Aosta Valley in autumn: ideas for a weekend
Article updated on 13.11.26
Less than two hours from French-speaking Switzerland, the Aosta Valley is a perfect destination to enjoy autumn in the mountains over a weekend.
In October and November, the forests turn yellow, orange and red, the vineyards take on golden hues and the first snow dusts the highest peaks of the Alps. Out of season, the trails are almost empty: you often have the mountains to yourself.
Here are our ideas for hikes, activities and good addresses for an autumn weekend in the Aosta area, tested at the end of October in collaboration with the tourist office, along with a 2-day itinerary.
How to get to the Aosta Valley?
From French-speaking Switzerland, the most direct route is through the Great St Bernard Tunnel. Allow about 1h30 to 2h by car between the valley and Valais.
Good to know: buy a return ticket straight away, it’s much cheaper than two single tickets. And if you come often, the 10 and 20-crossing cards are valid for two years.
Practical info | Great St Bernard Tunnel (car)
- Single: CHF 32 / €33.50
- Return (valid 30 days): CHF 51 / €53.50
- 10 crossings (valid 2 years): CHF 131 / €137.50
- 20 crossings (valid 2 years): CHF 173 / €181
Open: 24/7, all year round
Autumn hikes
We’ve listed them from the easiest to the most challenging.
Col de Joux → Col Tzecore, an easy family walk
📍 Col de Joux car park → La Palud lake → Col Tzecore (out and back)
⛰️ 8.6 km | +160 m | -160 m
⏱️ 3h return (1h30 one way)
🍽️ Etoile de Neige restaurant
🚗 Free parking at Col de Joux
Col de Joux is a wooded pass at 1,640 m above sea level, linking Saint-Vincent and Brusson. It’s also where the Ru Courtod ends, a 14th-century irrigation channel fed by the Ventina glacier.
The walk follows an almost flat path to Col Tzecore, then returns the same way. In autumn, the forest is ablaze: orange, yellow and red trees amid the deep green of the fir trees.
It’s an ideal walk with young children or for people who don’t hike often. A real Sunday stroll, with no difficulty at all.
The Col de Joux car park is free. If it’s full, you can also park right by the lake, at the Etoile de Neige restaurant.
The Aymavilles vineyards and the Gressan Big Bench
📍 Vineyards near Aosta
⏱️ 10-minute walk from the car park to the viewpoint
🍷 Les Crêtes winery
The Aymavilles vineyards are crossed by the Cammino Balteo, a long loop trail of 23 stages and nearly 350 km through old villages, castles, forests and vineyards. No need to do it all: a short walk is enough to enjoy it, and it makes a lovely outing if you’re staying in Aosta.
Leave the car at the car park (see on Google Maps), then walk up to the viewpoint overlooking the Les Crêtes vineyards. The view is superb, with the town of Aosta, the valley towards Courmayeur and the opposite slope. In autumn, the vines turn orange, and it’s really beautiful.
A little further along the Cammino Balteo, on the Gressan side, don’t miss Big Bench #407 (see on Google Maps). This giant bench is part of a network of big benches set up facing the most beautiful views.
The Giants' hike in Pila
📍 Pila → Comboé valley → Lake Chamolé → Lac de la Société → Pila (loop)
⛰️ 13 km | +780 m | -780 m
⏱️ approx. 5 h of walking, 7 h with breaks: plan for the whole day
💪 Not technical, but physically demanding
🍽️ Picnic (everything is closed out of season)
🚗 Ski lift car park in Pila, free out of season
Above Aosta, the Pila ski resort is the starting point of this loop.
The trail quickly reaches the Comboé valley, a basin framed by the foothills of the Becca di Nona up to Col Plan Fenêtre. In autumn, the valley turns orange.
The route then climbs to Lake Chamolé, facing Mont Blanc and the Grand Combin, and passes the artificial Lac de la Société before heading back down to Pila.
The hike owes its name to its panoramic view of the great peaks of the Alps: Mont Blanc, Grand Combin, Mont Vélan and the Matterhorn. After the first snowfall, the view is especially beautiful.
Out of season, the resort is completely quiet. Apart from a few hikers around Lake Chamolé, you’ll have the trails almost to yourself. With breaks, allow about 7 hours on site, for example leaving at 9am and returning around 4pm.
Activities in the Aosta Valley
Wine tasting at Les Crêtes
After your walk in the vineyards, you can round off the experience with a tasting at Les Crêtes, one of the renowned wineries of the Aosta Valley. Tastings take place in a room overlooking the vineyards and Aosta. Remember to book in advance.
