Courmayeur is one of the most traditionally beautiful of all the Aosta Valley’s resorts, an historic town built around two ancient stone churches, and a lamp-lit pedestrianised centre. Expect chalets, nice bars and boutiques, and numerous restaurants. As you can probably imagine, our recommendations for the best places to stay in Courmayeur includes a number of traditional alpine chalets, as well as some more recently built hotels and ski resorts.

Courmayeur has a reputation as the best all round Italian ski resort, which experts tend to interpret as meaning the best balance of ski runs, piste, alpine views, après ski, style, facilities and potential for adventure. It’s a lot of pressure, but Courmayeur delivers. For skiers there's a super range of slopes: 41kms of piste and 100kms off piste. And for other winter sports-folks, Courmayeur has some great cross country skiing options, some of which become walking or mountain biking trails in the summer months. Plus there's the new Skyway Monte Bianco cable car, which offers some of the best views of the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa along its route.

When you’re not on the mountain there plenty to do too: boutiques, fantastic museums, historic sights, there’s ample to fill a day until après ski time. The town even has a botanical gardens, the highest in Europe, and extremely impressive. Courmayeur is ideal for foodies too, Heston Blumenthal comes most years to host the Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience. Some Italians don’t even come to ski, so even if the resort looks busy the slopes might not be.

Courmayeur sounds romantic, and it definitely is, but this resort also attracts plenty of families, and we have recommendations for both couples and families on our list of the best places to stay in Courmayeur. But as with all popular ski resorts, it's a very popular spot during peak season. So if you're planning to visit for Christmas, New Year or February Half Term, get organised and book well ahead.

The Best Places to Stay in Courmayeur

For the Views

• The Mont Blanc Hotel Village is in an incredible spot just outside town, overlooked by mountains on all sides, including Mont Blanc. This is a traditional chalet, with an elegantly slanting roof and stone walls. The interiors are traditional too, with the sort of fireplaces usually seen in medieval manor houses, tiled floors, beamed ceilings, and small murals. All of the 40 rooms and suites have incredible views too — and some are big enough for families. Outside are gardens that help stock the restaurant, a heated pool and hot tubs. Inside there’s a spa and small gym.
• The Auberge de la Maison looks every bit the classic image of a ski chalet, complete with a triangle for a roof, many chimneys, plenty of stone, and wooden balconies in neat rows. Its interiors are just as magically traditional, with wood-clad walls, furs, ceramic stoves, and chocolate box mountain views, with Mont Blanc front and centre.

For Traditional Alpine Charm

• If you're looking for a traditional ski chalet, one with great fur rugs, exposed beams and giant roaring fires, try Au Coeur des Neiges. Accommodation here is spilt between a large chalet, with rooms and suites, and several small private chalets —perfect for families as they are like home from home. The spa and restaurant both have excellent reputations and you're only two minutes from the cable car.
• The Locanda la Brenva is a charming, ten room chalet and restaurant, known for its excellent, regional cuisine. Its rooms and suites are all individually decorated, with traditional alpine style and romantic touches — some suites are ideal for families. Its location, just a short walk from the Veny cable car, and the Mont Blanc cable car, is ideal for skiers, but it’s also an excellent spot for alpine activities of all kinds.

For Skiers

• The Hotel Cresta et Duc is a great choice for skiers, with a great value room rate, simple, unfussy decor, light, airy rooms with wonderful views from private balconies, and it’s just 200 metres from the cable car. The restaurant serves skier-sized portions of hearty mountain food!

For Romantics

• QC Terme Monte Bianco is a chic chalet in a scenic mountain clearing, offering views of Mont Blanc to the guests staying in its 57 rooms and suites. Here the alpine decor has been softened so that it has a more Scandinavian, contemporary edge, which complements the beautiful new spa and pool. The hotel has two restaurants and is surrounded by gardens.
• Villa Novecento is an elegant hotel, with refined, classic interiors from the traditional dining room, through the 26 rooms and suites with their private balconies, to the candlelit spa and hot tub. Our Gurus recommend the rooms with their own wood burning stoves.

For Great Value

• The Bouton d'Or is our Guru’s affordable pick in Courmayeur. It's a cute chalet hotel with 35 rooms and suites in an excellent range of shapes and sizes, ideal for accommodating families or groups. The decor offers alpine simplicity, with useful bonus features like a shuttle to the Dolonne piste, a spa and sauna, private balconies or gardens for each room, and a generous breakfast spread.

For a Private apartment or villa

• If you’re looking for a self-catering option browse through the wide variety available online with our partner, Booking.com.

Travel Information

• There are lots of ways into the Aosta Valley, depending on where you’re starting out from, but the closest airports to Courmayeur are: Geneva Airport, which is about an hour and a half drive; Turin Airport, which is about an hour and a half away by road; Milan Malpensa, which is about two hours away by car. If you’re travelling by train, you will probably arrive via Geneva, Turin or Basel. But there are plenty of options overland.
• If you want to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner, Rentalcars.
• If you’re coming to ski, the ski season runs between mid December until mid April. The rule usually holds that the higher up resorts are the most snow sure, but check with the hotel you’re planning to stay in for information about early and late skiing. If you’re visiting Courmayeur to hike, or mountain bike, most people plan for the late spring and early summer, to avoid too much snow, while maximising the fresh, alpine beauty.

Still not sure where to stay?

• You could expand your search to include all the best places to stay in the Aosta Valley
• Refine your search by resort, and focus on the best places to stay in La Thuile, big Champoluc, snow sure Cervinia or historic Aosta
• Or you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.