5 Days in Bormio

The Bormio-Bormio 2000 gondola is an 8-seater, 2.4 km long, climbing 741 m from the edge of town to 1,952 m. The Stelvio Olympic Ski Center, the new building at the foot of the Stelvio, and the ticket office are next door, and the tourist board's information point is in the same building.

Take the 4-day pass online and collect the key card here: the pass price is dynamic and the best deals go early. Bring ID if you are buying a junior or senior ticket, because the operator accepts no self-certification.

This 8-seater is the main way up from town, so expect a queue in the Christmas and Carnival weeks. Be at the bottom when it opens (8.30 on the operator's list) rather than around 9.00, or take the ski bus to Santa Caterina or Cima Piazzi on those days.

Bormio 2000 is a base at 1,952 m with the cable car to Cima Bianca, the Ciuk chair and the Cimino chair. For the first morning take the 4-seater Cimino chair, 1.9 km long, which rises 687 m to 2,640 m. The runs back down are red and intermediate, wide enough to find your legs before the steeper work.

Bormio has 30 slopes by the operator's count (10 blue, 13 red and 7 black), about 50 km. The blues and the training camps are near Bormio 2000, so a mixed group can split here and meet for lunch.

The Stelvio starts near the arrival of the Cimino chair at about 2,255 m and runs down Monte Vallecetta to the finish stadium at 1,268 m, about 3.2 km with a drop of just under 1,000 m. Its steepest pitch is about 60 percent, and racers jump the San Pietro at more than 140 km/h with a flight of over 40 m. It opened in 1982, hosted the 1985 World Championships, and Dominik Paris has won more downhills on it than anyone.

We could not confirm that the public can ski the course itself: the operator publishes no access rule, so ask at the Bormio 2000 ticket office before you plan a day around it. The Carcentina, an icy and bumpy diagonal across the slope, is the passage racers fear most.

Bormio 2000 has a cluster of lodges and the operator lists most of them: the Chiosco da Michele has pizzoccheri, canederli and polenta plus sandwiches, the Hotel Cedrone and the Hotel Girasole have a terrace and Valtellina dishes, and the Cedrone also has a pizzeria and a children's area. Order the pizzoccheri, the local buckwheat pasta baked with potatoes, cabbage and Valtellina Casera cheese, or a polenta taragna.

Skip the hotel-restaurant formal lunch unless you are done for the day: a long meal here costs you the late light on the Stelvio side.

The afternoon belongs to the Ciuk, the lower mountain at 1,638 m with the 4-seater Ciuk-Laghetti chair and the Pian dei Larici chair at 2,252 m. This is where the Stelvio passes the Prati del Ciuk, the meadows near the bottom of the course.

The last run to town ends at the stadium at the foot of the gondola. The operator also lists two apres spots in this part of the mountain, the Ciuk Apres Ski at the Ciuk and the Bewhite bar at the bottom of the gondola, which is the easy place to end a ski day. The Baita de Mario at the Ciuk is a hotel restaurant with a large terrace, good for a late lunch if you took the early run.

Bormio hosted all five men's alpine events of the 2026 Winter Olympics on the Stelvio, which Olympic organisers called the Stelvio Ski Centre: the downhill on 7 February, the team combined on 9 February, the super-G on 11 February, the giant slalom on 14 February and the slalom on 16 February. Franjo von Allmen of Switzerland won the downhill, with Giovanni Franzoni of Italy second and Dominik Paris third. The Games also gave ski mountaineering its Olympic debut here on 19 and 21 February.

What was built is mostly at the finish. The Stelvio Olympic Ski Center, built at the foot of the slope with a family lounge and a hospitality lounge, is meant to stay as a venue for sporting events after the Games. The Stelvio also got a new snowmaking system and a storage reservoir up the mountain. Bormio is due to host the opening ceremony and the alpine events of the 2028 Winter Youth Olympic Games. The operator says two new lifts are planned from the 2027/28 season, and a four-seater to replace the Pian dei Larici chair, so the 2026/27 lift map is the old one.

