Cervinia ski resort, Italy
About Cervinia
An exceptionally popular ski village in Italy offering stunning views of the Matterhorn, Cervinia village lies at altitude of 2,050 meters, rising up to the dizzying heights of 3,883m if you take the top ski-lift.
Founded at the start of the 19th century (formerly know as ”Breuil”), the name of the resort was changed and comes from ‘Monte Cervino’ perhaps better known as the Matterhorn, which can be seen from the ski village.
How to get there
Travellers have a number of options for getting to the resort – either fly to Turin or Geneva (both are about two hours away by car or transfer-coach), or get there via rail – the nearest rail stop is Chatillon which is around 17 miles away from the Cervinia ski-resort.
Ski Runs & Lift-Passes
A lift-pass for the resort covers over 350 km of ski-pistes (€192 will buy an adult ski-pass for 5 days, which gives full access to all the drag and bubble lifts). The resort offers a number of long, blue runs (for novices) and a number of red runs for intermediates – making it a good choice for a family ski holiday where abilities will most likely be mixed.
Non-ski activities
If you’re looking for some real-excitement aside from hitting the pistes to ride your board or skiing, you and your group can to go heli-skiing across the region, to find some untouched powder in hard to reach-locations, and to take advantage of some superb off-piste terrain.
Other in-resort activities include ice-skating, rock-climbing, shopping and of course partying after a hard day on the mountain.
Where to stay in Cervinia
Located in the centre of town, the Hotel des Guides is a top-class (three-star) hotel complete with a lively bar. For those who prefer apartments or chalets ski-chalets and apartments in Cervinia can cost as little as €700 per person (prices via InteractiveResorts).
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Ischgl ski resort, Austria
About Ischgl
Ischgl is nestled in the Austrian Paznau Valley, a stunningly beautiful mountain range close to Innsbruck Airport.
Set at 1400 m , and with skiing or snowboarding possible at heights of 2870 m – the 205 of ski area is renowned world-wide as some of the best terrain a snowboarder or skier could ask for. The resort is highly recommended for snowboarders.
How to get there
By car or transfer bus, the resort is 90 minutes from Innsbruck, or by taxi 30 minutes drive from Landeck if you’ve taken the Bergland Express from Brussels.
Ski runs & ski-pass prices
Skiers and ‘boarders of all abilities are catered for via 152 km of red runs ,27 km of expert black runs and 47 km blue Pistes.
- 238 kilometres pistes
- 515 hectares of piste surface area
- 152 km red,27 km black and 47 km blue pistes
- 1100 snow machines
- Longest piste: 11 km
In the low season (November to late December) expect to pay €42.50 per adult for a 1 day pass, or €27.50 for children. Savings of around 10%-15% can be made by buying a 5 day pass
For skiers and snowboarders
Serviced by a fleet of modern and comfy gondolas, bubble lifts and chairlifts – getting from bottom to top of pistes is no-problem, and queues are minimal due to the huge number of lifts.
All lifts are centrally located for easy access and have middle stations.
Non-ski activities in Ischgl
Ischgl (Photo credit: Leo-setä)
- Hiking and Trekking – Why not Hire a tour guide for an afternoon and hiking equipment to enjoy for a different perspective of the resort , and a break from skiing or ‘boarding.
- Ice Rink – The Ice rink in the resort is exceptionally popular pre-après ski time.
- Horse drawn sleigh rides – Why not indulge in a memorable, fun ride while you tour the Tyrolean snow-fields
How much will it Cost?
A package holiday comprising of 5 days in a fully catered ski chalet in Ischgl, including flights and transfers in April will set you back £549 to £950 (prices via UK ski-holiday company ChaletWorld). If you have kids, make sure to get a family-friendly chalet (some chalets don’t allow children, while others embrace families and have dedicated kids’ clubs and children’s facilities). If a chalet is not to your taste, an apartment may be a good choice (huge money-savings can be made by self-catering) or a ski-hotel is another (more expensive) option.
With the end of the 2012/13 ski-season approaching – there’s plenty of opportunities to pick up some bargains if you shop around or call up ski companies to see what deals and offers they have available. Remember that bigger your group – the bigger the potential savings you can make on what will hopefully be you your dream ski-holiday.
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Author: Niall Tomas – Follow him on Google+