Car or Bus in Aosta?

A car is more convenient but if costs are astronomical buses work too if you are staying in Aosta or Courmayeur. Make sure you inquire about the bus schedule as you don’t want to get stuck in some mountain top unable to make it back to town.

Awesome area! I don't hear people going to Aosta very much, and it was one of our favourite places in Europe.

We got there by train from Torino (no need for bus, train goes direct). I don't remember where we stayed, but it was pretty central in Aosta, near the train station and the Roman ruins.

From Aosta we took a bus to Courmayeur. I don't remember the details, but it was very easy to figure out. Bus left from the train station.

I hope you don't skip the cable car. From La Palud (right near Courmayeur), you go up to Hellbronner (the peak station is the French-Italian border), and from there you can either go back down to Italy; of if you have the time and the inclination, take the Panoramic Mont-Blanc, which takes you to l'Aiguille du Midi in France, above the town Chamonix. From there you can, again, go back to Italy; or continue down into Chamonix. I don't think you could do both ways in a day, so I would stay overnight in Chamonix (we stayed a few days before renting a car and continuing on to Provence). This was the most thrilling experience I've ever had in Europe.

PS: Found this resource for you, for buses in the Valle d'Aosta. https://www.lovevda.it/en/before-your-trip/getting-around/bus

Thank you Roberto and Darrenblois! This is so helpful, and it's awesome to know about the trip down into Chamonix! Perhaps I should stretch my return flight out a few days, ha! :-) And thank you for the link!

Been to Courmayeur 3 times...never had a car or wanted one. Easy bus trip from Aosta and the local shuttles did the trick. The Monte Bianco funivie is not to be missed! Look into hiking to Bonatti Rifugio. From Aosta we bussed to Cogne in Gran Paradiso (45 min) lovely. Brad

We really enjoyed that area last summer. We stayed in Aosta and had a car. We were glad to have it, but we also had young kids so a car gave us a bit more flexibility. A benefit of taking the bus is not having to worry about parking. We had a hard time finding parking on our day in Cogne. I agree, definitely don't miss Parco Gran Paradiso. It was spectacular and I would love to explore more if it. I also enjoyed our trip up Skyway Mt. Bianco. We did not go all the way to Aiguille du Midi since we had a young child with us, but we loved going to Helbronner. Happy to link my trip report if it would be helpful. Enjoy!

Thank you Brad and Meg! That's quite reassuring, to hear that the buses were an easy way to go. Having traveled with kids, I would've rented a car as well, but that's the advantage when traveling solo--you can be more flexible (and patient waiting for the bus!). Meg, if you want to add your travel notes, I'd appreciate all the info I can get! Up to you!
Thanks again!

We will be in Aosta for five days in September and decided we needed a car. Please post on this forum your experience using public transportation. We have a couple of easy hikes planned in the Gran Paradiso Park-don’t know if it can be reached by bus. Thank you!

pappillon54 I've spent a lot of time trying to find lodging that's not too remote, so it's reachable by bus. It would definitely allow for more freedom to have a car! Enjoy your time. We'll see how this goes! (I'll be staying in Courmayeur a few nights, then out near Cogne for a couple nights.)

Ciao Papillon 54, Brad, Meg, and the rest! I just returned from Val d'Aosta a few days ago, and thought I'd report back. I took a train from Torino to Aosta, walked across the street to "Autostazione"--the bus agency--and bought a ticket for the bus to Courmayeur. I stayed in a B&B (L'Abris Des Amis--really nice!) about a 15-min walk north of Courmayeur (in La Saxe). The Arriva buses
[ https://arriva.it/en/ ] were really convenient, running from Courmayeur up to Entreves where you stroll to the Funicular (Le Funivie) for Pointe Helbronner (a must...and not scary for those with fear of heights, such as me!!)! The buses go up two different valleys (Val Veny & Val Ferret); I took it up Val Ferret, to the trailhead of Rifugio Walter Bonatti (thanks so much, Brad!!!) for a magnificent hike! (Alltrails.com has lots of hiking trail info!) It was tricky at the end of the day to get on the bus back--they were filling up! (We took one continuing up the valley, and stayed on for the return route.) Sometimes the bus schedule can change; I was relying on the Rome2Rio website for bus times, & I missed a connection one time due to a recent change, so I spent a couple nice hours meandering through Aosta's old center (which is only a few blocks from the bus station). Fyi, you can now store a bag at the train station (quite a recent improvement!). To go from the Courmayeur area to Cogne/Gran Paradiso, you have to bus back to Aosta, and take a different line from there. [www.svap.it] From Cogne, you can take a free shuttle up to Valnontey (every 30 min), or Lillaz, or a few other places--very easy! I found it quite relaxing to take the bus. The main advantage of a car is the freedom--not having to schedule your day around the bus (although they run often, so it's not a big deal), or to be able to explore various small towns easily. But the cost of gas and rental, the parking hassle, and my own anxiety of driving on narrow windy mountain roads, is outweighed by taking the bus. (If I had young kids, I'd rent a car.) One last tip! In Courmayeur, buy your bus ticket(s) at the office there, often for 1 euro for a local stop (3.50euro to Rif. Bonatti and back)! If you buy it on the bus, they charge you an extra 4 euro per ticket!! So it's good to plan ahead. That's about it! My concise itinerary only whetted my appetite to return for more!! Happy travels!

Thank you Sofen for the update! We will be in the Aosta Valley next month. Although we have a car, we might opt to take the bus if it’s too crowded and parking is an issue.
Mila

Thanks for the update! I’m so glad to hear you had an enjoyable trip and that the bus worked out well. I will have to look up the hikes mentioned as I’d love to return to that area.

Papillon 54, I forgot to mention that I met a woman traveling to Aosta for the day with her husband, taking the bus from Cogne and leaving their car there. So yeah, you can mix it up! Have a wonderful time!! And thank you Meg. I sure want to go back—so many places to hike! We were in the Valnontey valley in Gran Paradiso which was lovely, with the view of glaciers up the valley…but there’s two other valleys as well (on the Aosta side of the park, as opposed to the Turin side)—Valsavarenche and Rhemes-Notre-Dame. If you go, please report back! :) Jeanne

Just in the 1st stages of planning a couple of days out of Torino and wonder if the Funicular will be in service at the end of May (29,30)
to Helbronner.
We are not hikers but just want to see this area and enjoy scenery and food of the region.

Shelley, I can’t definitively say if the funicular will be running at the end of May. I’d check the website: Skyway Mont Blanc. It’s an easy way to see a lot without hiking! It’s also pleasant to get lunch at the halfway point (where you change fo the 2nd one to the top), at the Pavilion! (I would think it would be open…but it might depend on the weather and season…) Enjoy!