Courmayeur sits at the foot of Mont Blanc on the Italian side, a compact and attractive Alpine resort that draws weekend crowds from Milan and Turin. It is one of the most fashionable ski towns in the Val d'Aosta, though its appeal has at least as much to do with the setting, the restaurants, and the nightlife as with the skiing itself.
The slopes are limited in size and difficulty — a keen skier will cover them in a day. But the off-piste terrain and glacier descents on the Mont Blanc massif are spectacular, and the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car rises to 3,466 metres at Punta Helbronner with views that take in the full western Alpine arc. The Mont Blanc Tunnel connects Courmayeur directly to Chamonix on the French side, making it easy to ski or explore both resorts.
In summer, Courmayeur is a base for hiking and climbing in the Mont Blanc range. The Tour du Mont Blanc, one of Europe's great long-distance trails, passes through, and the two lateral valleys — Val Veny to the south-west and Val Ferret to the north-east — offer outstanding day hikes. The Pré-Saint-Didier thermal baths, five kilometres down the valley, are a favourite way to end a day in the mountains.
The town centre on Via Roma is pedestrianised, lined with cafes and boutiques, and genuinely pleasant for an evening passeggiata. The Museo Alpino Duca degli Abruzzi in the centre covers the mountaineering history of the massif from the earliest ascents onwards.