L'Abbraccio nel bosco, a wellness break in the forest
Near Col Tzecore, L’Abbraccio nel bosco offers a wellness area in the middle of the forest, with Nordic baths, to enjoy for a day. Out of season, it only opens at weekends. Check the opening days before you go.
Where to stay in the Aosta Valley?
Hotel Monte Emilius
Hotel Monte Emilius is a family-run hotel in Charvensod, 3 km from Aosta. It’s on the road to Pila, making it a good base for the Giants’ hike and for visiting the valley’s castles. The hotel has a restaurant, handy for dinner.
Practical info | Hotel Monte Emilius
Where: Loc. Capoluogo 182, 11020 Charvensod
Services: restaurant, free parking, Wi-Fi
Check-in: from 12pm / Check-out: until 10am
Access: 3 km from Aosta, on the road to Pila
21Barra5 Guest House
A place that came highly recommended to us. In Gressan, on the outskirts of Aosta, Federica and Gérard built a wooden house that runs on renewable energy and has earned CasaClima certification. The house has only six rooms, all bright thanks to large bay windows.
At breakfast, everything is produced within a few kilometres. And bikes are lent to guests: perfect for riding to the Aymavilles vineyard viewpoint on almost flat roads.
Practical info | 21Barra5 Guest House
Where: Frazione La Combaz 7/A, Gressan
Services: 6 rooms, bikes lent, local breakfast, free parking, electric car charging point
Good to know: no pets allowed
Where to eat in the Aosta Valley?
Etoile de Neige
On the shores of La Palud lake, a stone’s throw from Col de Joux, Etoile de Neige serves traditional Aosta Valley cuisine in an old-fashioned setting, warmed by a wood fire. The menu follows the classic Italian meal (antipasti, primi, secondi), with house specialities such as polenta, Aosta Valley beef stew and pasta. Save room for the small homemade desserts.
⚠️ Remember to book, the restaurant is very popular.
Hotel Monte Emilius restaurant
If you’re staying at the hotel, the restaurant is the most convenient option for dinner. The cuisine is Italian and family-style, with meat and pasta dishes. Special mention for the tiramisu, the real deal, served with a small Italian coffee pot so you can pour the coffee over it yourself.
Vinosteria Antirouille
A place that came warmly recommended to us. In the centre of Aymavilles, this vinosteria serves simple, generous food based on Aosta Valley specialities, all day long. In the basement, the cellar hosts themed evenings and tastings of local and international wines. In summer, it also organises aperitifs in the vineyards with local winemakers.
Our 2-day itinerary in the Aosta Valley
For a weekend, here’s the order we recommend.
Day 1
- Walk from Col de Joux to Col Tzecore
- Lunch at Etoile de Neige
- Walk in the Aymavilles vineyards and viewpoint over Les Crêtes
- Dinner and night at Hotel Monte Emilius
Day 2
- The Giants’ hike in Pila, with a picnic
- Extra night in Aosta, or drive back to Switzerland (1h30 to 2h)
FAQ: the Aosta Valley in autumn
Planning an autumn weekend in the Aosta Valley? Here are the answers to the most common questions.
The colours usually peak in October. Depending on the year, they can arrive a little later: in 2026, they were at their best at the end of October.
The walk from Col de Joux to Col Tzecore is ideal: 8.6 km return, almost flat, about 3 hours. It suits families with young children and people who don’t hike often.
The Giants’ hike in Pila: a 13 km loop with 780 m of elevation gain through the Comboé valley and Lake Chamolé, with views of Mont Blanc, the Grand Combin and the Matterhorn. Plan for the whole day.
No, in autumn most restaurants and mountain huts in Pila are closed. Bring a picnic for the day.
For a car, it costs CHF 32 one way and CHF 51 return, valid for 30 days. The 10 and 20-crossing cards (CHF 131 and 173) are valid for two years.
Hotel Monte Emilius in Charvensod, for its family restaurant and proximity to Pila, or 21Barra5 in Gressan, an eco-friendly guesthouse that lends bikes to its guests.
Partly. The direct TMR bus links Martigny to Aosta in 2 hours, from Friday to Tuesday, with two return trips a day (CHF 22.80 one way, GA and Half Fare travelcards accepted). Watch out for Pila, though: the cable car up from Aosta is closed out of season. When we visited at the end of October, it wasn’t running, so we had to drive up. For Pila, Col de Joux and the Aymavilles vineyards, a car remains the most practical option in autumn.
An autumn weekend between golden forests and great peaks
In two days, the Aosta Valley reveals two sides of autumn: blazing forests and orange vineyards around Aosta, then sweeping views of the giants of the Alps from Pila.
Out of season, the trails are almost empty and the colours at their peak. Just bring your picnic, book your tables, and enjoy the mountains all to yourself, less than two hours from French-speaking Switzerland.
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