Madonna di Campiglio ski resort guide & reviews Ski area, apres-ski, things to see & do in Madonna di Campiglio
Resort review
Madonna di Campiglio sits in the beautiful Rendena Valley between the spectacular Brenta Dolomites and the Adamello-Presanella glaciers, at an altitude of 1550m. It is one of those resorts which attracts more of the affluent crowd than most, with its boutique shops, sophisticated après-ski and manicured pistes.
The resort is surprisingly lively especially at weekends and holidays as its a very popular destination for people who live close by. On Sunday mornings, you’ll find more people sipping coffee in one of the many cafes in the pedestrianised centre than on the slopes.
Après-ski
The après-ski is fun and lively and there are plenty of top class restaurants throughout the resort catering for those of us who like good quality food and wine and you'll be surprised how reasonable the prices are.
There are several lively bars and the Zangola nightclub a few kms out of town is one of the best in the Alps and gets very busy especially at the weekends.
Spa & wellbeing
Madonna di Campiglio has a wellness centre and spa with pool which is very popular when the weather is not that great.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 850m |
| Top lift | 2500m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Piste (km) | 150 |
| Longest run | 5 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 22 km |
| Season | Dec - April |
| Snowboard parks | 5 |
| Heli Skiing | ✘ |
| Summer skiing | ✔ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✔ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Lively & Sophisticated |
Madonna di Campiglio ski area guide
Sitting at the heart of the Brenta Dolomites with 60km of pistes all served by fast, modern ski lifts, Madonna was linked to the Val Rendena-Val di Sole ski area in 2011 connecting with the resort of Pinzolo.
So, when you add in the neighbouring resorts of Folgarida and Marilleva thats already linked, the area delivers 150km of pistes across 4 valleys which is perfect for touring.
The local ski area is split into three distinct sectors - Cinque Laghi, Pradalago and Monte Spinale/Grosté and is well known for it's long and steep tree-lined pistes and stunning scenery .
Another surprise is these 3 resorts are part of the "Skirama Dolomiti Adamello Brenta" carousel (groups of associated ski areas) that are covered by a single pass and give a huge 380km of pistes served by 150 lifts and 90% of the runs have snow cannons so you are pretty much guaranteed snow. The other resorts on the carousel are:
- Pejo
- Passo del Tonale in Val di Sole
- Ponte di Legno
- Andalo-Fai della Paganella
- Monte Bondone
- Folgaria-Lavarone
Beginners
Beginners will find a good selection of nursery slopes and the ski school is excellent.
Intermediate
Madonna di Campiglio is tailor made for intermediate skiers and boarders with some long reds to cruise in the sunshine. The pistes in Madonna di Campiglio are generally uncrowded due to many locals preferring to spend time in the cafes so the slopes are ideal for those long carving turns. One of the best runs is the super fast DoloMitica which at nearly 6km is the longest in the area with vertical of 1248m.
Advanced
Experts may be a tiny bit disappointed if you are looking for off-piste as much of the surrounding area is National Park and therefore off limits. However, there are some very technical and challenging on-piste blacks to try such as the DoloMitica Run and the last part of Spinale Direttissima ski run (called the "Schumacher Streif") which have maximum gradients over 70% which is very scary!
Other ski holiday activities
And, if you don't ski, there are plenty of other activities to try...
- Ice skating
- Ski mountaineering
- Snowshoeing
- Husky sleigh riding
- Ice climbing
- Paragliding
- Swimming
Snowboarding
There are 2 snow parks for all levels to practice on whether you are a skier or boarder - the Monte Spinale/Grosté park and the Ursus Snow Park which has a reputation for being one of the top 5 snowboard parks in the Alps.
Our view on Madonna di Campiglio ski resort
Madonna di Campiglio is of the same pedigree as Cortina. Full of fun, great shopping and chic. We think it is a great resort to visit any time of the year with so many things to do to keep everyone entertained. A few suggestions for your ski holiday...
- If you fancy exploring some nearby resorts and don't fancy driving then take the Pinzolo-Campiglio Express gondola lift to Pinzolo.
- Take a trip to Val Genova which is the entrance to the Adamello Brenta Natural Park. It is full of amazing waterfalls such as Nardis and Lares which are fed by the glaciers on the Adamello-Presanella mountains
- Late season, take a drive up to Passo Tonale where the scenery is stunning and snow conditions are still excellent on the glacier
Other ski resorts similar to Madonna di Campiglio are Kitzbuhel in Austria and Megeve in France.
