If you are just a beginner or an intermediate, then do not miss visiting the Cortina d’Ampezzo ski resort in Italy. Regarded as among the most important, famous, and fashionable ski resorts in Italy, it has also been the part of many James Bond movies. This site is also the home of the famous slopes of Stratofane where a world cup ski race is held each year. Perched at the altitude of 1225 m, Cortina d’Ampezzo is situated on a wide meadow in the Ampezzo valley flanked by the rocky and snowy mountains. In summer, the ski hills of winter adjust itself to offer breathtaking hiking grounds and climbing paths dominated by the cliff faces and peaks.

Cortina is famous for its Italian-style winter sports, tasty food, plenty of hang outs, sunbathing, and great skiing. There are three ski areas of which the two main ski areas offer 60 and 90 km of slopes. The highest lift is of 2930 m, while the lowest lift is of 1050 m. The great vertical drop is 1882 m. There are 101 slopes offering 140 km of runs, which are distributed as follows – Beginner: 33 %, Intermediate: 62 %, and Advanced: 5 %. If you love cross-country skiing, Cortina offers 58 km of trails dedicated to such a thrilling sport. For the beginners, the Pocol and Socrepes areas are famous; while the experienced ones head to the areas of Cinque Torri and Faloria.

Speaking about the Cortina d’Ampezzo lift system, there are 6 cable cars, 29 chair lifts, and 16 surface lifts with the capacity to offer 55,650 rides per hour.

Season

28th November to 18th April

Activities/Features

• Alpine Skiing

• Ski-tours (Skipass Cortina)
• Ski Schools and rentals

• Ski, Snowboard, Cross-country ski tuitions
• Ski mountaineering and off-piste tuitions
• Equipment rentals
• Cross-country skiing
• Gis Cortina (facilities management)
• Fiames Sport Nordic Center
• Skiing on powder snow, ski mountaineering Snowshoeing
• Sledging

• On-ice skating, curling, ice-boldering

• Swimming-pool
• Gym
• Tennis
• Freeride, Extreme skiing

Distance from Other Cities

• 162 km from Venice
• 432 km from Milan
• 692 km from Rome
• 165 km from Innsbruck
• 1.320 km from Calais
• 44 km from the Austrian frontier
• 72 km from A27-Belluno motorway
• 87 km from A22-Bressanone motorway

Accommodations

Cortina is adorned with many luxury hotels, two-star, and four-star hotels along with many cosy B&Bs in its periphery. Among the plush hotel options, the most famous ones are the Cristallo and the Miramonti Majestic, which are five-star hotels. But, if you have a strict budget, you need not worry; there are many smaller and mid-range options. In the list of four-star hotels, the most comfortable and airy hotel is the Alaska located in the heart of the town. There are a few two-star and three-star hotels, but with no restaurants.

Head out of the town where you will encounter many B&B’s owned and run by families. I am sure you will love home cooking and a relaxed experience. If you are not coming here in peak season, but with a car; I would suggest a remote site. This would eliminate the bus constraints, traffic jams, and parking problem.

Reaching Cortina

The nearest main airport is Venice (VEN), Italy. So, you can even consider visiting this religious city of Pope to obtain some blessings. Formerly a train line through Cortina to Dobbiacco to the north is now a big cross country ski route. So, now the close by train stations are Dobbiaco and Calalzo di Cadore located at a distance of 32 km (20 miles) from Cortina. After alighting at the stations, you need to catch a bus that is regularly available to reach Cortina. Another close by station is Calalzo to the south at a distance of 35 km. By road, Venice is the ideal city that offers daily bus service. From Venice, it takes 2 hours to reach Cortina after covering 160 km (98 miles). Even from Milan, the road option is available that consumes four to five hours.

From north, you can travel from Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, and Klagenfurt – the closest.