 Poster: A snowHead
|
Thinking about a family holiday trip to La Thuile and Courmayeur. Tell me whether this plan sounds reasonably doable for a two parents, two grandparents, and a non-skiing toddler. Flying into Geneva, then private transfer to La Thuile for a 5 day stay there for nice skiing opening that's low key. Seems like some easier terrain and ability to explore further over into La Rosiere. Following that a 5 day stay in Courmayeur with skiing around there and a rest day or two for the grandparents that might want to relax and tour the town.
We can't fly into Turin/Milan as our location makes it easier to reach Geneva quickly with the toddler in tow. Anything I should be wary of in this plan?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@tetzen, is the MB tunnel open? There were some slides/accidents and it was closed or traffic restricted for some time. If still closed it is quite a detour
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
|
Courmayeur is pretty small for 5 days but likely the pass you buy gives you access to the whole Aosta valley or at least a few days in some of the others. And not sure there's much to see in the town except for pricey shops and restaurants, you might think about Aosta itself and do the bulk of the second five days at Pila. Aosta is a proper town with a good amount of interesting Roman remains.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Love Courmayeur for the vibe and is great skiing for intermediates. Mostly reds, not so many blues / blacks. I love the town, and am sure the grandparents would enjoy hanging out there for the shops, food and drink.
As above would question 10 days in Courmayeur / La Thuille. We've been quite a few times but always done a long weekend (4 days skiing) and easily covered the pistes in both. I understand there's a lot more scope if you ski off piste.
Aosta/Pila is a good shout. I'd split time between there and Courmayeur to stay with day trips out to La Thuille personally.
Have you drawn up a rota for toddler care? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Quote: |
Have you drawn up a rota for toddler care?
|
Yes, I was going to ask - what happens to the toddler? How old? Toddlers really do not tend to much enjoy hanging out for the shops, food and drink.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
And, as a grand parent, food and drink appeals, but not shops - especially in Courmayeur which has a very expensive and upmarket version of the usual resort-shop tat (think lovely garments for your little dog.... very expensive oriental rugs)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What kind of accommodation are you thinking of? When you say grandparents might want a rest day or two, do you mean that they won't have the energy to ski for 10 days?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@mooney058, tunnel should be open mid-Dec. Not accidents or slides but closed for another round of works.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
@tetzen, what are your intended dates for this trip? That will definitely colour the advice here.
Also, although La Thuile & Courmayeur are nice ski areas, there are many equally nice places on the French side, a lot nearer to Geneva, without that expensive transfer through the MB tunnel...thinking Megeve, Les Contamines, Samoens, Morzine, Chamonix, you could add a trip over to Annecy?
Unless only Italy will do?? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I was aiming for the end of January to February. We are probably looking at an apartment for all of the family to share together. The grandparents aren't much for skiing, so it's more of an opportunity for them to spend time with their 1-year old grand baby.
La Thuile has some sentimental value to us. But I might look at some of the French areas a little closer.
I was avoiding Chamonix as I felt it was a little beyond my better-half's ability. That and I was aiming for a place that was a little higher in altitude for a base to be snow sure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
With toddler, grandparents in tow ... your plan seems sound ... have a leisure time, long lunches, slow strolls and time with family and plenty of skiing around. Ski over to France. Short bus or car ride to 1/2 day in Morgex. trip to Aosta/Pila ... easy ! Going through the tunnel (if opened) from GVA to Courmayeur/La Thuile is a breeze.
Courmayeur is a top notch Alpine town with plenty to discover (and very good skiing for advanced skiers).
La Thuile - I personally love it !
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
@tetzen, my recommendation for a future trip with grandparents, parents and young child is Alpe Di Suisi/Seiser Alm in Val Gardena in the Dolomites. Easier terrain and quieter than Val G, good facilities at the sunny Compatsch ski station (snow crèche, changing rooms, ski hire, restaurants), horse-drawn sleigh rides, tobagganing, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, walks, public bus, excellent food, beautiful scenery, good artificial snowmaking. Stay in Suisi/Seis with lift and road access to Compatsch. Option to ski the Val Gardena Ronda (Sella Ronda isn’t feasible from there).
Sorry for going off topic, but hope it may be of interest for the future.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flying to Geneva and going to Seiser Alm is a long way ... if OP is able to change flights somewhere closer to Seiser Alm - I would agree 100% ... Val Gardena is perfect for multi generational family trip, that would be my choice !!!
France is great as well, not familiar with it so much other than La Rosiere, Val D'Isere, Chamonix areas ...
But nothing wrong with LaThuile/Courmayeur combo, very nice !
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Yeah, I really considered the Dolomites and Alta Badia for a while. Good to know there are other suggestions for the area, too.
