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Two resorts, two countries, one lift pass. La Thuile is vast, quiet and offers skiing for all abilities.
Gentle and long, rolling blues, varied and challenging reds and World Cup standard blacks - La Thuile has more than enough to keep everyone happy.
Being linked with La Rosière in France on the same lift pass, opens up an enormous ski area with plenty of piste to tackle.
Extensive panoramas, glipmses of Mont Blanc, views back to the village and even as far as Bourg St Maurice on the French side!
Although the village is at 1450m, the skiing is predominantly at 2000m and above, peaking at just under 2700m.
La Thuile is a compact village and a lot of the accommodation is just a very short walk to the ski slopes and ski lifts.
For the extent and quality of the skiing, few places can match up La Thuile for value.
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The joint ski area of La Thuile in Italy and La Rosière in France is known as the Espace San Bernado. Legend has it that the pass that runs between the two is the route used by Hannibal and his army of elephants back in Roman times! But rest assured that elephant sightings nowadays are very rare!
The village of La Thuile is largely pedestrianised and the ski slopes run all the way back to the village, meaning much of the accommodation can be considered doorstep. The baby slopes are the lowest part of the ski area, making it easy for beginners to gain confidence before having to tackle chairlifts or cable cars. The higher slopes are reached either via a chairlift or the main cable car, both of which are high capacity and efficient, meaning queues are rare.
You'll find an excellent variation of pistes, from blue to black, alleasily accessible. Pistes are well groomed and clearly marked, allowing for easy navigation in all conditions. The long and gentle blues that roll back to the cable car station are simply superb for beginners, allowing more time spent honing skills than sitting on lifts. For intermediates, La Thuile is something of a red run heaven! For the more adventurous, the world famous black runs that lead back the village must be tackled. They're regularly used for the FIS Women's World Cup and there's a shop in the village that even sells tee shirts to prove your accolade!
The snow conditions are generally excellent due to the height of the resort, the snow-making facilities and the fact that the slopes are north facing.
Skiing over to La Rosière in France is a must! The views are spectacular and the novelty of having one ski in France and one in Italy is defintely a photo opportunity not to be missed.
Resort Height
1450m
Highest Skiing
2650m
Piste Length
160km
No. of Lifts
36
Generally speaking, La Thuile is fairly laid back in the evenings, but there are a few bars around the village. The renowned La Cage Aux Folles is on the livelier side, along with the Buvette which caters a little more for the immediate post-skiing après-ski crowd..
La Thuile's quiet and sleepy nature means there aren't loads of alternative activities away from the slopes. Some of the hotels have their own internal wellness centres which often include swimming pools, saunas or steam rooms. The famous chocolate shop on the bridge is a 'must visit' with their vast choice of hot chocolates and confectionery.
The Lo Riondet experience is worth considering - you're collected on a snowmobile after nightfall and whisked through the forest to the Lo Riondet restaurant, on the mountainside. Here you'll enjoy local wines and food, sitting under the stars and relaxing until late in the evening.
A little outside the village is the QC Thermal Spa in neighbouring Pre St Didier. A range of naturally heated outdoor pools along with a choice of wellness treatments are ready to greet you. This is definitely an indulgent experience that's worth making the effort for.
La Thuile is a compact village, but has a decent choice of places to eat out. For simple pizzas and pasta in a laid back environment, the Grotta and the Coppapan are great choices offering tasty and filling food at very reasonable prices. For something a little more refined, Pepita offers a more formal dining experience with a menu that showcases lots of local produce.
Skiing to France from La Thuile is via linked blue runs and is relatively forgiving. There is a red run back from the Fort area of La Rosiere which can be a little more challenging, and it's necessary to take at least one long drag lift on the return to La Thuile. You must also be aware of the weather conditions as the link can be closed. You must adhere strictly to the final lift times as there are heavy fines for latecomers!
Not in the strictest sense of the term, but several hotels are exceptionally close to the ski lifts and slopes. The Planibel, which is split between hotel and self-catering apartments is the closest being just across the pedestrianised road from the ski area. Closely followed are the Hotel Boton d'Or and Chalet Eden, both very short walks. The Hotel Du Glacier is close to the end of Red 7 and the Hotel Le Miramonti is just five minutes by foot, but they also offer a very efficient shuttle service.
The village itself is relatively small and compact. The Planibel complex, which consists of the Hotel, Self-catering Apartments and shopping area dominates the central part of the village. The other hotels are located more around the edges. The bars and restaurants are dotted neatly around also. One of the great things about La Thuile is that the village is small enough to easily walk around. Don't worry about having to carry ski kit any significant distances.
Yes! The compact nature of La Thuile village is safe and quiet with a relatively low level of traffic. The ski area has some really long and gentle blue runs, which are perfect for younger skiers to hone their skills and gain confidence. There are a number of hotels that have pools and wellness facilities, which are great for keeping kids entertained away from the slopes.
Really good! Although it's impossible to predict the weather, La Thuile's got a great track record when it comes to snowfall. It has something of a micro climate and its North facing slopes keep snow often as late as July. Late season snow is generally reliable and most of the skiing is above 2200m.
February will always be the most popular time to ski in La Thuile (or anywhere in Europe!) but the season in La Thuile is long and reliable. Decent snowfalls are common from November and the slopes are normally open from December onwards. Late season rarely disappoints and although the snow can get slushy, you'll normally find really good coverage with the majority of pistes still open up to mid-April.
La Thuile is in Italy's Aosta Valley, the smallest region in the country. Italian and French are the official languages of the region, but Italian is more predominantly used. If you ski ski across to La Rosiere then of course expect French to be more commonly used.
Italy and France are both on Central European Time which is always 1hr ahead of the UK.
La Thuile can be reached relatively easy by car from the UK with the journey from Calais taking around 9-10hrs. There is a toll to travel through the Mont Blanc tunnel and be aware that there can be queues during busier periods.
Please note that during the winter months it is obligatory to either have winter tyres fitted or carry snow chains in your vehicle. If this is something you are considering, please note that we can arrange ferry crossings as part of your package.
For further information about driving in France, please visit https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/country/france/.
For further information about driving in Italy, please visit https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/travel/country/italy/.
British citizens don't need a visa to travel to Italy but you will need to carefully check the issue and expiry dates on your passport. The issue date must be less than 10 years before the date you arrive and you must have a minimum of 3 months left on your passport, based on the day after you travel home.
For up to date information regarding passports and entry requirements forItaly, please visit https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements.
If you book a ski holiday with us, it is a requirement that you have travel insurance in place, from a reputable provider, that includes winter sports as part of your policy. Suitable policies are available from most travel insurers.
For the latest information regarding general travel advice about Italy, please visit https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy.
The most accessible airports for La Thuile are Turin, Geneva and Milan Malpensa. Geneva airport takes around 1.5-2hrs to reach La Thuile. Please be aware however that ongoing refurbishment works to the Mont Blanc tunnel can somedtimes cause delays. Turin airport is a similar distance and transfers typically take 1.5-2hrs also. Milan Malpensa is slightly further with transfers taking around 2-2.5hrs.
Flights from the Southern parts of the UK typically take around 1hr 45mins to Geneva and Turin and about 2hrs 30mins to Milan Malpensa.
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