Cortina d'Ampezzo or Val Gardena for Christmas?

Chalets available in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Val Gardena ↓

Cortina d'Ampezzo and Val Gardena side by side

Cortina d'AmpezzoVal Gardena
CountryItalyItaly
Village altitude1,224m1,563m
Top of the ski area2,930m2,500m
Christmases with 30cm+ of snow20 of 24 (Ra Valles (Tofane), 2615 m)8 of 12 (Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi - Zallinger, 2055 m)
Snow lying in the villageNo village recordNo village record
Christmas Snow Score62/10050/100
Christmas atmosphere (our rating)5/55/5
Families (our rating)4/55/5
Beginners (our rating)4/54/5
Chalets we list37
Typical Christmas week, 19 Dec – 26 Dec 2026Too few priced£4,207 (5 chalets priced; checked 12 October 2026)

Snow figures are Christmas-morning measurements by national and regional weather services, shown on the Christmas Snow Report. Ratings are our editorial view. Prices are Booking.com’s cheapest total for the week for each chalet’s full capacity, among chalets still available when we checked.

What Christmas is like in each

Christmas in Cortina d'Ampezzo

Superb, and quite unlike the rest of the Alps. Cortina at Christmas is the evening passeggiata along the Corso Italia, furs, pastry shops, and the Dolomites turning pink behind it all. The skiing is almost secondary.

Christmas chalets in Cortina d'Ampezzo · See the chalets we list

Christmas in Val Gardena

Excellent and distinctive. The Ladin villages have a Christmas tradition that is neither Italian nor Austrian but something of its own, with markets, carved nativity scenes and a genuine sense of place. Ortisei in particular is a delight in late December.

Christmas chalets in Val Gardena · See the chalets we list

Chalets available for Christmas in Cortina d'Ampezzo and Val Gardena

Three from each resort, available for Christmas week when we last checked.

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See the chalets available for Christmas →

Questions about Cortina d'Ampezzo and Val Gardena at Christmas

Which has more snow at Christmas, Cortina d'Ampezzo or Val Gardena?

Cortina d'Ampezzo is the safer bet for snow: at least 30cm on Christmas morning in 20 of 24 years, against 8 of 12 for Val Gardena. Measured on Christmas morning at the nearest weather station to each resort since 1996; how often there has been snow, not a forecast.

Which is better for christmas atmosphere at Christmas, Cortina d'Ampezzo or Val Gardena?

On Christmas atmosphere we rate them the same (5 out of 5).

Which is better for families at Christmas, Cortina d'Ampezzo or Val Gardena?

Val Gardena is stronger on families (5 out of 5 against 4), in our editorial view.

Which is better for beginners at Christmas, Cortina d'Ampezzo or Val Gardena?

On beginners we rate them the same (4 out of 5).