Aosta Travel Guide

This travel guide is filled with tips on how to plan your perfect holidays in Aosta Valley and the Mont Blanc, located in the Italian Alps. This region is famous for being surrounded by the highest mountains in Europe, glorious ski resorts, panoramic views, secluded hiking trails, Roman ruins and Medieval castles, sophisticated cuisine and the most delicious wine. Aosta Valley is rich in history, snowy or greeny spaces with plenty of opportunities to be off the beaten track.

What to Visit in Aosta

Aosta Valley (Valle d’Aosta) is the smallest region in the northwest Italy. It’s located at the roots of the Alps and borders with France and Switzerland.

Aosta is a small town and the capital of Aosta Valley, located inside the small valley and surrounded by the Alps. You can say, Aosta is the town where houses are built on the slopes of the mountains.

This charming Italian city covers the area of 21,37 square km with the population of 34,000 people. Aosta is roughly 115 km from Turin and 185 km from Milan. It’s on the motorway (A5) connecting Turin and the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

Don’t leave Aosta without seeing:

1. Mont Blanc
2. Pila
3. La Thuile
4. Courmayeur
5. Cervinia
6. Livigno
7. Monte Rosa
8. Matterhorn
9. Grand Paradiso
10. Gran Paradiso National Park
11. Mont Avic Regional Park
12. Lillaz Waterfalls
13. Aosta Town
14. Roman Theatre
15. Pre Saint Didier Thermal Spa
16. Terme di Saint-Vincent

Read more: What to See and Do in Aosta Valley

Hiking in Aosta Valley

Some of the best hiking trails in Aosta Valley are found in the Gran Paradiso National Park. When in the area, you should visit the valleys such as the Soana, Orco, Cogne, Rhemes and Valsavareche. The more experience climbers should try reaching the summits of the Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, Matterhorn and Grand Paradiso.

Read more: Best Hiking Trails with The Mont Blanc View

Where to Stay in Aosta

If you want to stay in Aosta Valley, you can choose one of the the main cities like Aosta, Ayas – Champoluc, Cervinia, Cogne, Courmayeur, Fort Bard, Gressoney, Rhemes – Notre – Dame, La Thuile, aPont – Saint – Martin, Saint – Vincent. If you choose Aosta, which is a small yet charming city, it’s recommended you stay at the lovely chalets, B&Bs or the hotels such as:

• Le Reve Charmant
• B&B Al Nabuisson
• Hotel Milleluci

Read more: Top Ski Resorts and Hotels in Aosta Valley.

What to Eat in Aosta

The fact is, Aosta is located in the north of Italy and the typical cuisine is different from the rest of the country. Because it’s surrounded by the mountains where winters are really cold, pasta is not considered the main dish in the region. Instead, there is a lot of hearty cuisine like filling starches, rich dairy products, warming soups, polenta, black bread, gnocchi, rice and potatoes, risotto, cheese and salami. The traditional dishes to try in Aosta:

• d’Anard Lard – shoulder pork lard
• Ham – Prosciutto Crudo Saint Marcel, Jambon de Bosses
• Local cheese – Fontina, Toma Italiana, Fromadzo, Salignon
• Polenta Concia – polenta mixed with butter and fontina
• Fonduta – cheese melted in a pot with croutons
• Crespelle alla Valdostana – crepes filled with Fontina, ham and mushroom, backed in béchamel sauce
• Seupa alla Vapelenentse – layers of bread, cheese and cabbage simmered in beef stock, oven soup dish
• Polenta alla Rascard – sliced corn meal mush layered with beef and sausage ragout and fontina cheese
• Risotto alla Valdostana – local cheese and rice in a creamy sauce
• Seupa di Gri – veggie barley soup with salt pork
• Capriolo alla Valdostana – venison and veggie stew with herb and grappa sauce
• Carbonade – beef stew served with polenta
• Fish – trout fish stuffed with ham and topped with fontina
• Local wine – Torrette, Blanc de Morgex, Valle d’Aosta
• Genepi – herbal liqueur

Read more: Traditional Italian Food and Best Restaurants in Aosta Valley.

How to Get Around Aosta

To be honest, Aosta is a small town and everything can be reached on foot. If you want to travel to the ski resorts around the Aosta Valley, it’s best to use a bus, train or rent a car. Once there, the best option to get to the top of the mountains is taking a cable car.

Aosta Travel Guide – Cost and Budget

The truth is the Italian Alps can be a bit pricey. If you’re backpacking Aosta, your daily travel budget should be around £75. That’s assuming you stay in the hostel, eat basic food such as pizza, soups or polenta, use public transport and see the main attractions around Aosta town.

