Bormio is a beautiful spa town and ski resort located in the Alta Valtellina just north east of Lake Como and close to the Swiss border.
Ideal for skiers and non skiers alike, it offers a pretty, historic town centre, an indoor ice skating rink, excellent restaurants for all budgets, and three thermal spa centres – from the historic Bagni Vecchi which dates back to Ancient Roman times, to the Bormio Terme with its indoor and outdoor swimming pools, waterslide for kids and ‘thermarium’ spa for adults.
Bormio is a great resort for intermediate skiers, who can ski nonstop from 3012m down to the town at 1225m, a real leg burner but well worth it; the final run into the town is the famous Stelvio piste, which has hosted world cup races and finals, as well as the world championships twice. Those who don’t fancy this steep, challenging piste can ski down along a more forgiving blue run. The resort offers 50km of pistes, including 5 blue runs, 6 red runs and 2 black runs, served by 15 lifts (1 gondola, 1 cable car, 5 chair lifts, 4 drag lifts and 4 magic carpets), queues are rare. There is also a small snowpark and a large freeride area.
The Bormio & Valli ski pass also includes Santa Caterina and the Oga/Valdidentro ski areas, easily reached by car or bus, for over 100km of pistes and some superb freeride areas. Livigno is an hour away by bus/car and is included on the Alta Valtellina ski pass (which also includes Bormio and Valli).
Après ski
Explore the historic town centre, with its medieval churches, upmarket shops, café bars and restaurants. For those who are interested in history and the local area there is the civic museum and the mineralogical museum.
A visit to the Bagni Vecchi (old baths) or Bagni Nuovi (new baths) spa is a must, you can spend the whole day there or just go after skiing one afternoon and soothe aching muscles.
Other activities include ice skating, husky dog sledging in nearby Arnoga, night skiing once a week, swimming at Bormio Terme, snowshoe excursions, cross country skiing, the Bernina train to St. Moritz, and much more.
There are a number of good restaurants around Bormio, from rustic family run restaurants offering traditional local fare, to more refined choices, and of course a number of pizzerias.
