Alta Badia with children – the friendliest slopes in the Dolomites

Alta Badia is the upper part of Val Badia, the valley that runs south from the Pustertal towards the Sella massif. There are six villages here: Corvara, Colfosco, La Villa, San Cassiano, Badia and La Val. The valley is part of the Dolomites and Dolomiti Superski, but it differs from the other valleys in one important respect. The slopes are unusually friendly.

The ski area has 130 kilometres of pistes and 53 lifts, between 1,324 and 2,778 metres above sea level. About 70 kilometres are blue. They are wide, gentle slopes across open alpine meadows, often with a hut at the bottom. For a family whose children are still snowploughing, there are few places in the Alps with so much easy skiing in one place.

The villages – which one suits you?

Village	Suits	Why
Corvara	Families who want to ski a lot	In the middle of the Sella Ronda, lifts in several directions and a ski school in the village
Colfosco	Families with small children	Quieter than Corvara, its own children's park and close to the Sella Ronda
La Villa	Families with the very youngest	The ski school with Skiminiclub from age two, Piz La Ila above
San Cassiano	Families who want peace and quiet	A small village, close to Pralongiá and the children's slope there
Badia and La Val	Families on a budget with a car	The quietest, their own children's slopes, further to the main area

Corvara is the hub. From here you can reach both the Sella Ronda and the rest of Alta Badia, and it is the village with the most going on in the evenings, though it rarely gets rowdy. Colfosco is a stone's throw further up towards the Passo Gardena and is a good choice for families who want to stay near the lifts without staying in the centre.

La Villa and San Cassiano are further down the valley. From La Villa the cable car goes up to Piz La Ila, where the children's park is, and from San Cassiano you reach Pralongiá with its children's slope. Badia and La Val are at the bottom and the least touristy. If you stay there, count on needing a car or the bus to get out into the main area.

Children's areas and ski school

Alta Badia has seven ski schools, one of them for cross-country skiing, and four ski kindergartens where the children can stay while the parents ski. The age limits differ between the schools:

• La Villa: the ski school's Skiminiclub takes children from age two, with staff looking after them from nine until half past four, lunch included.
• Corvara: the ski school has a Baby Club for children under four, alpine group lessons from age four and full-day lessons from age six. Private ski and snowboard lessons can be booked from age three.
• Colfosco, San Cassiano and Badia have their own schools with children's lessons.

If you have a child between three and five who has never been on skis, take a look at Kids on Ski. If you book seven nights at a participating property, the package gives the child five half days of ski school, a five-day lift pass and hire equipment.

The children's areas are spread across the valley:

• Piz La Ila above La Villa has a children's park in the middle of the ski area.
• Kids Funpark Colfosco runs alongside one of the slopes in Colfosco, with arches, small jumps and tunnels.
• Snowy Adventure in Badia is next to the Baby La Crusc beginner lift. There the youngest ride snow discs, snow tubes and inflatable animals, and the parents can sit on the benches alongside.
• Kidslope Pralongiá above San Cassiano is a children's slope on the plateau.

Thoughts on how many ski school days are about right, and when the children need a day off, are gathered in our tips for a ski holiday with children.

Free passes for the youngest: if your child was born 2019–2023, the lift pass costs nothing in 2026/27, provided an adult buys a Dolomiti Superski pass of the same type for the same number of days at the same time. The year of birth is checked at the ticket office, so pack the children's passports or ID cards.

Since 2025/26, everyone has to wear a helmet on Alta Badia's slopes, adults and children alike, and the rule applies on the sledging hill too.

The Sella Ronda from Corvara

Few resorts have the circuit around the Sella massif as close as Corvara and Colfosco, where it passes between the houses. If you choose the Passo Campolongo you come to Arabba; if you choose the Passo Gardena you end up in Gröden, in other words Val Gardena, and from there the circuit continues towards Val di Fassa. A full circuit takes a whole day and includes red runs, so the children need both technique and stamina. Smaller children can settle for the first pass and ski home the same way.

Further down the valley, Alta Badia links up with Kronplatz via Piculin. It is a separate mountain with a different character, and a good alternative on a day when you want a change of scene.

Ladin culture

Alta Badia is Ladin. Ladin is a language in its own right, related to Romansh in Switzerland, and it is spoken in everyday life in the valley. That is why the villages have three names: apart from Corvara, Colfosco is Kolfuschg in German, La Villa is Stern and San Cassiano is St. Kassian. Welcome is bëgn udüs in Ladin, and you'll see it on the signs as you drive into the valley.

The Ladin museum in the Ciastel de Tor castle in San Martin de Tor, a little way down the valley, is closed in winter. In San Cassiano there is a small museum about the Conturines cave bear, which is usually open for part of the winter. Check the opening times before you go.

The food

Alta Badia is famous for its food, and you notice it on the slopes too. In the Sciare con gusto project, Michelin-starred chefs each create a dish that is served at a hut in the ski area, and the season opens with a Gourmet Skisafari between the huts. For the children, it is the ordinary hut food that matters: knödel dumplings, pasta, polenta and kaiserschmarrn are available almost everywhere. Book a table for lunch during the February half-term.

Travelling to Alta Badia

If you are flying, Innsbruck, Venice and Verona are the most common. Allow two to three hours by car, depending on the airport and road conditions. An airport bus to Alta Badia runs Thursday to Sunday and must be booked in advance.

Train travellers aim for Bruneck in the Pustertal, where bus 460 takes over and covers the 30-odd kilometres up to the villages. From Innsbruck, the train crosses the Brenner Pass and you change at Franzensfeste. We describe how to get all the way from Sweden by rail, with night trains and changes, in the guide to train travel to the Alps.

Is Alta Badia right for your family?

If you have small children or beginners in the family and want plenty of blue slopes, quiet villages and really good food, Alta Badia is hard to beat. If more red runs and a wider choice of villages appeal, take a look at the Fassa valley, on the other side of the Sella massif. We gather the other Italian resorts among ski holidays in Italy, and before you pack your bags our packing list may come in handy.