This time around Milan is too much of a transfer for us. Geneva gets us a direct flight, and I'm trying to avoid any connections. When the toddler is older, I'm definitely keeping Dolomites high in the options list
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Are you more bothered about the skiing or things to do with the toddler?
We went to La thuile when my boy was 3.
He was in childcare so you don’t need that aspect with grandparents etc, but there was very little to do there as I recall. It’s a small place for wandering around.
Courmayeur seemed to have a bit more going on.. it was a sort of champagne bar/high end shop set up. Skiing was a bit ‘steeper’ over that side as I recall.
Both I enjoyed the food though! And generally cheaper than France!
5 days in each is quite a lot - they are both smallish places.
Chamonix might have been better for your non skiers as there’s more to do there. Then you can still access courmayeur and all of the chamonix valley places.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
La Thuile and Courmayeur have a ski bus that runs between them (i haven't used it so no first hand experience) but given those two are close, you could base yourself in one and ski both places (albeit rules our meeting for valley lunch if at the other one). La Thuile has much more and more varied piste skiing that Cour. You could then have some in time Aosta skiing Pila. More for the olds to do in Aosta plus they can get pedestrian gondola tickets up to Pila and meet for lunch some days. Although I would caveat that 10 days in any town / ski town if not skiing is quite a long time, spending time with toddler not withstanding, I doubt the toddler will be interested in the roman ruins in Aosta.
A hire car rather than private transfer might give you more flexibility.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Ski bus is easy from the tourist office by the roundabout in Courmayeur directly to the gondola in La Thuile. Takes 20-30 mins if memory serves.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
| Origen wrote: |
| And, as a grand parent, food and drink appeals, but not shops - especially in Courmayeur which has a very expensive and upmarket version of the usual resort-shop tat (think lovely garments for your little dog.... very expensive oriental rugs) |
Maybe these grandparents like shops? Many older people do, and often have more money to spend. We're all different. I'd argue that the boutiques, delis and cosy cafes in a picturesque little town centre with great people watching is probably more appealing than a day off the slopes in many French resorts for the more mature and discerning person.
Toddlers needs are pretty universal in my experience... exploring anything and everything (including in shops and cafes), the occasional patch of snow to play in, sleeping in buggies (while grandma and grandad enjoy an aperitivo maybe), plotting the most inconvenient place for their next code-brown nappy disaster.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
@frosty75, of course we're different but I'd hazard a guess that few grandparents would much enjoy pottering round shops full of beautiful objects with a toddler in tow! It's hard to respond to the OP without some idea of how child care is to be organised.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Ah yes; you break it, you buy it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I’d echo @t44tomo, & @frosty75, above. The free ski bus that runs between the resorts is frequent and the journey doesn’t take long. With a 6 day pass you can spend 2 days in the other resort from which you base yourself. You can also throw Pila into the mix if you wish, though the journey time is a bit longer. I would think a 10 day pass would increase the allowed days at the other resorts too.
I would pick a resort, base myself there, and utilise the buses.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
With a toddler (with all the accompanying accoutrements) and grandparents in tow, I would rent a 7 seater, mainly for convenience.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If I were doing much moving round between resorts with a toddler I'd want a car - lots of kids will sleep in a car seat but just get miserable and restless, unrestrained, on a bus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
I was assuming the toddler would stay at base resort and play about there with whoever was on childcare duty, whilst the others went on a ski away day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| dode wrote: |
| I was assuming the toddler would stay at base resort and play about there with whoever was on childcare duty, whilst the others went on a ski away day. |
Would you be happy staying at “home” whilst the others flit off to all points? Hell no.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
@ster, assuming the services of a third party crèche aren’t being utilised, then everyone will end up taking their turns (the grandparents more than the parents going by the OP). It really doesn’t matter where the others go skiing, does it? It doesn’t change anything for those left back at base.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
| Quote: |
Would you be happy staying at “home” whilst the others flit off to all points? Hell no.
|
Well yes, if that's the deal, but everyone needs to be 100% clear in advance.
An important part of the deal for the child-carers will be to have an adequately spacious apartment with space right outside for playing in the snow. Not requiring a drive, or a bus ride, or even pushing a pushchair along snowy/icy pavements, only to find that after 13 minutes the child is wet (from inside or outside) and wants to go into the warm and have a snack.
Depending on the age and temperament of the child, gentle tobogganing can be a great activity but requiring as it does that an adult pulls child AND toboggan back up the hill each time it can be quite demanding and not all toboggan areas are equal.