Piazza Cavour is the heart of the old town and was the Live Site of the Olympics, with concerts every day of the Games. The Kuerc is on the square, a covered meeting hall from the 14th century where the town's assembly met and justice was done. The Collegiata church faces it.

Order a plate of bresaola della Valtellina, air-dried beef sliced thin, with a glass of local red from the Nebbiolo grapes grown on the terraced slopes of the valley. The tourist board suggests it as the aperitivo of the valley. For dinner, the Osteria dei Magri in the old town is open on Monday evening, 19.00 to 22.00; book ahead.

The Bormio 2000-Cima Bianca cable car is 3.3 km long and rises 1,067 m to 3,020 m, the highest point on the pass. The tourist board says you can be at the top in about 20 minutes from the town, via the gondola and the cable car. The operator lists the cable car running 8.45 to 16.30, so the last descent from the top is not a late-afternoon plan.

From the top the choice is the big red runs down to Bormio 2000. Bormio Ski quotes 1,817 m of vertical from Cima Bianca to the valley, one of the biggest drops in Lombardy.

The Valbella-Bormio 3000 chair is a 4-seater, 1.8 km long, with a 485 m climb to 3,012 m, and it serves the high bowl that gives Bormio its altitude. The Jungle snowpark and its drag lift are at 2,029 m.

Ski the red runs under the chair first and judge the snow before you commit to the black ones. The Jungle snowpark is here too, if the group includes a rider.

The highest restaurant of the area is the Heaven 3000 on the Bormio 3000 terrace at 3,012 m. The operator describes traditional Valtellina dishes and a panoramic terrace, and the tourist board suggests a plate of pizzoccheri here. It also sells a lift-and-lunch package online.

If the weather is poor, drop to Bei Laghetti at 2,050 m, at the edge of the forest, for pizzoccheri, sciatt and malfatti, or to the Chalet La Rocca at 2,166 m for pizza and a sun terrace.

Bormio has two marked freeride spots, the Vallone and the Skiers' Spot, and the operator says to go off-piste with a mountain guide or a ski instructor. Check the avalanche bulletin from ARPA Lombardia the evening before, and carry a beacon, a backpack, a probe and a shovel. At Bormio 2000 there is an ARTVA check point where you can test your beacon.

The rules are firm: the pass can be withdrawn for leaving the signed runs, and the operator forbids climbing on the slopes.

The long descent is why Bormio is respected. From the top of Cima Bianca to the valley the drop is about 1,800 m, and the last section follows the ski way down to the gondola base station. The bottom is the lowest point on the pass, at about 1,225 m, so in March and April and in any dry or warm spell it is the part that thins first. The pass site's snow report gives town, 2,000 m and 3,000 m separately: read the town figure and ask at the top before you go.

Make it the last long run of the day, with a break at Bormio 2000 to rest your legs and daylight to spare, not the last lift of the afternoon.

Amaro Braulio is the bitter liqueur of Bormio, made from 13 herbs and aged in oak. It was created in 1875 by Francesco Peloni, the son of the town's pharmacist. The cellars lie under Via Roma 27, five levels down, with 319 Slavonian oak barrels in about 1,600 square metres.

From 1 December the English tour is on Tuesday at 18.00, which is why this plan starts on a Monday, and the Italian tours are on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. It lasts about 50 minutes, ends with a tasting and must be booked online. Children under 8 are not recommended, and the many stairs are not for anyone with mobility problems.

The ski bus is free for Bormio Skipass holders and picks up from your holiday address. The Santa Caterina-Plaghera gondola is an 8-seater, 1.4 km long, to 2,123 m, and the second gondola, the Plaghera-Sobretta-Vallalpe, is 2 km long and reaches 2,725 m. The Paradiso chairlift is the other lift at the village. There are ticket offices at the bottom of both.

