Aosta valley in the summer??
Discussion
Anyone been and/or got recommendations? Fancy somewhere a bit different for our second week this summer (first week is in Grand-Bornand in the French Alps...) and just had a lovely week skiing in Valtournenche. Would go to the Dolomites but it adds significantly to travel time. Love cycling, swimming, walking, climbing.
Unless you have an issue with the extra driving, I think it would be worth putting in a day to get over to the Dolomites for the second week. They are stunning and have some amazing walks and via ferreta, if you are feeling adventurous, along with some very cool historical sites from WW1.
We're looking at Aosta because travel was the kids' main grumble about our trip to the Pyrenees last year. Although we (all the wife's fault obvs 
) didn't plan the travel well, and just picked a few places to visit which turned out to be nowhere near the motorway network.
Getting to the Dolomites from the French Alps is a pain, and getting out to go home isn't quick either.
ETA we had a week based in Cortina a few years ago so well aware of how epic the Dolomites are.
) didn't plan the travel well, and just picked a few places to visit which turned out to be nowhere near the motorway network.Getting to the Dolomites from the French Alps is a pain, and getting out to go home isn't quick either.
ETA we had a week based in Cortina a few years ago so well aware of how epic the Dolomites are.
Edited by Bill on Friday 2nd May 19:25
Amazing valley. Check out all the offshot valleys EG: Valgrisenche, Valsavareche, Cogne is amazing too.
Courmayeur is cool little town and Aosta itself is great with a lift straight to Pila for biking/hiking.
I live just over the border so pop over a lot in summer when the col road is open.
Courmayeur is cool little town and Aosta itself is great with a lift straight to Pila for biking/hiking.
I live just over the border so pop over a lot in summer when the col road is open.
Thanks, it looks like it should be great but good to have it confirmed! We had an extra day skiing so took the lift to Pila and had a great day doing rolling, twisting treelined runs. Bodes well for the mountain biking. I wasn't sure whether to stay in Aosta though, the drive in to the lift was very industrial and really not pretty.
ETA we want to be in a town so the kids (teens) can go and explore on their own, and want to be in the main valley for ease of getting everywhere, so what would be your pick??
ETA we want to be in a town so the kids (teens) can go and explore on their own, and want to be in the main valley for ease of getting everywhere, so what would be your pick??
Edited by Bill on Sunday 4th May 08:16
Still thinking about this? Just back from my second trip to Aosta for the mountain biking but thinking about going back next summer to the area with the wife and kids as its absolutely stunning.
Get one of the best things out the way first - lack of Brits. Seems to be mainly Swiss visitors as its just a short hop over (or under!) the border. Only British cars I saw this year were a couple of bikers in vans up the Val Du Ferret and 8 or 9 Porsches which must have been in some kind of convoy.
Pila lift is basically in the middle of town near the station so dead easy to get to if you stay central - the two hotels I've stayed in are decent... Omama Social hotel just now had decent rooms and a cracking breakfast. Hotel HB the year before was nearly as good - a lot smaller and if anything slightly better placed for the town centre but the Omama was literally a 2 minute walk up an alleyway to the main street.
Up in the hills - few restaurants etc in Pila at the top of the first lift. The only other lift open last week was the Chamole gondola and theres nothing (at the minute!) at the top of there. Short walk up to Lago Chamole though which is absolutely stunning. Loads and loads and loads of walking trails in the area with epic scenery. If you want to try some mountain biking there is hire at Pila and loads of trails from the blue flow trail right through to the downhill and freeride trails within the bike park and the even better back-country stuff as you ride away from the park itself. Can give you directions to the best bits accessible via the lifts if you want...
Food - epic. No shortage of restaurants but highlights... Bataclan (pizza), Il Dente (classic Italian pasta/meat etc) and La Grenette (steak).
2 hours from Geneva through the tunnel and similar to Milan/Turin so pretty well located for day trips to see other stuff.
Get one of the best things out the way first - lack of Brits. Seems to be mainly Swiss visitors as its just a short hop over (or under!) the border. Only British cars I saw this year were a couple of bikers in vans up the Val Du Ferret and 8 or 9 Porsches which must have been in some kind of convoy.
Pila lift is basically in the middle of town near the station so dead easy to get to if you stay central - the two hotels I've stayed in are decent... Omama Social hotel just now had decent rooms and a cracking breakfast. Hotel HB the year before was nearly as good - a lot smaller and if anything slightly better placed for the town centre but the Omama was literally a 2 minute walk up an alleyway to the main street.
Up in the hills - few restaurants etc in Pila at the top of the first lift. The only other lift open last week was the Chamole gondola and theres nothing (at the minute!) at the top of there. Short walk up to Lago Chamole though which is absolutely stunning. Loads and loads and loads of walking trails in the area with epic scenery. If you want to try some mountain biking there is hire at Pila and loads of trails from the blue flow trail right through to the downhill and freeride trails within the bike park and the even better back-country stuff as you ride away from the park itself. Can give you directions to the best bits accessible via the lifts if you want...
Food - epic. No shortage of restaurants but highlights... Bataclan (pizza), Il Dente (classic Italian pasta/meat etc) and La Grenette (steak).
2 hours from Geneva through the tunnel and similar to Milan/Turin so pretty well located for day trips to see other stuff.
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