  Airport
About CerviniaThe Matterhorn, a giant mysterious mountain that has fascinated people for years, and drawn skiers in droves to the challenging slopes of Swiss resort Zermatt. But it also has another worthwhile destination - on the Italian side. Cervinia sits in the stunning Aosta Valley, and as a part of the Breuil-Cervina Valtournenche ski area, has access to 150 km of piste. It is lift-linked to Zermatt, so you can ski over to Switzerland and add an extra 200 km of magical skiing. This is definitely a high-altitude resort, with lifts linking up to 3, 899 m, meaning pretty well guaranteed snow. It can also mean that it is sometimes a bit exposed. Cervinia's terrain is really best suited to beginners and intermediates. There are good nursery areas right near the resort, covered in good snow all season, with lots of terrain to move onto when you feel you're ready. The rest is all about the intermediate - it is wide open tree-less skiing, with big bowls, valleys, and some of the longest runs in Europe because of all the interconnected pistes. Try the 13.5 km red down from Plateau Rosa. Advanced skiers won't find too much to test them at Cervinia, but can head over to the scarily steep chutes of Zermatt to get their adrenaline fix (You will have to pay extra to do this however). The lift updates are excellent, with most of the drags replaced with high speed lifts to whisk you up the mountain. Freestyle skiers and boarders will rate the snow park, which is one of the best in Italy. It sits at nearly 3, 000 m, and 400 m plus long and over 100 m wide. You can work your way through the three, six and 11-metre kickers, until you feel ready to take on the Decolletor - at 18 m high... The village itself was one of the first to be purpose built in the 1930's, and it doesn't really have the alpine charm of many other resorts in the Alps. They have been working hard to soften up the village's look though, and it is a cheaper way to see the Matterhorn, Zermatt and the stunning mountains unfolding all around you. The après-ski scene is not huge, so Cervinia is best suited for those chasing great snow, learning, families and those on a budget who want to ski a massive area including Zermatt. For beginners
This is a great resort for beginners. The nursery slopes are right near the village, and are sheltered, snow sure and gentle. From there you will grow in confidence as there are a variety of easy greens and blues to move onto. The gentle, wide-open snow fields above Plan Maison are a good choice. Private lessons are also pretty cheap here, and even with just one, you'll improve immeasurably.
For intermediates
Intermediates will love the massively long runs at Cervinia. Red 7 is not to be missed! Elsewhere there are plenty of long, wide blues and reds all over the mountain, great snow to give you confidence, well-groomed runs and a relative lack of crowds. You can also boost over to Zermatt when you start getting really confident. For the advanced
Advanced skiers aren't the best served at Cervinia. You will love the great snow, and runs like the iconic Red 7, which drops through 8km and 1400 vertical metres, and is considered one of the best red runs in the world. You can ski this, a couple of black runs and some gentle off-piste, but if you are after a challenge, you'll need to head over to Zermatt, which can be a bit of a mission if you're doing it every day. Ski school
The three ski schools in Cervinia are all Italian, but you can request an English-speaking instructor. They take group lessons, races at the end of your course, individual lessons and daily excursions. Biancaneve (located near the ticket office and cable car station) accepts children from birth to age 10 in its non-ski nursery. The Cervino Ski School operating a ski kindergarten for children aged four and older. Ski School Cervino Après Ski
Generally the nightlife at Cervinia is on the quiet side, especially during the week. During weekends and holiday periods it can get livelier at the 30 plus bars. The Yeti, the Dragon Pub, Pub Grivola and the Ymeletrob Bar are all popular watering holes, and then head to the Etoile, Bianconiglio or The Garage Disco Club which really gets going after midnight. There are some great restaurants, from haute cuisine to fantastic pizza. If you're looking for a top-end meal, you can't go wrong with the mix of local and international at La Chandelle, or pick up some great Italian pizza Falcone. If you're after a more chilled out après-ski scene, head to the Samovar Tea Room or rustic wine bar Le Bistrot de L'Abbé. Off the Mountain
There is great shopping in Cervinia - with about 70 shops in town, including fashion outlets from Milan, brand-name jewellers, antiques, beauty products, liquors, watches and more. If you're not a huge shopper you could head to the Olympic-size pool, sauna, hammam, and Jacuzzi at Club Med - if you're not a guest of the hotel you need to make a reservation though. There's also a sports centre, cinema, bowling arcade, snowshoeing, snow biking, telemarking and airboard (a kind of inflatable sledge) or tobogganing, paragliding, horse riding, heliskiing, skidoos and a natural ice rink which stays frozen longer thanks to the resort's altitude. You can also visit an ice grotto on Mt Cervinio, or take a day trip to Day trips can easily be made by car to Geneva, Lausanne, Milan or Turin. On January 30 and 31 every year, the Fair of Sant'Orso, one of the largest craft fairs in Italy, takes place in Aosta.
Getting there
By air
The closest airports to Cervinia are Turin Caselle (118 km), Milan Malpensa (160 km), Milan Linate (180 km) and Geneva. Airport transfers
Transfers to and from the airports can be arranged by coach, taxi or car rental. By train
The nearest railway station is at Châtillon/Saint-Vincent (info and timetables www.trenitalia.it). From Châtillon, and from Turin and Milan, there's a coach service to and from Breuil-Cervinia Valtournenche (info and timetables www.savda.it). By car
To get there by car, take the A5 Torino-Aosta motorway. Take the Châtillon/Saint-Vincent exit and head along the regional road to Cervinia for 28 km. Valtournenche is 19 km after Châtillon and 9 km before Breuil-Cervinia.
Resort rating and reviews
30 November 2008
Traveller rating:
  Great for gentle intermediate skiing but not too much else. Access to ...
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