Next July my husband and I, and possibly our young adult children, want to spend 5-7 days in Italy before we visit family in Alsace. We thought we could fly into Milan and go west into Valle d'Aosta and Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso. Does anyone have experience traveling in that area? We want to find a place to stay that is accessible with public transportation to use as a base for day hikes (which also need to be accessible with bus). Any suggestions for places to stay or particular hikes would be most welcome.
Grazia!
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
I know the area relatively well, but it is my informed guess that it is very difficult to get around without a car. With a whole family, the car even makes sense to save money as well as enabling mobility, especially on the Aosta side. There are 3 valleys with three different scenery. The national park site is pretty complete <url>http://www.pngp.it/en/visit-park/tour-itineraries</url> about describing the hikes, though they lack an online map. Assuming you are crossing into France via the Mont Blanc Tunnel, do not waste the opportunity to take a gondola up there (it doesn't reach the summit of the Mont Blanc, but up to 3750m high).