The village is at about 1,738 m and the area has 8 lifts and 16 slopes over 35 km, by the operator's count. It is part of the Stelvio National Park.

The Deborah Compagnoni is a 3.7 km black run named after the village's Olympic champion. It hosted the women's races of the 2005 World Championships, and the men's World Cup downhill was moved here for three seasons from 2014. It also opens for night skiing: last winter on three Sundays, from 20.00 to 23.00, for 20 EUR, but 2026/27 dates are not published.

The run suits a confident skier. The other black is the 1.6 km Adler. The reds are easier.

The Vallalpe chair, a 4-seater with a 338 m climb, tops the area at 2,880 m. Under it are the Vallalpe and Del Sole reds. The long red runs are the Dell'Alpe at 2.9 km and the Cevedale at 2.7 km, both easy to link and good for moderate skiers who want a mileage day. Eleven of the 16 slopes are red.

The area is open and sunny, and the Sunny Valley lodge is a short ride from the gondola. The tourist board calls the slopes snow-sure.

Sunny Valley is the area's lodge at about 2,700 m, built from Lapland spruce (kelo) and local stone, a 15-minute ride from the village gondola. It has two restaurants: a steakhouse that grills over wood in the open and a gourmet restaurant that pairs Valtellina cooking with new ideas. It is also the base for the ski-under-the-stars events.

For a plain lunch, a hut with pizzoccheri or polenta taragna does the job. Sunny Valley is the choice when you want a long meal in the sun.

The village is a short main street along a stream, the base for the Stelvio National Park. In summer it is a gateway for hikers, and in winter it has the cross-country trail at Parco Isola, a ski school, three schools and a Rossignol rental and depot shop at the bottom of the lifts.

Allow time before the last bus. Valfurva is also where the Forni Glacier, the largest valley glacier in Italy, lies in the park. It is a hiking or ski-touring goal rather than a stop on a ski day.

Bormio Terme is the spa in the middle of town, opened in the 1920s, with indoor and outdoor pools, saunas, steam rooms and a 60 m slide for children. The operator announces Wednesday evening opening until 22.00 from 7 October and does not say when it ends, which makes it a natural ending to this day if it still runs when you come. The wellness area is open 10.00 to 20.00 on other days and everything is closed on Tuesdays, except Tuesday 8 December. There is no minimum age.

The water comes from the same springs as the older baths and is recognised for its curative properties. The Bistrot inside serves drinks and light food.

The Isolaccia-Pian de la Mota gondola is an 8-seater, 1.6 km long, with a 653 m climb to about 2,000 m. A large car park stands at the bottom, but the free ski bus is easier. The lifts open from 8.30 to 16.45 on the 2026/27 map, and the sector is open from 19 December.

Cima Piazzi has 25 km of pistes by the operator's count and, by its own account, a quieter atmosphere than busier resorts.

The runs here are broad and wooded: Cunalta, Dei Cembri, Rododendri, Ginepro, Doss Alt, Palancana and Costa Rossa, plus the Campo Scuola and the Animal Fun Slope for first turns. Palancana and Masucco are drag lifts and the long ones are the Dei Caprioli at 1.8 km and Cunalta at about 1 km.

The 2026/27 map shows a new Family Park, the Kingdom of the Animals, near the top, and a Family Bob. A children's playground for ages 3 to 12, with two magic carpets, sits by the top station.

The Ristoro Conca Bianca is at the top of the gondola, and the operator lists it with the other lifts. Order a bowl of barley soup, the filling soup of the valley, or a plate of polenta taragna, made with cornmeal, buckwheat, butter and Valtellina Casera cheese.

The tourist board lists barley soup among the valley's staples. It is the right lunch after a cold morning.

San Colombano is the second half of the sector, linked ski-on with Valdidentro. The chairs are the 2-seat La Rossa-San Colombano and Forte Tade and the 4-seat Le Motte-Dossaccio, which starts at Le Motte above Oga. Oga is a village at about 1,474 m, and a second car park serves this side.

