Livigno Ski Resort Italy

Tucked away deep in the mountains of the Alta Valtellina, Livigno ski resort has a huge reputation as a freeride powder destination, but it shines more for its deep snow & world-class lifts & piste trails. With its own duty-free status, Livigno may feel isolated from the rest of the world but has everything going for it from sunrise to well after sunset. And despite its remote location, Livigno can be reached from a multitude of points near the Alps as it is equidistant from Innsbruck, Milan & Zurich.

Unlike many ski resorts in Europe, Livigno is not just for skiers, it is snowboarder heaven as well. The numerous world class terrain parks compliment the ski resort’s huge freeride terrain & backcountry. Truly something for everyone, including motorists - it has the Alps cheapest fuel by a long margin!

Pros & Cons for Livigno Ski Resort

Pros

• Reliable snowpack & quality snow, oft referred to as 'Little Tibet'.
• Modern lifts.
• Vast freeride off-piste opportunities.
• Excellent variety of piste trails for novices, beginners & intermediates.
• Stellar location to learn off-piste powder skiing or snowboarding.
• Snowboard friendly.
• World class terrain parks.
• Excellent après ski & nightlife.
• Delectable restaurant food & drink in town.
• 'Ski-in' accommodation available.
• Wide range of non-ski activities.
• Efficient free local bus network.
• Village has an all-day sunny disposition.
• Cheapest fuel in the Alps.

Cons

• Busy all season - both in town & on-piste when the sun is out.
• Ski area split between two opposite sides of the valley (although a Ski-Link shuttle operates efficiently during the day connecting the two ski areas).
• Limited piste trails for advanced/expert abilities & off-piste terrain is generally mellow.
• Isolated location can be difficult to reach in poor weather.
• Accommodation can be hard to get & relatively expensive.

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Duty-free zone has a set of its own pros & cons - you may love it or loathe it!
• No 5-star accommodation, but plenty of 3 & 4 star.
• Isolated location in winter!

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain

The Livigno skiing & snowboarding terrain is split in half by a broad valley & the town stretched along it. Both sides (Carosello & Mottolino) are connected by ski-bus & share a common lift pass. The 115km of trails are dwarfed by the breadth of the off-piste & backcountry terrain. The majority of the resort's slopes are well above 2,000m elevation & north-east to north-west aspect, ensuring premium snow conditions. The ski terrain (on & off-piste) is however on the mellow side of the spectrum with very little for experts.

Check out the ski trail map for Livigno below.

Livigno Ski Trail Map

To the west & with lifts extending directly from the edge of town, the Carosello 3000 area is the larger of the two sides. 3 gondolas & 6 chairs do the heavy lifting on the ample 980m vertical. Numerous other novice tows & chairs line the lower base areas, providing world-class sheltered locations to learn to ski. The backside of Carosello is a freeriders backcountry haven, plus the tree skiing & routes around the avalanche fencing from Costaccia can be epic on a powder day.

On the eastern side of the valley, Mottolino has 1 gondola & 5 chairlifts serving a similar skiable vertical of around 970m. The access gondola & chairlift requires a walk or local transport to reach from town & novice ski terrain is comparatively limited. Alternative access to Mottolino for day-trippers from Bormio is via chairlifts at the village of Trepalle or Passo d’Eira. Freeride options off the 2,785m Monte della Neve are massive, particularly into the Vallaccia. The Vallaccia terrain is mainly mellow to moderate pitch - nothing too extreme here. The snow-park on Mottolino above Trepalle is a sight to behold, & a worthy competitor with the world's best at Laax in Switzerland. Heliskiing is available in Livigno, but we have had mixed reports about the terrain offerings!

Lift Pass

The main local lift pass includes lifts on both sides of the valley - Mottolino & Carosello. There are cheaper passes specific to the many beginner lifts that line the eastern side of the village. There are numerous different ski-pass rates depending on the time of the season. Promotional, Mid-Season, Season & High Season are further defined by 10 different timeframes! The difference in price from Promotional to High Season is €30, but regardless, the lift pass is good value for what one receives in return. A Saturday special lift pass for a discounted rate (up to 22% off) is available from early January to the start of April. Free passes for young children are now available when an equivalent adult day pass is purchased.

The Alta Valtellina Ski Pass is another ticketing option. It is valid for 3 or more days in Livigno, Bormio, Santa Caterina & Cima Piazzi - San Colombano. The Alta Valtellina Ski Pass may be of value if intending to ski a few days at the other resorts if based mainly in Livigno. Worth doing your sums before purchase though!

See the Alta Valtellina ski resorts map.

Where is Livigno Italy?

The Livigno ski resort is remote in winter, deep in the Alta Valtellina of north Lombardy, Italy. Close to the Swiss border, during winter the resort can be reached via two roads, one from the south via Tirano & Bormio Italy over the Passo Foscagno; or from the north via Zernez & Müstair Switzerland through the expensive Tunnel Munt La Schera.

