Italian Alps - Walking in the Aosta Valley

It’s a tour designed to make the mountains accessible to a wider range of walkers and not only those with extensive alpine hiking experience. You don’t need to be an experienced hiker, but you should be in good physical condition and sure-footed.

The terrain is a mixture of mountain and forest paths, where there are short sections that are a bit steeper.

There is varied terrain with ascents and descents.

This tour is graded easy to moderate. Within the tour individual days may vary in difficulty - some might be a bit tougher or easier than the overall rating suggests.

Accommodation is a hand-picked mix of small hotels, guest houses and B&Bs, offering a warm welcome, traditional hospitality and delicious local food and drink. En suite rooms are booked as standard - if these aren't available at a particular stop we may book a room with shared facilities, but we'll always let you know in advance.

We'll always try to place you at the accommodations in your itinerary. On the rare occasion we need to use an alternative location, we'll let you know before confirming your booking, and you can either adjust your travel dates or we can arrange a taxi transfer to and from the alternative accommodation (a supplement applies).

We'd recommend adding an extra night or two in Aosta, where there's plenty to see and do.

Yes, solo travelers are very welcome. There will be a supplement because some costs, like transfers, aren't shared. Or if you'd like to book a single room, just ask. These are available for a supplement.

A light continental breakfast is included each morning. Lunch and dinner aren't included, but you'll find plenty of options at your hotel or nearby restaurants, and your accommodation can often provide a packed lunch on request if you ask on arrival.

Local food in this part of Northern Italy is influenced by its neighboring countries, so alongside excellent Italian wines and cheeses you'll find pastries and bread reminiscent of France, and hearty sausages and stews similar to those found in Germany. Look out for regional specialities such as matured Toma di Gressoney cheese melted over polenta, and Jambon de Bosses, a cured ham matured in hay at altitude and flavored with local herbs and spices.

This tour can be walked from late April to late June, and again from early September to early November - you can start on any day within these windows. July and August can get very hot, so we don't recommend travelling during the height of summer.

Early booking is recommended to secure the best accommodation during the peak spring and autumn periods - if availability is tight, we may need some flexibility on your dates or itinerary, and a supplement may apply for alternate accommodation.

Spring (April to June) is a lovely time to visit, with most wildflowers blooming in May. Autumn (September and October) brings a striking gold and red landscape. Winter weather starts to arrive from late October, bringing fewer visitors and crisp, quiet trails. We'd recommend checking the local weather forecast each day before setting out - your accommodation hosts are usually well informed and happy to help.

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation each day and moved onto your overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg/44lbs per person.

Please note that on the day you travel from Pont-Saint-Martin, you'll carry your main luggage with you on the train or bus to Aosta. It's a straightforward journey, and you'll be able to drop your bag at your centrally located hotel on arrival, ready to enjoy your free day in town.

You'll be walking on a well-signposted trail throughout.

Navigation is straightforward using our app which has maps, tracks and daily route info. Simply download the information and tracks for offline use and follow the route on your phone. Once on the trail you do not need signal for the app to work and follow your progress.

Walks usually begin and end at a central point in town, such as a church or bus stop - routes to and from your actual accommodation aren't included in the daily distance figures, but our app can guide you there directly. Just open the itinerary for the relevant day, select the accommodation section, and tap 'Get Directions'.

Getting to the start

You can fly into Turin Airport, with regular buses to the central rail station taking approximately 30 to 45 minutes. From there, a Trenitalia train runs to Ivrea (40 minutes), followed by a bus to Pont-Saint-Martin (15 minutes), the total journey from Turin being around 2 hours 10 minutes. Please note that due to railway electrification works, rail transport along the Ivrea-Aosta stretch is being carried out by bus from 3 January 2024 until 13 December 2026.

You can also fly into Milan, which is served by three airports. Milan Malpensa (MXP) is 45km from the city centre, and the Malpensa Express train connects it to Milan city centre in about an hour. Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY) is 50km from the city centre, with a bus into central Milan taking just under an hour. Milan Linate (LIN) is only 7km from the city centre, but the journey is more complex, involving two trains and a bus and taking around 3 hours in total.

Getting from the end

From the end of your tour, a local bus takes you to Aosta (about 1 hour). From Aosta, a train combination runs to Turin city centre (Torino Porta Susa), from where you can take a bus to Turin Airport (40 minutes). Alternatively, from Aosta you can take a Flixbus coach direct to Milan Malpensa, or direct to Milan or Bergamo. To reach Milan Linate, the journey is more complex, involving two trains and a bus, and takes around 4 hours in total.

To make your departure as relaxed as possible, we recommend spending an extra night in the city you're flying home from. If you'd like to extend your tour, Courmayeur and Chamonix are both easily reachable.

You'll need good hiking shoes or boots, comfortable hiking clothes, waterproofs, a daypack, and we recommend hiking poles. A portable charger for your cell phone is essential. On booking, our Tour Info will give you a complete packing list. You might also want to bring a reusable water bottle, given the amount of time you'll spend on mountain trails.

On certain days you can shorten the route or skip it entirely by using a taxi or public transport.

In some places along this route, local tourist taxes may apply. Where possible we cover these in advance, but in some cases you'll need to pay this directly at your accommodation - typically a small amount per person, per night.

We highly recommend that you have travel insurance when you book with Macs Adventure. Your policy should cover medical treatment (including repatriation and emergency evacuation by air ambulance or helicopter), injury, death, third-party liability, and trip cancellation