The Forte Venini at Oga is a First World War fort, and the tourist board said it was closed for restoration. Check before you plan a visit.

The Ristoro Rododendri is a family-run lodge at La Rocca at 2,166 m, on the Bormio side. The operator sells a dinner package with snowmobile transport online. The Chalet La Rocca next door is a restaurant and pizzeria that holds events and DJ sets in winter.

Dates and prices were not published at the time of writing. If you would rather stay in town, note that the Osteria dei Magri is closed on Thursdays; the Vecchia Combo is the alternative, but its hours vary by source, so call first.

The Bagni Vecchi cling to the slope of Monte Reit, and the tourist board says they have been in use for more than two thousand years. They are mentioned by Pliny the Elder. In the Middle Ages the women used the medieval baths and the men the Roman ones, and a hostel run by monks stood beside them. The 19th century added the Imperial Baths and the San Martino cave, a natural sweat cave.

Expect pools and hot tubs in the Roman, Medieval, Imperial and Archduchess' baths, the San Martino sweat cave, a natural sauna carved into the rock, and a panoramic infinity pool over the valley. It is a quiet spa, not a splash park, so there are no children under 14. The pass site lists a Ski + spa offer: ask about it at the ticket office.

The Fonte Pliniana is a spring that flows from Monte Reit, in the park between the Bagni Nuovi and the Bagni Vecchi. A small grotto has been built around it, and the spring is open to the public. People once drank from it for their health. It is a short walk of about 400 m from the Bagni Vecchi.

The Bagni Nuovi, the other QC Terme bath house, is the one to choose if you prefer a Belle Époque building and a park to a cave: the Art Nouveau house dates from the early 20th century, though the Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi first opened in 1836, and the park has panoramic pools and a sauna in a tree house. It stands in Premadio, about 3 km from the centre of Bormio.

Back in the old town, Piazza Cavour has a medieval clock tower, the Collegiata church and the Kuerc, the covered hall where the town met and justice was done. Each winter the mat, the town's madmen, elect a mock mayor here at carnival time, who reads out the town's gossip and complaints for a day. The tradition goes back to the 15th century.

Beyond the square, the streets have painted façades, wooden doors, fountains and washtubs.

The Collegiata dei Santi Gervasio e Protasio is mentioned in documents as early as the year 803. A fire in 1621, set by a Spanish army, led to the 17th-century rebuilding that gives the church its look, and inside are a polychrome wooden Lamentation and canvases by local artists. The San Vitale oratory, from 1196, is Romanesque and has 14th-century frescoes on its façade.

Then walk into the Combo, one of the five old quarters of the town, for the quiet side streets.

The Museo Civico is in Palazzo De Simoni, on Via Buon Consiglio 25, locally called the castle. The official site gives opening hours from 2 January to 15 April: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 15.30 to 18.30, Thursday also 10.30 to 12.30, Sunday 10.30 to 12.30. A full ticket is 5 EUR.

It is a small museum and an hour is enough. It pairs well with the afternoon in the old town.

If you missed the English tour on Tuesday, the Italian tour runs on Friday at 18.00 from the Braulio store at Via Roma 27. Book it online. The store sells the bottles.

The other local digestif is Taneda, made from flowers that grow on the mountainside. Ask for both after dinner.

The Osteria dei Magri is on Vicolo Galileo Galilei 1 in the old town. It cooks Valtellina food alongside Sardinian dishes: pizzoccheri, polenta taragna, raw seafood, culurgiones and valley game. It is open on Friday from 19.00 to 22.00, closed on Thursday, and it asks for bookings by phone or WhatsApp.

The owners' page does not say whether it keeps these hours in the 2026/27 season, so call ahead. If the table is full, the Vecchia Combo on Piazza del Santuario 4 is a traditional alternative, but its hours differ by source.