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Voted 3rd out of 19 reviewed ski resorts in Italy
- Superb(6)
- Good(2)
- O.K.(0)
- Poor(0)
- Awful(0)
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Delightful
Reviewed 14 Apr 2016
Livigno is a delightful place, an absolute gem. I can’t find a reason why someone couldn’t enjoy themselves here. The people are friendly and the cuisine is superb. Whatever level of skier you are and whatever level of hospitality you want, you will find it here. All in all it’s a very relaxing place and I can’t fault it.
They have apartments as well as very luxurious hotels if you want to splash the cash on pampering. We like self catering as you can do things your own way and can eat out in the restaurants and talk to the chefs and proprietors which is half the fun.
It’s a duty free state because traditionally the town was cut off for 6 months a year so the tax collectors couldn’t get up there. The modern politicians have sustained that and nowadays it’s not just duty free but also VAT free which helps to make it attractive. There are no chain stores, it’s all local businesses and they even have their own brewery which is really cool. The shops include quite a lot of haute couture, with perfumes and fashions - all the big labels from London, Paris, New York are there.
It’s never a problem commuting around the town, there’s no queuing for buses and taxis and we never had to queue more than 4-5 minutes for a chair lift, even if there are 200 people in front of you as the lifts are so good they just seem to gobble people up!
The fact of the matter is you're 3000m at the top of the hill and next to the Swiss border in the high part of the Alps, so there’s always snow. There are 2 sides of the valley - Carosello goes up to 3000m and Mottolino goes up to nearly 3000m. They have massive facility for making snow although they didn’t really need it this year - they’re expecting the season to go on until mid May! The week we were there was the first week they hadn’t had snow every day for 10 weeks, we had blue skies and sunshine. All the houses, shops and hotels had 3-5 feet of snow on the roofs although the roads and footpaths were always really clear.
It’s a playground for all ages. There’s something like 160km of ski area which varies from blue, very modest intermediate stuff, an awful lot of reds and quite a lot of blacks (a couple are challenging and the rest are more like senior reds). For snowboarders, Livigno has the second biggest Snowpark in Europe, in fact there are 2 snowparks in the different sectors and they both have superb facilities with top notch ramps and bumps etc. They also have the facilities for cross country skiing and langlaufing and they have skidoos on a flat area on the lake when it’s frozen.
Because it used to take a while to get there, everyone in the resort goes the extra mile to improve the skiing and socialise with you, sharing their stories and experience. You now have access through the service tunnel that goes into Switzerland which was built by civil engineers when they were damming up the lake in Livigno. Innsbruck is a short flight and 2h transfer depending if the coach stops off or not but it’s a pretty swift journey – very pleasant and scenic.
Everything is very professional. My son dislocated his shoulder while we were there and was looked after by trauma clinic. They were amazing and had him X-Rayed within and hour and strapped up in a state-of-the-art sling with a CD of his X-Rays to give the GP at home. The incident happened at 11 and by 1:30 he was having lunch with us in Marco’s restaurant. Its little things like making sure we had a phone to call the insurance company that show you how they go out of their way to make sure you have all the help you need.
Like the trauma clinic, the ski schools are all absolutely spot on and the organisation and professionalism is amazing.
The Italians give really good service and the quality of food and attention to detail of the waiters is always so high, I’ve never encountered any animosity or bad feeling all the time I’ve been there.
We’ve never had a disappointing meal anywhere in the town - all the restaurants are competing with each other to perform and they excel in quality and quantity every time. Everything you eat is made from really local ingredients; you’ll eat meat that was farmed on the mountains and fresh eggs from down the road. The best place for pizza is a place called the Bellavista Hotel at the top end of town. For superb everyday cooking, from basic burgers and spaghetti to superb steaks, Marco’s Pub is spot on. The chef is amazing and usually comes out and has a chat with you over a glass of wine.
My brother in law was so impressed with Livigno that he did a motorbike trip in the summer and says it’s just as charming in the summer when it becomes a major mountain biking resort. I would certainly go back there, it’s so nice to have a place where you know you're going and know you can relax in a friendly successful place where everyone pampers you – it’s always a pleasure to be there.
Love Livigno
Reviewed 3 Feb 2016
Livigno is a wonderful Italian resort with some lovely shops and some great après ski! If you are looking for a great night out, or some drinks with friends, Mickey’s Pub is the place to be. Livigno is also a tax free resort which opens itself up to some great shopping if you are looking to get some new gear, or some fashion branded clothing. The wine is fantastic and the food is delicious in this wonderful Italian resort.
The resort itself is not particularly large, however the skiing is brilliant. There are plenty of runs to suit all skiing abilities.
Been here loads, always good snow, great for families
Reviewed 2 Jul 2014
I’ve been to Livigno a lot of times; it’s a well trodden path. I have two small children and it’s great for families, a nice place – it is what it is, it’s not contrived or posh and what they do, they do well.
It just has a nice mix of skiing and is high – I’ve been coming here for 20 years and never had a lack of snow (one year it snowed so much that a 1week holiday turned into 2 weeks...). If you haven’t been here before, eat at the Bellavista restaurant which is at the top of the village, it’s great and we eat there a lot. Also, go up the mountain and eat at one of the mountain side restaurants.
