Photo X-Weinzar, CC BY-SA 3.0
Valle d'Aosta · Aosta Valley
Things to see in Courmayeur
In Courmayeur the atlas lists 5 historic places: 2 fortresses and towers, 2 museums and 1 castle.
Of these, 1 list opening hours and 1 has free entry.
Don’t miss: Duke of the Abruzzi Alpine Museum, musée dédié au sauvetage valdôtain en montagne, Courmayeur.
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The town
Courmayeur is a skiing and mountaineering resort at the head of Valle d’Aosta, in northwest Italy. At 1224 m elevation, it has a spectacular location near the foot of Mont Blanc (called Monte Bianco in Italian).
The village has been settled since Roman times, during which the villagers subsisted on a sparse crop of rye and meat, and was a spa resort as early as the 18th century, because of its sulphurous springs. It began to grow during the 19th century's fashion for alpinism, and Italy’s first alpine guide society was established here. In the 20th century, it developed as a ski resort. The opening of the Mont Blanc tunnel in 1965 greatly improved road access from northern Europe.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
5 places
Fortresses and towers 2
Castles 1
Getting there
By plane: The closest airport is Geneva (GVA IATA), 100 km northwest via the Mont Blanc Tunnel. Most tour operators fly into Turin Caselle (TRN IATA), 150 km south. About 220+ km away south are the Milan airports of Malpensa (MXP IATA) and Linate (LIN IATA). All these have good connections across Europe, and Geneva’s reach is global.
By car: Autostrada A5 (toll) comes up Valle d’Aosta from Turin past Ivrea and Aosta – above Aosta it’s mostly in tunnels, bad for views but good for weather-proofing. After the Courmayeur exit, it continues north to the last exit for Italy at La Palud then into the Mont Blanc tunnel (cars €45 single, €56 to return within 7 days), emerging 11.6 km later above Chamonix in France. This is the obvious route to Geneva, and the recommended route to eastern Switzerland, Austria and Germany. (The short cut from Chamonix to Martigny via Col de Montets may be closed by winter weather, in which case take the long way around via Thonon & Evian.) Switzerland can also be reached via the Great St Bernard Tunnel (open year-round, but the historic road over the pass is only open in summer). The Little St Bernard Pass (open summer only) crosses into France via La Thuile towards Val d’Isere and Annecy.
Savda buses run four times a day between the Turin railway stations and Aosta, taking two hours, change there for the local bus to Courmayeur (see below).
By train: From Turin, change at Ivrea for the train to Aosta.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
What to see, according to Wikivoyage
The Duke of Abruzzi Alpine Guide Museum in Courmayeur village documents the craft of mountain guiding. The Duke was an early alpinist, founding the guides’ society in 1850, and together they made many exploratory ascents, nearby in the 19th century and then globally in the 20th. It was always primarily a recreational activity here, and client-driven, as Courmayeur isn’t on a historic transalpine route.
Church of St Pantaleon & St Valentine, opposite the museum in Courmayeur, is early 18th century.
Sanctuary of Notre Dame de Guérison is a church at the foot of Val Veny.
On a clear day, ride up the Monte Bianco Skyway, the cable-car which ascends from near La Palud. At the midway station of Pavillon (2173 m), in summer take the short walk to Saussurea Alpine Botanical Gardens. The lift continues up to the terrace at Punta Helbronner (3462 m) on the border with France. From here there are off-piste trails down the glaciers, for expert skiers only, and a guide is essential. The lift system then descends into Chamonix but the Skyway ticket doesn’t give access to the Chamonix ski lifts, and it isn’t a practical route into that ski area – drive through the Mont Blanc Tunnel instead.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage · Underlined names link to our own pages.