Camping Cervino is predominantly a static site with a significant number of cabins, static caravans, and seasonal pitches. It is well established and maintained with a modern central facilities block offering showers (free), toilets, washing up area, laundry, and chemical disposal. There are about 30 touring pitches on both hard standing and grass (steel pegs required for awnings) and is popular with caravans and motorhomes for skiing. The paths around the site are tarmac and cleared each day after snow throughout the ski season. The site is very quiet Monday to Thursday and livens up with weekenders from Turin & Milan from Thursday to Sunday.
There is a modern reception area with friendly English speaking staff, who are able to provide ski passes at a discount for the local Chamois lift as well as for the Cervino/Matterhorn area. They are in touch throughout the day with the lift operators across the valley and will be able to offer accurate wind and snow forecasts for the day and week ahead. They are also able to provide a voucher to get 15% discount on private lessons at the Chamois Ski School. You can make all purchases in reception by credit card.
The campsite advertises a restaurant on its website, but at time of visit (Feb 2020) this was closed due to a dispute with the restaurant owners and was not expected to reopen in the near future.
There is a café/bar selling bottled beers, coffee & soft drinks opposite reception, which has a small shop and was gearing up to offer snacks. This is also the only place to access the free site Wi-Fi (it may be possible to reach your site using an iBoost). Mobile signal on site was good with 4g available on the 3 network.
How to get to Camping Village Cervino
From Calais by toll, A16/A5/A6/A40 to Mont Blanc Tunnel, then E25 & SR46 to Buisson. We have a full Google Maps integration at the bottom of the page so you can review the ‘no-toll’ route – there are excellent non-toll options available for much of this route.The campsite is on the right, adjacent to the Chamois Gondola and is very easy level access. It is easy to miss the access road, so be sure to exit the SR46 directly past the front of the Chamois gondola and go past the car park to the site entrance. From Calais it’s approximately 615 miles (toll), which works out at around 10-12 hours for motorhomes, 15-20 hours for caravans, traffic and conditions dependent.
If you’re looking for route planning advice for your caravan ski trip – check out this article on Winterised.
What do you get for your money at Camping Cervino
- Flat rate pricing is for a motorhome/caravan and two adults including unlimited 10 amp electric, but discounted prices for a week or more are sometimes offered about 25% cheaper than advertised (Camping Cervino Prices)
- EHU is 10amp requiring a standard 3 pin UK style connector
- There is no piped gas, but Italian 10kg cylinders are available (adapter required – you can get them here on Amazon), with an additional €15 returnable deposit
- Free showers (token operated facility not in use at time of visit)
- Drinking water available in large washing up room
- Grey and chemical disposal area under cover
- English speaking staff at reception
- Dog friendly charged per night, with good local walk to rear of site
- Free wifi in bar area , 4G & 3G signal good dependent on provider.
- Credit cards accepted
What is the skiing like in Cervino?
The wider Cervino/Zermatt Matterhorn ski area has over 350kms of piste, with a further 35kms at Chamois and Torgnon.
Valtournenche is 6 miles away from Camping Cervino with good free parking at Plan de Glaea with gondola access to the Cervino ski area, which rises up onto the slopes of the Matterhorn above 3500m. There is also an option to ski over into Zermatt. On a good day this area is superb with some of the longest runs in the Alps from some of the highest lifts. True motorway skiing. It is however very susceptible to high winds with the lift link to Cervino and Zermatt regularly closed.
The Chamois gondola is 50m from the campsite entrance giving access to a small resort with about 15kms of red & blue piste and 3 lifts. It rises to about 2750m, so good snow usually available. It is a very pretty, almost retro ski area and well worth a day ticket. It also has an excellent learner area and ski school and would be ideal for young children and adult learners wanting private lessons. It is also often open when high winds restrict Cervino.
Winterised Tips
- The campsite website is misleading for its pricing and it is recommended to ring ahead for an accurate quote
- Check out ski pass and ski school discounts at reception
- Worth considering single of 2/3 day ski passes if high winds forecast during week
- Check out local weather and ski conditions with reception staff each day
- There are no shops in the local village and one restaurant about 5 minutes walk away. It is strongly recommended that you collect supermarket shopping in the villages lower down the SR46 valley before you arrive
- For great value ski servicing, check out the ski shop under the gondola station at Plan de Glaea
Pros
- Easy access, flat site with good facilities
- Budget friendly with discounted ski passes
- 50m walk to Chamois gondola
- Superb high altitude ski area
Cons
- No facilities in local village
- No free ski bus to Valtournenche (payable service from nearby gondola)
- Cervino ski area vulnerable to high winds and lift closures
Nearby Campsites
Camping Glair – 2 miles
Photos | John Wilson
