Breuil-Cervinia: the back story

About Breuil-Cervinia: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Ski Resorts Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Breuil-Cervinia sits at 2,050 metres at the foot of the Matterhorn, which the Italians call the Cervino or the Gran Becca. Its lifts climb to Plateau Rosà at 3,480 metres on the Swiss border, and from there you can ski down into Zermatt, or take the Ventina all the way home.

Under the Gran Becca

Breuil-Cervinia is a modern resort at 2,050 metres in the Aosta Valley, at the foot of the Matterhorn’s south face. Because the whole area is so high, the lift company opens in October and closes in May: the 2026/27 season runs from 24 October 2026 to 2 May 2027 in Breuil-Cervinia, and from 28 November 2026 to 25 April 2027 in Valtournenche.

The Ventina and the border

From Plateau Rosà, at 3,480 metres on the Swiss border, the Ventina runs 11 km down to Cervinia, falling about 1,430 metres. Breuil-Cervinia and Valtournenche share 157 km of runs, and the Cime Bianche Laghi–Plateau Rosà cable car and the Bontadini chairlift link them to Zermatt. Since 1 July 2023, the Matterhorn Glacier Ride II has completed the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing, so you can travel between the two resorts by cable car, without skis, over the highest border crossing in the Alps.

Three valleys and two nations: Breuil-Cervinia, Valtournenche and Zermatt, skied without taking off your skis.

A resort renewing itself

In October 2025 the lift company looked ahead to its 90th anniversary. ‘Cervino – The One’, a new lift to link the village with Plateau Rosà and modernise the Plan Maison stations, is the next big project: work was due to begin in the 2025/26 season. The area is part of the Ikon Pass, and the quieter villages of Chamois, reached only by cable car, and sunny Torgnon belong to the same Cervino Ski Paradise.

Every budget

Next to the five-star resorts, the Aosta Valley tourist board lists family-run three-star hotels, some with saunas, and self-service restaurants on the slopes. The Winter Promo 2026/27 gives 30% off a 4- to 7-day pass for stays of four nights or more at participating hotels, booked direct, in the First Tracks period to 4 December 2026 and the Last Tracks period in spring.

Our advice: ski the Ventina early, while the snow is firm, carry your passport for days in Zermatt, and check the Alpine Crossing’s maintenance closure from 7 January to 26 February 2027 before planning a cable-car trip.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Breuil-Cervinia: the back story before you go.