Skiing in Bardonecchia: resort information and accommodation

September 8th 2010

Bardonecchia is a ski resort on the Italian side of the Fréjus tunnel, which links Italy and France. It makes an excellent base for travel, as you can drive to both the Trois Vallées and the Milky Way area, providing massive skiing potential.

Bardonecchia is found in the heart of the upper part of Val di Susa). It has many panoramic viewpoints from where you can admire the natural beauty of the Alps.

Bardonecchia has been a well-known summer and winter resort since the beginning of the 20th century and over the years it has grown to become one of the most popular tourist resorts in the whole Alpine region. It offers good value eateries and accommodation, lovely scenery and friendly locals. It's a short transfer from Turin (90 minutes) so it is easy to reach and is a resort which combines the charm of a small mountain village with the modern face of a city.

The skiing itself is quite substantial, with 140km of pistes. These are shared between three areas, two of which are lift-linked. You'll need a bus to get to all of the lifts. Most of the slopes are geared towards intermediates.

In 2006 it hosted the Snowboard competitions of the Winter Olympics. The resort is geared up for tourists of all types with local restaurants, wine bars, pubs, pizzeria, discos, bars, a cinema and numerous sporting activities.

SKIING IN BARDONECCHIA:

THINGS TO DO:

The resort offers a natural ice skating rink, sauna, cinema, ice hockey, horse riding, hiking, and a games hall. Snowboarders should find just the right mix of conditions between pistes and at the top of Jafferau after fresh snowfalls.

Sightseers can enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery in the Valle Stretta towards Lago Verde and at Rochemolles. The scenery can also be viewed from the comfort of the Jafferau gondola which takes you up to an altitude of 2000 meters with wonderful views over the resort of Bardonecchia and the surrounding area.

RESORT RESTAURANTS

There are many good restaurants in Bardonecchia. The majority can be found in and around the centre of the resort, along Via Medail. La Ruota serves great pasta and grilled steaks. The Biovey does a lot of traditional dishes. La Filanda 1 is good for pizza, pasta and meat dishes.

MOUNTAIN RESTAURANTS

Bardonecchia has a number of good mountain restaurants serving the various ski areas. At Campo Smith there is the Colomion Bar Restaurant at the bottom of the slopes. At the mid station, the two restaurants, Pian del Sole and La Grangia, are both very good. If you like pasta either of these two serves excellent local dishes. In Melezet there are two good restaurants in front of the lift La Pigna and Il Sole e la Luna, while at the mid station there is also the Chalet Chesal. Finally at Jefferau the restaurant at the entrance, called L’Orso e le Streghe is good whether during the day or evening. The self-catering Restaurant Jefferau at mid station is fine and there is a small snack bar at the top level.

APRES SKI

The après-ski in Bardonecchia is split between those who like a beer and some music straight off the piste and those who like the idea of joining in with the Italians from Turin who tend to promenade up and down the high street, looking at the shops and drinking coffee and eating delicious home-made cakes. Basically there is something for all tastes.

NIGHTLIFE

Night life in Bardonecchia is not massive, but there are some good bars which cater for late night revellers. We suggest Bar Medail, Sitting Bull and the Camarillo. The resort is popular with British skiers, as prices are generally very reasonable for everything. Many of the hotels, bars and restaurants speak some English as well. For a night out try the Al Pik Bo wine bar, or the Playtime Disco. Only 30 minutes away is the ski resort of Sauze d'Oulx, offering a wide range of nightlife.

GETTING TO BARDONECCHIA:

Bardonecchia is in Susa Valley, in North West Piedmont and on the border with France. It is well connected by road, train (both national and international connections) and airport (Milan, Turin, Chambery and Geneva) are all within easy reach of Bardonecchia.

Bardonecchia is about 50 minutes away from Turin by motorway, 1 hour from Turin and 2 hours from Milan by train. The international airport of Turin Caselle is about 1 hour away.

By car:

By train:

The international Rome to Paris train goes through Bardonecchia. There are direct trains from Turin (1 hr), Milan (2hr) and Paris (4hr 15 min).

For further information on trains go to:Trenitalia

By plane:

There is a new bus service from Turin airport to *Bardonecchia (with the company Cavourese Autolinee) – a reasonably priced way of reaching the resort. Booking at least 48 hours in advance is compulsory via the internet: Bus charter

ACCOMMODATION:

Holiday Homes in Italy offer a lovely ski residence with self-catering apartments right in the heart of the old town within walking distance of ammenities and a free ski bus direct to the slopes. Take a look atResidence Bardonecchia