Brilliant place, can't want to go back!
Reviewed 29 May 2014
I love it here! I don’t ski but I always have a fantastic time and my sons who have been skiing for years say it’s one of the best ski resorts.
There’s loads of mountain for skiing and we've always seen plenty of snow in March - the snow this year was exceptional. The mountain is always kept in really good condition, every evening you can see the snowplough out there and they always make sure they have artificial snow if there isn’t enough.
If you’re not skiing there are lots of nice cafes and bars. The buses are free and frequent, you just jump on and off. One thing we do is catch the bus to a farm, obviously they don’t have the cattle grazing at this time of year but they have lovely food with fresh ice cream and things like that.
Everyone around the resort is really friendly towards everybody else, it’s a really nice family atmosphere.
There are so many lovely places to go and eat, we really liked Bella Vista where we go lot and we've also eaten at Marco’s.
We've done a nice little excursion late afternoon where they take you up on a skidoo to a little restaurant and you have drinks and nibbles before going on to an après bar . My sons have also done the skidoos at night on the ice.
We like to go back for the same week in March because they have a special event where people come from far and near to ski through the street dressed in national costume. They actually bring the snow into the street (when we first saw lorry loads of snow and snowploughs coming up and down we were a bit surprised!). It has a great atmosphere with people ringing cowbells and people cheering everyone on.
Not too busy but the ski area is a bit spread out
Reviewed 14 May 2014
It’s very scenic, particularly the journey there. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t go back. Main reason is that it’s a bit spread out. There’s two sides of the resort to choose from. There’s a lot of skiing, it’s a big area. The après ski isn’t as good as it used to be, although it’s not bad. I was so knackered in the evening I didn’t really want to go out anyway. There are some scary pistes and some easier runs. They have a park with some jumps and sliders. There’s a bit of everything for everyone. It’s not too busy, no queues really. The first few days were sunny and then we had a bit of a whiteout. It’s not a very English resort, it’s mainly Germans and Italians. We ate out most nights and it’s all Italian food. The restaurants are good value. The transfers was a bit of a trek, almost 4 hours, I thought it would be shorter. Apparently the transfer used to be even longer. We flew into Austria; I’m not sure if we used the best airport, I think so.
I love Livigno
Reviewed 14 May 2014
I tend to go here every year. I love Livigno! I keep coming back because it’s not too busy and they have good snow, even late in the year. We’re snowboarders and Livigno is absolutely brilliant for boarders. There’s a cool little board park (right by the San Giovanni Hotel), and there’s lots of good runs and even an air bag jump which is a lot of fun. It’s a very good resort for families. There is a fantastic lift system, with a brand new gondola. They’re always investing in the resort. I would also recommend the ‘New Ski School Livigno’, and the instructors there who are very, very professional – including my friend Moris. The town is nice. There are a few bars and only one club I think (were a bit old for that now!). The restaurants are always good quality and very friendly – in fact everyone is friendly there. It’s duty free as well so the shopping is very good, lots of designer shops, and it does help keep the prices down.
Better than skiing in Canada and Bulgaria
Reviewed 8 May 2014
Livigno is just great, there’s so much to ski. We’ve been there several times and it’s a very good place. You’re in a valley so you have two mountains to choose from. At the bottom there are lots of gentle slopes and there are some more beginner slopes at the top too. There are lots of easy blues and reds and a few blacks. We prefer skiing in Livigno to Canada where the skiing is much harder and it can get very cold (bring a balaclava if you go skiing in Canada!). We also prefer Livigno to Bulgaria as it’s more snow sure – the snow is pretty much guaranteed here. The town is duty free and there are loads of clothes shops but all the goods are very expensive. Don’t forget to bring anything with you or you will have to pay a lot to buy it while you’re there! It’s reasonable for alcoholic drinks though, especially if you buy them from the supermarket.
Mindblowingly cheap, great park/boardercross
Reviewed 4 Apr 2014
Livigno is a tax-free region so you don’t have to pay VAT – eating out is mindblowingly cheap, you probably pay 10-15 Euros for a meal out excluding drinks. All the shops are duty free; it’s a bit like being in a big airport! In the shops, drinks are about a third of the price you would pay in the UK (although you pay normal prices in bars). There’s also a flat rate of 4 Euros for taxis all around the valley. There isn’t much après on the mountains as the runs are short, so all the bars are at the base of each of the lifts.
The skiing is pretty high and the top run at 3000 metres had good snow. It was pretty windy while we were here and at times it was -20 at the resort and -30 at the top – I’ve never been so cold! Most of the lifts were good ones made by Poma and Doppelmayr but there were some old lifts that needed replacing, one gondola had the door half open as you go up the mountain and others were basically like really slow steel park benches which weren’t fun in the cold...
Despite the pretty howling winds it was generally really good and we had lots of fresh powder. It’s really set up for the park and boardercross: in one of the jumps in the park you jump over an aeroplane, never seen anything like it! There are loads of groomed runs including easy blues and there’s off piste in the valley down the back but you need a guide. At the end of the day, the top to bottom run is a good 6-7 kilometres and is nice and windy with amazing views.
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