This Town in the Italian Alps Is Known for Spa Resorts and Winter Sports—and It’s Hosting Events for the 2026 Olympics

Nestled in the Italian Alps northeast of Milan, Bormio may not be as famous as other Italian resort towns, but it has been drawing travelers for 2,000 years. During antiquity, the Romans loved to soak in the town’s nine naturally occurring hot springs. More recently, Bormio has become a major hub for outdoor sports, including hiking, mountain biking, skiing, and snowshoeing. For the past 40 years, it has hosted the Alpine Ski World Cup. In February, it will host alpine skiing and ski mountaineering competitions during the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

Regardless of the season, visitors to Bormio will no doubt enjoy the local cuisine. With its green pastures and wild mountain herbs, Bormio is known for delicious cheeses and the production of Braulio, a bitter liqueur made using a secret recipe of alpine herbs, roots, and berries. Read on for our guide to the best hotels, things to do, restaurants, bars, and more, with tips from local expert Aldo Anzi, one of the founders of the legendary Stelvio slope.

Best Hotels and Resorts

QC Hotel Bagni Vecchi

This spa resort high up in the mountains offers rooms done up in a charming alpine style, some of which have exposed wooden ceilings. The spa with its wellness path, Roman baths, and outdoor pool with breathtaking views of the valley is the main draw here, but the restaurant is also worth its salt.

QC Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi

QC’s other hotel in Bormio is housed in an Art Nouveau confection that looks like something straight out of a film by Wes Anderson. Originally opened in 1836, it also has an enviable spa with a thermal path and a treehouse sauna.

Hotel Vallechiara

“Our hotel is exactly halfway down the slope,” Anzi explains. The small family-run hotelnow managed by Anzi’s son Giacomo, has 45 rooms, a restaurant with panoramic views, and a small fitness center.

Best Things to Do

Go skiing.

Bormio has four ski areas and is one of the rare places where you can ski on a glacier in the summer. Highly advanced skiers will relish the challenge of skiing the Stelvio slope, while beginners will love the family-friendly resort of Cima Piazzi-San Colombano, which has a learning slope and mountain coaster. “The slopes are beautiful, very spacious and fluid, and the racing slope is one of the most beautiful in the world,” Anzi says, adding that his family runs a ski school that offers lessons to kids.

Try other outdoor activities.

Aside from skiing, there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy year-round. You can hike the glacier path to see the Forni Glacier up close, walk around the lakes at Cancano, play a few rounds of golf, or go horseback riding at the equestrian center. Bormio is also a major hub for mountain biking and cycling, with races taking place in the summer.

Soak in the hot springs.

In addition to the hot springs at QC Terme’s two hotels, which offer day passes for external guests, Bormio Terme is a massive thermal park where you can soak in the mineral-rich hot springs. There are indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna, steam baths, and a solarium, plus massages, beauty treatments, and fitness classes.

Do a tour and tasting at Casa Braulio.

Learn about Braulio, an amaro produced in Bormio since 1875, when Dr. Giuseppe Peloni created the elixir using a combination of mountain herbs, roots, and berries, during a tour of Braulio House. You’ll visit the cellars, learn about the infusion, and see how the potent liqueur is aged in Slavonian oak barrels before doing a tasting.

Take a walk in the Centro Storico.

Unlike some of the other alpine towns nearby, Bormio has a well-preserved historic center with frescoed buildings and many churches. Wandering around the town, you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a fairy tale. To learn more about the town’s unique history, you can also visit the Bormio Civic Museum.

Best Shopping

Ski Powder

Founded in Bormio in 1946, this brand is known around the world for making high-quality lightweight skis and other outdoor sports gear.

Brielli

Bring home some artisanal candy from this family-run shop that has been making sweets for more than a century.

Carving Art

Traditional wood carving is a beloved art form in Bormio, and you’ll find decorative items made by local artisans at this shop in town.

Best Nightlife

Cuk After Ski

This bar, located directly on the Stelvio slopeis a local favorite for après-ski antics, with beer, wine, and cocktails, plus DJ sets.

Best Restaurants

The Old Combo

At this family-run restaurant in an alpine house, the staff wear traditional garb from Bormio and serve hearty dishes like sciatt (cheese-filled fried buckwheat balls) and pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta with cabbage, potatoes, butter, and cheese).

Rini Farmhouse

Expect farm-to-table cuisine at this farmhouse (a working farm with a restaurant and/or rooms), which produces charcuterie and cheeses in-house. From the dining room, you can see the cows that make the milk for the cheeses on the menu.

Osteria De I Magri

Set inside a rustic, 400-year-old stable in the center of Bormio, this restaurant may look traditional, but the food it serves is anything but. Instead, you’ll find a unique mix of Valtellinese and Sardinian cuisine, as well as dishes with more international influences.

Pozzi pastry shop

This family-run bakery is the best place to try local sweets like bisciolaa kind of cross between panettone and biscotti made with walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, raisins, orange rind, and figs. They also make artisanal chocolates, cakes, cookies, and more.

Best Time to Visit

Bormio is popular in the winter for skiing and in the summer for hiking and mountain biking. The winter season typically starts in December and ends in March. The first week of February tends to be the snowiest of the season. Summer also tends to be busy in Bormio, as avid cyclists flock here for races like The Stelvio Santini and the Alta Valtellina Bike Marathon.

How to Get There

Bormio is located in the Alps near the Italian-Swiss border, about three hours by car from Milan and Bergamo and about two hours from St. Moritz. If you’re coming from Milan, you can take a regional train 2.5 hours to Tirano and then catch a bus to Bormio, which takes another hour. If you plan to travel around the area, it’s best to rent a car.

How to Get Around

Public Transit: The Cooperativa Trasporta Bormio runs a handful of buses that are free to ride. There’s also a network of cable cars and chairlifts that ascend the ski slopes.

Taxi: Taxi Bormio is the town’s taxi consortium. To request a taxi, call or send a WhatsApp message to +39 3383257830. You can also schedule a transfer from the airport or train station by emailing (email protected).