I've experience of both sides of this equation. It's always been a success for us BUT in all cases the child-caring grandparent was accustomed to looking after said kids on ordinary days at home (with no parents present) and so was well used to the demands - and the tedium. Getting a small wriggly thing into enough warm stuff to play out in the snow, then getting them out of it again when they've had enough (or in one case I dealt with, had managed to roll in some dog-shit which had been covered in an inch of snow) is hard work.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We’re doing something similar but without children. One of our party is a non skier so have chosen Courmayer as a base. Plan 2 days skiing in Aosta and Pila, one day in Thuile and depending upon conditions venturing out to Cervinia for a day or 2 with a stop over at Chamonix before dropping them off at Geneva and we drive home. Reckon days spent out in Courmayer, village just below Thuile, Aosta, possible trip to Zermatt and the Skyway along with meet ups for Lunch in resort should keep non skier occupied.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| brovert wrote: |
| We’re doing something similar but without children. One of our party is a non skier so have chosen Courmayer as a base. Plan 2 days skiing in Aosta and Pila, one day in Thuile and depending upon conditions venturing out to Cervinia for a day or 2 with a stop over at Chamonix before dropping them off at Geneva and we drive home. Reckon days spent out in Courmayer, village just below Thuile, Aosta, possible trip to Zermatt and the Skyway along with meet ups for Lunch in resort should keep non skier occupied. |
It's a fairly long drive from Courmayeur to Cervinia, about 90 mins each way, but the views of the iconic Matterhorn from the Swiss side would be a reward for the effort and I think pedestrians can now make the full crossing from Cervinia across the glacier to Zermatt village and back just using lifts. Just make sure it's a clear sunny day and not windy.
https://matterhornalpinecrossing.com/en
Not exactly sure how it works in winter, just buy an International ski pass, I guess. Then you could use Gondolas or trains on the Swiss side up onto the Gornergrat. So a nice trip would be over to Zermatt via Testa Grigia and Klein Matterhorn, walk through the village looking at expensive watch shops. Get the beautiful Gornergrat railway up. Have lunch up there with the iconic views of the Matterhorn, then back down to Riffelberg, get the gondola shortcut to Furi, then back up to Klein Matterhorn, making sure you go up to viewing platform, then the 4 lifts back down to Cervinia.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Wed 24-09-25 12:20; edited 2 times in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| tetzen wrote: |
Yeah, I really considered the Dolomites and Alta Badia for a while. Good to know there are other suggestions for the area, too.
This time around Milan is too much of a transfer for us. Geneva gets us a direct flight, and I'm trying to avoid any connections. When the toddler is older, I'm definitely keeping Dolomites high in the options list |
Innsbruck, Verona, Venice are the airports you need for the Dolomites
No direct flights to any of those?? Where are you coming from?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| luigi wrote: |
Innsbruck, Verona, Venice are the airports you need for the Dolomites
No direct flights to any of those?? Where are you coming from? |
Whoops had a brain fart when I was thinking of northern Italian cities. I’m coming from the mid Atlantic US. In the past Venice has had a direct flight but it gets announced late in the year. I’d rather not gamble that one would pop up. I can just rely on my direct to Geneva for now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Origen delivering her accumstomed perfect mix of practicality, scorn and painful stories! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Hi @tetzen, welcome to Snowheads!
La Thuile is a great place for an extended family.
We went to the appartments there many years ago with our little group family.
Just right and at that time the price was very reasonable.
The skiing is pretty good for a mixed group from beginers to experts.
The only down side is the very long poma lift back from la Roserie.
Cormayer has the best ear ring shop in the world according to my wife who may be an expert.
Via Roma is where it all happens and Bar Roma puts on some great nibbles apres ski time.
They were also very pleased to show us how great they could make an Irish Coffee.
They did not get it perfect at the 1st attempt so we had two Irish Coffees for the price of one.
Great Service, Italia at its best.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
| tetzen wrote: |
| luigi wrote: |
Innsbruck, Verona, Venice are the airports you need for the Dolomites
No direct flights to any of those?? Where are you coming from? |
Whoops had a brain fart when I was thinking of northern Italian cities. I’m coming from the mid Atlantic US. In the past Venice has had a direct flight but it gets announced late in the year. I’d rather not gamble that one would pop up. I can just rely on my direct to Geneva for now. |
Delta flies JFK to Venice direct a few times a week. Nothing from DC though.
More options (inc United/Lufthansa from DC) to Munich, which is doable to the Dolomites, but similar distance transfer as Milan, just over 4 hrs.
Geneva to Courmayeur is definitely easier. The MB tunnel is due to open again after repairs on Dec 12th, ready for the ski season.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| luigi wrote: |
Delta flies JFK to Venice direct a few times a week. Nothing from DC though.
More options (inc United/Lufthansa from DC) to Munich, which is doable to the Dolomites, but similar distance transfer as Milan, just over 4 hrs.
Geneva to Courmayeur is definitely easier. The MB tunnel is due to open again after repairs on Dec 12th, ready for the ski season. |
Getting to JFK would necessitate a connection. We are leaving from DC/Baltimore area.
I though about the Munich flight but if I were going there it passes us by many Austrian places I’d probably prefer to go.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
