Val di Fassa with children – choosing the right mountain in the valley

Val di Fassa is the valley that runs south from the Sella massif, through the villages of Canazei, Campitello, Pozza and Vigo. It is Trentino's share of the Dolomites, and just as in Alta Badia and Val Gardena, many people here speak Ladin. The signs are in Italian and Ladin, and the villages often have two names.

For a family, the most important thing to know is that the valley is not a single ski area. It is three mountains on different sides of the valley, each with its own character. Choose the right mountain for your children and the week will be easy. Choose the wrong one and you'll be taking the ski bus every morning.

Three mountains – which one suits you?

Together the mountains have about 70 kilometres of pistes and just over 40 lifts. With the same lift pass you can also reach Carezza further west, and with Dolomiti Superski the whole of the Dolomites.

Mountain	Villages	Suits	Why
Catinaccio (Ciampedie)	Vigo, Pera	Small children and beginners	A Kinderpark with a magic carpet, its own beginner lift and easy blue slopes on a sunny plateau
Buffaure-Ciampac	Pozza, Alba	Families at different levels	The Salvan nursery slope for the little ones, long red runs for parents and older children
Belvedere-Col Rodella	Canazei, Campitello	Children who already ski	The biggest of the three, fun slopes for children and the way out onto the Sella Ronda

Catinaccio is the smallest mountain, with 14 kilometres of pistes and six lifts, but it is the best for the youngest. The cable car runs from Vigo up to Ciampedie at just over 2,000 metres. This is where the ski school's Kinderpark is, with a magic carpet, the Campo Scuola beginner lift and a play course with tunnels and small jumps. It is calm, sunny and easy to keep an eye on, and the view of the Rosengarten is among the most beautiful in the valley. Two things to know: the mountain is not linked to the others on skis, and it closes earlier than the rest of the valley.

Buffaure-Ciampac has 23 kilometres of pistes. From Pozza, the cable car takes you up to Buffaure, and for 2026/27 the chairlift to Col de Valvacin is being replaced by a new ten-seater gondola. Here you'll find the Salvan nursery slope and a small magic carpet for the youngest. The red Panorama is a long, beautiful run down to Pozza that suits children who have started skiing reds. On the other side, Ciampac drops down towards Alba, with a beginner area by the cable car.

Belvedere-Col Rodella is the valley's biggest mountain, with 32 kilometres of pistes and 23 lifts. The Canazei–Pecol cable car takes you up onto Belvedere, and from Campitello the cable car goes to Col Rodella. On Belvedere there is the Ski FunArena with banked turns and bumps, and a 400-metre family park near the Belvedere lift. Most of it is red, so the mountain works best once the children ski confidently.

Children's areas and ski school

All three mountains have ski schools with children's lessons, and the youngest often start in their own area with a magic carpet.

• Vigo di Fassa: the ski school has its Kinderpark on Ciampedie, with activities and supervision for children from age three. You can book by the hour, half day, day or week. The week pass includes lunch at the mountain hut.
• Pozza di Fassa: the Vajolet school runs first steps on snow from age three, on the Salvan nursery slope on Buffaure with a playground next to it. The meeting point is at the cable car's top station.
• Canazei: Scuola Sci Canazei Marmolada has a Kinderland that takes children from 18 months. The school's Ciasates practice area has magic carpets, tunnels and tipis. Lessons are held on both Belvedere and Ciampac.

Canazei also has the Avisio beginner lift by the ski school's practice slope, and Campitello has the Col de Lin lift with its own practice area. Check the opening dates, as both only open around Christmas. How many days of ski school is about right, and when a day off is needed, is covered in the tips on ski holidays with children.

Children's lift passes: in 2026/27, children born 2019–2023 ski free, as long as an adult buys a Dolomiti Superski pass of the same type and validity in the same purchase. The exceptions are afternoon passes and Skimyway. Older children get a discounted pass, and from 2026/27 families can also buy Dolomiti Superski Family online. The children's passports or ID cards show their year of birth at the ticket office.

Helmet use has been compulsory for all ages on Italian slopes since 2025/26, even on the sledging hill.

The Panorama circuit – a manageable day out

Before you set off on the Sella Ronda, Panorama Ski Tour is a good test. It links Catinaccio, Buffaure-Ciampac and Belvedere, with about 70 kilometres of pistes and 39 lifts, without skiing the same slope twice. The circuit is signposted in both directions, yellow clockwise and red anticlockwise. If legs get tired, the ski bus will take you back.

One thing to know: the run down from Ciampac towards Alba is black and steep. With children who don't ski black, it is better to take the cable car down.

The Sella Ronda from Canazei

From Canazei and Campitello you are only a few lifts away from Sella Ronda, the circuit around the Sella massif. Via Belvedere and the Passo Pordoi you reach Arabba, and via Col Rodella and the Passo Sella you reach Val Gardena. The circuit takes a full day, so start early and make sure the children ski confidently on red slopes. The whole circuit and the two directions are described on the Sella Ronda page.

Non-skiers can take the cable car from the Passo Pordoi up to Sass Pordoi at 2,950 metres. There is a special pedestrian pass that covers the cable cars from Canazei and Alba.

Travelling to Val di Fassa

The closest airport is Bolzano, about 40 kilometres away, but it has few direct flights. Most people fly to Verona (about 180 kilometres), Venice (about 175 kilometres) or Innsbruck (about 190 kilometres) instead. Allow two and a half to three hours by car. In winter an airport bus, the Fly Ski Shuttle, runs to the valley from Venice, Treviso, Verona and Bergamo, among other places.

By train, you travel to Bolzano or Trento and take a bus into the valley. From Bolzano the bus goes to Vigo, where you change to carry on to Canazei. On Saturdays and Sundays from December to March there is Freccialink, a combined train and bus ticket from the station in Ora. If you want to travel by rail all the way from Sweden, see our guide to the train journey down to the Alps for night trains and changes.

Is Val di Fassa right for your family?

The Fassa valley is right for families who want a whole Dolomite valley to explore, where the little ones get gentle starts and the older ones can head out on the Sella Ronda. If you are hoping for ski-in/ski-out and to avoid the ski bus altogether, it gets more complicated here, and then a single mountain like Kronplatz in the Pustertal is easier to manage. If more green and blue runs appeal, read about Alta Badia on the other side of the Sella massif. We gather the rest of Italy under ski holidays in Italy, and the packing list helps you not to leave anything at home.