year "we were very lucky!")

  We booked the self-catering accommodation through Franchesca at agenzia.il.cervinia@libero.it. They were very helpful and did all they could to make the week superb. Their office is based right in the middle of the resort, open from 9am until 7.30pm, so if you have any problems they are on hand to resolve them! I really cannot recommend them highly enough.

  The ski resort benefits from skiing in Switzerland (Zermatt) and Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche (Italy) all accessed from the same lift system. The lift pass is pricy (194 euros) for 6 days on the Italian slopes or 252 euros for the opportunity to ski in both Switzerland and Italy for 6 days. We bought the Italian 6 day pass then bought a one day "ski-pass extension" for 30 euros to use in Switzerland for a day. Surprisingly, we managed to ski in three separate mountain areas on the same day in Switzerland, so it was well worth the effort. The resort suits beginners & intermediate skiers - there are a few Black runs, but advanced "dare-devils" may struggle to find too many challenges?

  The food and drink in the resort and on the slopes is expensive, but the fantastic skiing makes up for it! Also if you go self-catering there is a well stocked supermarket right in the centre of the town.

  Overall, I would whole-heartedly recommend Breil-Cervinia Valtournenche, I just hope you get good weather, which makes the resort a beautiful, magical place.

• April 16, 2009
  Steve from United Kingdom
  

  I've been to Cervinia (Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche) three times, and the main reasons for returning are the guaranteed snow and the great blue and red runs. There are also a couple of new lifts which have improved things recently, reducing the bottlenecks from the resort up the mountain. There are still a few of the old, slow, orange chair lifts higher up, however, it looks like at least one more new lift is due by end of 09. Snow is guaranteed, but the height of the resort means cloud, extreme cold, wind and low visibility are frequent visitors. Fresh snow can get hard and icy pretty quickly in the winter months, so you have to enjoy it while it's there, but it will stick around forever. The high altitude means that the resort (Cervinia - Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche) generally stays open until early May, and the spring skiing can be fantastic, with less cloud and wind than the winter months, and warmer too. There are a few good bars in the resort, and a reasonable club, but not the liveliest resort ever. We booked for 3 nights directly with the Hotel Grivola, which was comfortable and comparably cheap. I will be back.

• February 14, 2009
  Duncan from United Kingdom
  

  A great week in Cervinia (Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche), although, dare I say it, too much snow. The skiing from Cervinia is a little limited for anyone looking for a challenge, but go over to Valtourneche and it gets much more taxing. The run from the top, Plan rosa, is awesome and maybe the best ski run I have ever done.
  Apres-ski was good; we generally used the Dragon that has live music. Nightlife again was good with some lively places. Food was good wherever we went at Cervinia (Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche). All in all, the trip was great. Be aware of the prices though: £5 a pint.

• January 18, 2009
  Pekka Nikunen from Finland
  

  Just back from Cervinia (Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche). Spent splendid skiing holiday 10 - 18.1.2009 there. Four people from 10 to 60 years. All were skiing 6 to 7 hours every day. Weather was full of sunshine from the bright sky the whole week. Occasionally light wind. Temperature just perfect for skiing. Slopes were in unbelievably good condition. No queues to the lifts. Great experience to visit Zermatt. Three areas to ski. Matterhorn is a good landmark and is to be seen almost everywhere. Slope validation was enough for all skiers - from beginners to alpine cannons. Food in the restaurants was good. People were friendly. Price level was reasonable. What else can you wish any more? (We´'ll be back.)