Chances are, you’re reading this because you’re hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc and you’re curious how to spend your time in Courmayeur on your rest day (or two). Or, maybe you’ve been hanging out in Chamonix for a while and are curious about what’s on the other side of the mountain.
Whichever is true, this post will show you tons of fun ways to spend your time here alone with where to eat, where to stay, and more. Enjoy!
A little about Courmayeur
Even though Courmayeur is so close to Chamonix, it provides an entirely different experience. Like Chamonix, the scenery is beautiful, the food is delicious, and the town is unbelievably charming. But, instead of Alpine classics, the food in Courmayeur is distinctly Italian. They speak Italian here instead of French, and the scenery is also completely different.
You’d think being just a short trip from Chamonix that the two towns would be quite similar, but that’s not the case at all. Given the terrain, these two towns weren’t always just a quick drive apart; for most of history, these towns have been separated by literally the tallest mountain in the Alps. Their cultures developed independently of one another.
Why take a day trip to Courmayeur?
Courmayeur is now so close and accessible to Chamonix. You’ll get to experience an entirely different culture without having to travel very far at all. (And of course, the food is incredible.)
For everything you need to know to plan your Chamonix trip, check out my Chamonix summer travel guide. It’s got everything from where to stay and eat, what to do, how to get here, where to buy groceries, and much more.
Where is Courmayeur, Italy?
Courmayeur is at the absolute northwestern-most point you can get in Italy. It’s literally just on the other side of Mont Blanc from Chamonix, in Italy’s Aosta Valley region. It’s close to the halfway point between Geneva, Switzerland and Milan, Italy.
Day trip to Courmayeur: Map
This map contains all the places I mention in this post (including restaurants, hotels, and logistical concerns). To save this map: Click on the star ⭑ next to the map’s title to save in your Google Maps. To use this map: When you get here, open Google Maps on your phone, click “Saved” at the bottom, then click “Maps.”
Also read: How to spend 1 day in Aosta, Italy
How to get to Courmayeur from Chamonix
There are two ways to get from Chamonix to Courmayeur and back. (Well, three if you include hiking, but I’ll leave that out for now.) You can choose to go over the mountain or under the mountain. ‘Tis a real Fellowship of the Ring quandary, isn’t it?
Note that these instructions are primarily for summer visits as both the cable car and the tunnel often close in the winter.
How to go over the mountain
If you have plans to venture up the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, know that (in the summer) you can then take a cable car from the top of Aiguille du Midi over the mountains to Punta Helbronner on the Italian peak. From here, you can take the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car back down into Courmayeur. And yes, this is actually a thing people do. I’m not making this up.
The cable car that connects the Aiguille du Midi in France to Punta Helbronner in Italy is called the Trans-Mont-Blanc cable car (or Télécabine Panoramique du Mont-Blanc).
To do this, you’ll need to purchase a few different tickets. You can purchase a full Chamonix > Helbronner ticket that will get you up the Aiguille du Midi and over to Helbronner. You’ll also need a ticket that gets you from Helbronner down to the station near Courmayeur.
This option is going to cost somewhere in the realm of €200 and the journey will take a few hours, so it’s neither the most cost effective nor efficient mode of travel. (But OMG the VIEWS!)
Note that I don’t have any personal experience doing this so I’m not fully sure how it works in terms of passport control or purchasing a one-way ticket down on the Italian side. (And you may not be able to bring luggage.) If this is something you’re interested in, ask the kind folks at the Chamonix tourist office. They are always very helpful.
Take the bus from Chamonix to Courmayeur
The easiest, cheap, fastest, and most popular way to get to Courmayeur from Chamonix is by going under the mountain (in true Frodo fashion). Buses from Chamonix to Courmayeur run a few times a day and cost €15 per person for a one-way trip.
The trip takes somewhere between 25 to 45 minutes. Well, should take, I should say. Note that the tunnel under the mountain is a two-lane road with passport control on the Italian side. If something were to hold up either lane, you’re pretty much trapped. The last time I made this trip, there was some kind of holdup and this quick half-hour drive ending up taking me three hours.
Huge backups like this aren’t typical, but do know traffic jams can happen here. A day trip to Courmayeur is entirely possible, but it would totally be worth planning to spend the night in Courmayeur just in case.
Bus options
You have a couple of bus options for getting to Courmayeur from Chamonix:
- The Arriva bus – The local bus network; makes 4 trips per day from Chamonix to Courmayeur and vice-versa; takes 45 minute and costs €15.
- The Flixbus – Makes 6 trips per day; takes 25 or 45 minutes and costs around €45 depending.
Don’t forget to take your passport with you on your day trip to Courmayeur. They may or may not check it after you go through the mountain tunnel and then again on the way back. For me, they didn’t check on the way to Courmayeur (though the driver did make sure we all had them ready) but they did check on the way back to Chamonix.