If you travel Aosta on the mid – range budget, your daily cost should be £115. That allows you to stay in nice hotel on the slopes of the mountains, dine in the restaurants (gnocchi, rice and potato, risotto, cheese and salami), use the cable cars for Pila, La Thuile and Mont Blanc and book daily or weekly ski lift passes around Aosta Valley.

If you want luxury in Aosta, be ready to spend between £195 to £235 a day. On this budget, you will be able to stay in the luxury ski resorts on the top of the Italian Alps, indulge in fine dining with plenty of wine to go, use taxis a lot and book private ski lessons in Pila.

Aosta Travel Guide – Best Time to Visit

The best time to hike Aosta Valley (Mont Everest) is summer from June and September. Those months bring a warm sunny weather with average temperatures between 21°C and 25°C. Trekking the Alps in summer is easier but changeable weather around the mountains often brings rain.

If you want to visit the Italian Alps in winter, the best time for skiing is between November and March. Those months bring the freezing weather with the average low temperatures between -4°C to 5°C. Winter in Aosta gets really snowy and it’s great for tourist going skiing, snowboarding or simply enjoying the white scenery around the mountains.

Spring in Aosta runs from March to May and brings mild temperatures between 14°C to 22°C. Climbing the Italian Alps in spring may be dangerous as the melting snow may cause the avalanches above a thousand meters. Autumn in Aosta is from September to November with daily temperatures between 11°C and 21°C. The weather is a mixture of rain and snow in the higher parts of the mountains.

Aosta Travel Guide – Average Monthly Temperatures

Aosta is the hottest in summer from June to August. Those months bring the average temperatures between 25°C and 27°C with July being the hottest. Summer in Aosta is both, hot and rainy (humid) and that’s because it lies in the middle of the mountains causing the weather to change quickly. In contrast, Aosta is the coldest in winter from December to February. Those months bring the freezing temperatures between -2°C and -4°C with January being the coldest.

Aosta Travel Guide – Average Monthly Precipitation

Aosta sees a lot of rain and snow throughout the year. In fact, the valley is the wettest (and most humid) during summer from June to August. The month when it rains the most is August with roughly twelve days of showers. On the other hand, the snow can be found in Aosta between October and April but the month when it snows the most is January (twenty days).

Aosta Travel Guide – Practical Information

This part of my travel guide is full of tips on what to expect during your holidays in Aosta. For more information on language and local time, religion, electricity plug, internet, currency, visa, safety and health matters in Aosta, just follow my clues below.

Population and Language – Aosta is the capital of Aosta Valley region with around 34,361 people living in it. The official language is Italian and most people in Aosta, except for the elderly, speak English well.

Religion – Most people in Aosta belong to the Roman Catholic Church.

Local Time – There is 1 time zone in Aosta: UTC+1 hours.

Electricity – Aosta runs on 230V voltage. There is 50Hz and the plug type C, F and L. Getting an adapter is recommended.

Internet – The internet in Aosta is available pretty much everywhere. The free Wi-Fi connections is offered in most hotels, restaurants and many public places. There are many hotspots around the city run by WiFiMetropolitano. It’s recommended to buy a cheap sim card and mobile internet on arrival. Best prepaid sim cards in Rome are: Tim, Vodafone, Wind and Tre (3).

Money and Currency in Aosta

Money – There are several ATMs you can use in Aosta. Most of them will let you withdraw your many for a standard fee. Visa, MasterCard, Eurocard, Cirrus Debit or Credit Cards are accepted. Having some cash is always advisable.

Currency – The official currency in Aosta is Euro (€) (EUR).

Visa Requirements for Aosta

Visa – EU citizens don’t need visas to travel to Aosta, Italy. There is the Schengen Zone Area that allows free travel with no passport or border control. The UK left the EU on 31st of January 2020 meaning the UK citizens can spend up to 90 days within the Schengen Area (during any 180 day period). Valid ID document is required. If you are coming from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Americas you don’t need to worry about obtaining the visa, assuming you don’t stay longer than 90 days. Your passport needs to be valid for at least 6 months before your travels.

Safety in Aosta

Safety Travelling in Aosta is really safe if you take the precautions. In case of troubles, there is the Police Station located west to the city center.

Emergency Numbers – In Aosta dialing 112 will connect you to the emergency services free of charge. The numbers for each emergency services in Aosta are: Police – 113, Fire – 115, Medical Services – 118.

Health and Travel Vaccinations in Aosta

Health – Traveling to Rome in Italy requires no vaccinations. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that everyone is covered for the diphtheria, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and polio, hepatitis A, hepatitis B regardless of their destination.