Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Train -- Aosta is served by 13 trains a day to and from Turin (2 hr.); there are 11 trains a day to and from Milan (3 hr., with a change in Chivasso).

By Bus -- Aosta's bus station, across the piazza and a bit to the right from the train station, handles about eight buses (only one or two direct; most change in Ivrea) to and from Turin daily; the trip takes 3 hours (2 hr. on the direct). Four to five daily buses also connect Aosta and Milan (2 1/2-3 1/2 hr.). Buses also connect Aosta with other popular spots in the valley, among them Courmayeur, where you can connect to the Palud cable car and Cogne, a major gateway to the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso. For information, call tel. 0165-262-027.

By Car -- Autostrada A5 from Turin shoots up the length of the Valle d'Aosta en route to France and Switzerland via the Mont Blanc tunnel; there are numerous exits in the valley. The trip from Turin to Aosta normally takes about an hour, but traffic can be heavy in the busy tourist months -- especially in August, and from January through March, the height of the ski season.

Visitor Information

The tourist office in Aosta, Piazza Chanoux 2 (tel. 0165-236-627; www.regione.vda.it/turismo), dispenses a wealth of info on hotels, restaurants, and sights throughout the region, along with listings of campgrounds, maps of hiking trails, information about ski-lift tickets and special discounted ski packages, outlets for bike rentals, and rafting trips. It's open Monday through Saturday from 9am to 1pm and 2:30 to 8pm (closed Sun afternoons Oct-May).