Via Lattea – translated from Italian as “Milky Way” – is a collection of ski resorts in the southwestern Italian Alps that has been quietly building a reputation for itself over the previous few seasons. Between an array of 400km of pistes and excellent Italian hospitality, Olympic pedigree and easy access from nearby Turin, it now stands tall amongst the other mega-resorts of the Alps as a must-visit destination.
But there’s another feather in Via Lattea’s cap that has so far flown under the radar; just how brilliant it is to reach and ski by train. Direct connections to the Italian railway network at Oulx station serve nearby Turin and destinations as far away as Paris and Rome, providing really easy access from across Europe.
More than that, however, Via Lattea provides incentives via savings on lift pass prices that can make a huge impact on the cost of your ski holiday. Between the massive range of skiing available, the easy access to the resort, and the incentives available, Via Lattea is easily one of the Alps’ best resorts to ski by train.
The Resort
Via Lattea is a collection of ski resorts focused on the villages of Sauze d’Oulx and Sestriere but also including San Sicario, Cesana Torinese, Claviere, Bardonecchia, and, just across the border in France, Montgenevre. Together, they offer 400km of pistes and some seriously good off piste skiing.
The resort underwent a series of improvements for the Olympic games, which came to Turin, Sauze d’Oulx and Sestriere in 2006. The valley leading to the resort was opened up with the addition of a brand new motorway, and rail services to the region were enhanced. Plenty of accommodation was added in region, too, allowing all the athletes to stay in the region and later serve all the tourists coming to ski.
Both main resorts offer something very different. Sestriere was purpose-built in the 1960s, and still feels that way, but delivers exceptional skiing and brilliant off piste, through the trees or out in the open air amidst some of the highest skiing in the region. On the other side of the hill, Sauze d’Oulx focuses on a 15th century farming village, but opens up into a more modern collection of bars and hotels providing a choice between lively après or a more civilised sampling of the local (exceptional) wine varieties!
Sauze d’Oulx also features a Ski Club Rep, perfect for showing you the sights and sounds of the area. If only for the skiing and services available, Via Lattea is one of the Alps’ best resorts to ski by train!
Accessibility by Train
Here is where Via Lattea comes into its own. The nearby stations of Bardonecchia and Oulx, on the valley floor, are served by an array of direct train services from nearby Turin and across France & Italy.
Local services connect Turin Airport to the valley via Turin itself, providing a fast, frequent and relaxing way to make the transfer from airport to resort.
And for those travelling from further afield, there are multiple Frecchiarossa high speed trains to and from Turin and Milan, as well as destinations further afield such as Rome during the peak winter season.
Some of these trains start further afield including, critically, Paris; on winter Saturdays there are up to 10 trains a day starting in Paris and running direct to Turin, via Bardonecchia or Oulx. This means that London can be reached quickly and easily by train with a short, easy transfer across Paris, suddenly putting Via Lattea up there with Tignes, Les Arcs and Morzine as a bonafide ski-by-train destination.
From Oulx station, a dedicated shuttle bus, known as Via Lattea Link, takes skiers between the station and the main resorts of the area, or taxis are available to make the same journey in a little more peace and quiet. It could not be easier to ski Via Lattea by train from London, Paris, Milan or Rome!
N.B. At the time of writing this piece (8th October 2024) the railway between Turin and Paris is closed following a landslip nearly a year previously. Parts of the route have now opened, resulting in the rail replacement bus link being shorted considerably. SNCF – the French national rail operator – expect disruption to continue until “early 2025”. Skiing Unlocked hopes this won’t affect the imminent ski season!
Incentives
There are loads of good reasons to take the train to go skiing. It is more environmentally friendly, can be cheaper and quicker than flying, involves less transfers of people and luggage, and simply offers a relaxing alternative to the seemingly inevitable stress of flying.
But there is an added incentive to skiing Via Lattea by train rather than other destinations. If you arrive at Via Lattea by train, you can save between 20 and 25% on the cost of any multi-day lift pass. This means that, of a standard six day ski week, you can effectively ski for a day and a half for free. With the cost of skiing creeping ever higher, this is a huge bonus that is not to be sniffed at!
Add in the other cost savings that can come from skiing in Italy – my absolute favourite being cheap but still world-beating food – and this is a no brainer for a ski holiday that is easy on the wallet!
There are a couple of caveats to this. At the time of writing, (October 2024), Via Lattea have not confirmed what the savings on lift passes will be for this season – the 20-25% rate was last years rate, although we expect it to be very similar. Furthermore, these incentives are only available if you are signed up for one of the several loyalty programmes that Trenitalia (Italy’s national rail operation) run – you don’t have to reach any threshold with them, just sign up to be a member for free and book tickets including that loyalty scheme, so it is only a tiny bit of bureaucracy needed that can make world of difference to you holiday.
Final Thoughts
Via Lattea is of course not the only resort to offer incentives to those skiing by train – Morzine and Les Arcs offer similar. But Via Lattea’s other benefits, and the scale of the incentives available, make it a stand out favourite to be one of the Alps’ best destinations to ski by train.
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