Other ways to get to Courmayeur
Just like taking the bus, you can also drive through the tunnel yourself. If you have your own rental car, you’re more than able to drive yourself from Chamonix to Courmayeur. The route, times, and rules are all the same. Make sure you have your passport handy! Rent a car here if you need one.
The same goes for if you’re visiting Courmayeur from elsewhere in Italy. You can just as easily drive to Courmayeur from places like Turin (Torino), Milan, and everywhere else. You can take the Flixbus to Courmayeur from these cities as well.
Since Courmayeur doesn’t have a train station, there’s no option for taking a train to Courmayeur unfortunately. From within Italy, you could take a train to nearby Aosta, but you’d then still need to take a bus from there to Courmayeur.
What to see & do in Courmayeur
There’s not a crazy number of things to do in Courmayeur, which is why it makes a great day trip in the summer. During the winter, Courmayeur (like Chamonix) becomes a popular skiing and resort destination and there’s probably more than enough to keep you busy, if that’s your thing.
Instead, here’s how you can spend a day trip to Courmayeur (or even a couple of days) in the summer.
Skyway Monte Bianco
If you’ve been hanging out in Chamonix, you’re already familiar with the Aiguille du Midi, the cable car to the top of Aiguille du Midi peak. Over on the Italian side you’ve got the Skyway Monte Bianco, the cable car up to Point Helbronner at an altitude of 11,371 feet (3,466 m).
Like Aiguille du Midi, the Skyway Monte Bianco takes you up high into the Mont Blanc massif where you can:
Panoramic mont blanc Cable Car
And if you want even crazier, more outrageous mountain views, continue your ride on the Trans-Mont-Blanc cable car that goes over and across the Mont Blanc massif to the Aiguille du Midi in France. It’s said to be one of the most incredible cable car journeys in the world.
The Duke of Abruzzi Alpine Museum
Like the Alpine Museum in Chamonix, Courmayeur’s Museo Alpino Duca Abruzzi covers the mountaineering history of the area, the development of Alpine tourism, and historical artifacts. Only this one focuses on Courmayeur.
Plan Chécrouit Alpine Pool
If you’ve been spending your days hiking, I know the idea of relaxing in a heated outdoor pool in Alps sounds pretty good right about now. Complete with a view of Mont Blanc, a sauna, and (most importantly) a bar, the Plan Chécrouit pool is a must.
Hiking in Courmayeur
And if you’d prefer even more hiking, you should definitely check out some of the amazing day hikes here in Courmayeur. The scenery and terrain on this side of Mont Blanc is different than the best hikes in Chamonix, but no less stunning.
Val Veny to Rifugio Elisabetta
The hike through the Val Veny to Rifugio Elisabetta is my favorite day hike from Courmayeur and I’ve done it a couple of times now.
To start, you’ll want to take the shuttle bus from the main Courmayeur bus station to La Visaille. At the Courmayeur bus ticket office, ask for tickets to hike Val Veny. It’s as simple as that and only costs a few euros. See aosta.arriva.it for bus times and important updates.
The start of the hike is just past the bus stop at Chalet del Miage which runs a bar and restaurant. This is a good place to fill up on drinks and food for the hike if you haven’t done so already.
Follow the road over the river then follow the signs towards Lago Combal. You’ll hike up, up, up, and along icy Alpine rivers and rocky mountainsides, through pine forests, fuchsia flowers, and what looks like the American southwest, all the way to Val Veny. This is believed to be one of the most beautiful valley in the Aosta Valley–the smallest of Italy’s 20 regions and famous for its natural beauty.
The path from here to Rifugio Elisabetta is super straightforward with little room for error. It’s almost sidewalk-like in its ease.
When you reach Lago Combal you can either go left straight on towards Rifugio Elisabetta or take the very cool detour on the right towards Cabane du Combal. I highly recommend the very cool detour.
Lago del Miage detour
If you take the very cool detour, head past the cabin and follow the signs to Lago del Miage. This beautiful detour takes you to the massive Miage glacier which you can check out up close and its turquoise heart-shaped glacial lake, Lago del Miage.
If you visit in the summer, the glacier will be hella volatile. You can hear chunks of it breaking off constantly. It’s extremely dangerous and there’s no lack of signage to warn you. Don’t be the idiots who climb on top of it for photos. For the love of god.
After your visit to the lake and glacier, double back all the way back to Lago Combal where you can continue on to Rifugio Elisabetta. Along this route you’ll see more glaciers, waterfalls, sweeping valelys, snow-capped mountains, and Alpine wildflowers a-plenty.
The hike up to Rifugio Elisabetta is a strenuous but rewarding one. The views from their patio are incredible and even better with a beer in hand. They also have snacks, full meals, and strong Italian coffee. You can also stop at Cabane du Combal on your way back for lunch, restrooms, and more coffee.
This is an out and back hike so just retrace your steps all the way back to the bus stop and back to Courmayeur.