The tunnel from Switzerland means the closest useful airport Innsbruck (INN) in Austria, 180km & 3hr drive away. Innsbruck airport is best for travellers from Europe & UK. For intercontinental travellers, the best airport is Milan Malpensa (MXP), 250km & 4hr away drive away in a rental car depending on road conditions. Zurich (ZRH) is a superb airport that can also be utilised, particularly if intending to travel via the excellent Swiss train system to Zernez and then by bus to Livigno (4hr total journey time).

For those wanting to POW (Protect Our Winters), take a train from Milano Centrale for a relaxing journey to Tirano stazione, where buses & taxis are ready & waiting to transfer you to Livigno via Bormio. Alternative train access is through Switzerland to Zernez, or Italy to Malles/Mals in the Venosta valley. Buses from Zernez are particularly useful, meeting the trains & taking only 40min to get to Livigno. To Malles and beyond, the journey is a little more complex, but still doable via Müstair. Book a train ticket to Tirano or Zernez. Buy bus tickets at Tirano or Zernez as required.

If lacking time but have the euro, a private transfer from any airport, city or train can be sought. Private transfers are cost effective for larger groups. Search & book all airport transfers to Livigno.

For detailed information on the best ways to get there, see our Travel to Livigno page.

Livigno Accommodation

The town of Livigno extends north-south through a broad valley effectively splitting the ski area in half. Unlike many alpine villages, Livigno soaks up the winter sun all day long, but its altitude & temperatures combine to keep it delightfully snow covered all winter. The town is lively & generally pedestrian friendly. It has retained much of its original architecture & avoided the woeful high-rise developments prevalent in so many other European ski areas. A full range of accommodation types (except 5-star) are available - numerous 3 & 4-star hotels, guesthouses (Garni), commercial aparthotels (Residence), loads of apartments in private houses (Baita) & complete houses (chalets). Many are either 'ski-in' and/or within walking distance to a ski lift. Free local buses connect the entire village to the ski resort, so in part, it doesn't matter where you rest your head.

Whilst everyone has different perspectives on where they like to stay, for Livigno we recommend consideration of the following when choosing lodgings:

1. Stay away from the main central shopping district near via Fontana. Some may enjoy the hustle & bustle, but many will not. If wanting to be in the heart of the action, try the superb 4-star Hotel Larice or the 3-star Hotel Crosal.
2. Look to stay in the San Rocco district at the southern end of town close to the Carosello 3000 gondola (near the Hotel Piccolo Mondo). The area has the best of everything, except duty-free shopping, which is a blessing). Try the Hotel Alegra if you want a bit of party action close to the gondola. Or for better value & less noise, try the opposite end of town at or near the great value Hotel Adele or the sensational new Ecohotel B&B Chalet des Alpes Livigno (the name covers all the bases!).
3. Livigno is a very busy town, so if staying anywhere along one of the main roads, request an upper storey room facing away from the road for the best night’s sleep.
4. Avoid the accommodation below Mottolino along the road between Livigno & Passo d’Eira. The area takes too long for the sun to reach it, one spends way too much waiting for or sitting on packed buses, traffic noise is too much, it is not pedestrian friendly, plus it is simply not convenient enough to the main town centre. If that you must stay here, the Hotel Baita Montana provides wonderful resort style lodgings overlooking the valley, so you may never need/want to leave!
5. Accommodation can quickly book out in Livigno, so one’s choices may be limited!

Search & book all Livigno ski accommodation.

If Livigno proves too expensive or booked out, other accommodation options are away from the valley (but not too far!) on the road to Bormio at Passo d'Eira (i.e. the ski-in ski-out Alpino Lodge) or the village of Trepalle - both connected to the Mottolino zone of the ski resort. Further afield, day trips are possible from either the Valdidentro or Bormio. If you have no car, regular buses link to Livigno from all locations.

Search & book Bormio accommodation.

Staying in nearby Switzerland and doing day trips to Livigno in winter is NOT a realistic option due to the cost & time limitations of the Tunnel Munt La Schera. Utilising the public bus from Zernez can work for a day, but the first bus gets to Livigno after the lifts open, so it could be a late start!

Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding

Ski rentals are available from our partners in the Livigno village near the main Carosello ski lift base areas. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Livigno Ski & Snowboard Rental page.

Livigno is replete with ski schools, ski/snowboard instructors & mountain guides. It is a superb location to learn & progress your off-piste ski or boarding skills plus have some delicious deep powder turns in its massive terrain. Search & book regular lessons, off-piste/freeride instruction, or guided days in all the resorts of Alta Valtellina via our Livigno Ski Lessons & Guiding page.

Review

The Powderhounds visited Livigno in January 2020 & whilst it wasn’t quite the Powderhounds’ Paradise we were hoping for, it was damn fun & will provide the goods for most winter visitors. We are due to return again soon. Read the in-depth review via the links in the left column (or top of page if on a mobile).

See how Livigno compares to the rest of the Italian ski resorts on the Italy ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.

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