Cervinia

Cervinia sits at over 2,000m on the sunny Italian side of the Matterhorn, giving it long, reliable snow and some of the longest cruising runs in the Alps. It links over the top to Zermatt, so you can ski into Switzerland for lunch.

Who skis free, and who rides free. A child born after 31 October 2018 gets a pass of the same duration as the accompanying adult's, at no cost, across the whole of Cervino Ski Paradise. At the other end of the scale, anybody born before 1 November 1946 goes free on production of identity, on the daily pass as well as the Explore Pass. Both come out of the winter 2026/27 tariff rather than being carried over, so they are safe to put in writing.

The playpark at Cretaz. A castle structure flying Matterhorn flags, with slides and forts around it, at the foot of the Cretaz chairlift. Nothing to book and nothing to pay, and it is the one place in the village where small children can be turned loose without a ticket. It sits immediately next to the paid Kid Zone Fun Park and the two are separate things.

The two snowshoe routes that need no lift. Five marked snowshoe routes are published here and three of them start where the lifts drop you. The other two do not. The Lago di Loz loop is 3.7 km with two hundred and twenty seven metres of climb, starting either from the hamlet of Losanche or from the gondola car park, and it is the quietest of the set. The Plan du Bois route starts from Plan du Bois itself.

The free winter ski bus. Two of the four bus lines in the valley are free winter services rather than ticketed ones: the Green line up to Cime Bianche and the Light Blue line, which is the ski bus proper. Neither wants a ticket, a guest card or a pass. The other two, the Blue trunk route down the valley to Valtournenche and Châtillon and the Violet up to Cielo Alto, are paid and cheap.

The snowshoe routes off the top. Three of the five marked routes start at a lift station. The Rifugio Teodulo route runs 4.5 km from Plan Maison up to three thousand three hundred and thirty metres and crosses pistes on the way, which is worth knowing before setting off. Plan Maison to Fornet to Cime Bianche Laghi is 6 km and tops out at two thousand eight hundred and twelve, and it is the gentler of the two. 20 to 50 euros.

Dog sledding at Avouil. The standard outing runs fifty five minutes all in, fifteen of briefing and forty on the sled, over about four kilometres. The detail worth knowing is who drives: adults take their own sled behind three or four dogs, children of nine and over who weigh under forty kilos drive their own behind two, and the three to eights ride as passengers with the instructor. The premium version is an hour and twenty over about five kilometres, run as a private sunset group. Over 50 euros.

Snowmobiles, including after dark. Two seat machines on groomed marked routes with a guide at the front and another at the back, running from mid December to the twentieth of April. What makes it unusual is the hours: ten in the morning until midnight, so this is one of the very few things here that works as an evening rather than an afternoon. There is an option to stop at a baita and eat. Price on request.

All 13 picks for Cervinia, dining included, live in the Ski Snug app.

Turin is about two hours away, with Geneva a similar distance on the far side of the mountain.