Or take an e-bike
There’s also the option to ride an e-bike through Val Veny to Rifugio Elisabetta. This would be a great alternative if you’re simply over hiking but still want to see the beautiful valley, or if your’e short on time. And, they offer hotel pick-up and drop-off. Check out this Val Veny e-bike tour for more info.
Doing your laundry in Courmayeur
Yes, laundry. If you’re reading this because you’re currently hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc and you’re trying to figure out what to do with your rest day, start with laundry. Thankfully, there are two coin-operated laundromats in Courmayeur.
Lavanderia La Candida di Sogna Massimiliano
Lavanderia La Candida is just a 2-minute walk from the main bus station and center of Courmayeur. There are only a couple of washers and dryers so get here as early as you can. This is the one I’ve used and the machines were efficient and everything went smoothly. It’s a hole in the wall, but it works. No complaints.
Lava Più
If you’re staying on the southern end of Courmayeur, you can check out Lava Più (though it’s only a 15-minute walk from the main bus station). I don’t have any personal experience with this one, but it appears to have more machines and a place to fold your stuff, so that’s something.
Or, you can see my post on the best way to wash your clothes on the Tour du Mont Blanc with some great tips.
Explore Courmayeur, shop, & eat
This is Italy after all. One of the best things to do in Courmayeur is to simply enjoy the passeggiata–the nightly leisurely stroll through town. Courmayeur’s main streets offer tons of shopping and all kinds of great restaurants to enjoy. Grab a gelato and do some people-watching from the central square before sitting down to a fabulous meal.
While you’re out wandering Courmayeur’s historic center, you can look for:
Where to eat in Courmayeur
If you’re only taking a day trip to Courmayeur, you’ll have to make your Italian food choices wisely. After a couple of visits, here are the best places I can recommend to eat in Courmayeur.
Pizzeria La Remisa
Don’t let Pizzeria La Remisa’s location outside the Courmayeur bus station fool you; this place serves delicious and absolutely enormous pizzas.
The service is great (though don’t expect to hear any English) and the pizzas are good. They’re often the only place open when other eateries in Courmayeur are closed. (If you’ve ever been to Italy, you know what I’m talking about.)
Ristorante Ancien Casino
For a more traditional, sit-down meal, you could do a lot worse than Ristorante Ancien Casino. This small restaurant is right in the middle of town with indoor and outdoor seating that’s perfect on a day trip to Courmayeur in the summer.
The food, wine, service, people-watching (and puppy-watching) are all fantastic. I highly recommend the lasagna.
La Padella
Everything at La Padella is simply delizioso! The pizza, the pasta, the wine, the polenta, the desserts, just everything. (Yes, I’ve had all of this here.) Even the service! Such a fun atmosphere; highly recommend.
A few more options
Some other highly-rated restaurants in Courmayeur include:
Where to stay in Courmayeur
A day trip to Courmayeur is possible and perfect, but I highly recommend staying at least one night in Courmayeur. The city really wakes up around late afternoon and the town is beautiful at night. If you decide to stay, here are a few great hotel suggestions. (I’ve personally stayed at all three of these; detailed descriptions below.)
Hotel Crampon
My top hotel recommendation for Courmayeur is Hotel Crampon, by a long shot. This place and its staff are truly wonderful and I can’t say enough good things about it.
The quality rooms have modern amenities and fixtures with scenic balconies, private bathrooms, cable TV, and comfortable beds. The hotel itself is in the perfect location–just a couple minutes’ walk from the bus station, tourist office, grocery store, and laundromat.
The staff is some of the nicest and most helpful staff I’ve encountered on my trips and they went out of their way to help me one day.
But maybe my favorite part of Hotel Crampon is the breakfast. They offer a large buffet-style breakfast with fresh fruit, eggs, and meat, homemade pastries and jams, local honey, and delicious made-to-order coffee.
Book your room at Hotel Crampon here.
Fun Fact: This place is wholly charming and is run by the original family. This family, with their blacksmithing history, is known for inventing some special crampons (the spiky things you attach to your hiking boots in the winter) and what would be the first ice axes.
Hotel Berthod
On my July 2022 visit to Courmayeur, I stayed at Hotel Berthod and loved it. The rooms are nice and the location is perfect. And breakfast? Arguably the nicest hotel breakfast you’ve ever seen. Full buffet spread and beyond. Worth the stay right there.
This place is easy to walk to from anywhere in Courmayeur and I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again. (And the hundreds of positive reviews agree.)
Book your room at Hotel Berthod here.
Hotel Cristallo
On another visit to Courmayeur I stayed at Hotel Cristallo. This place is… fine. (I’d been spoiled by my stay at Hotel Crampon, but this one is perfectly acceptable.) It’s not as nice as the others and can definitely use an upgrade, but it was one of the only hotel rooms left in town and not overpriced so it was great.
Keep this one on the back burner, but I would instead first look at properties like:
But you can check out all available Courmayeur hotels here.
More info for your trip
Like this post? Have questions about a day trip to Courmayeur? Let me know in the comments below. Have fun in Italy!
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