In December, the winter season reopens in Val Gardena (Italy), and the area comes alive with numerous activities, events, and unique experiences.
In the period leading up to the Holidays, Val Gardena becomes a destination worth visiting for three main reasons: the opening of the ski season, the Advent Markets, and the two World Cup speed races.
The ski season will begin on December 4th, with over 500 km of perfectly groomed slopes in the Val Gardena/Alpe di Siusi area, including the Sellaronda, available to all visitors. This year’s novelty is the final section of the Ciampinoi No. 3 slope, now wider and already designed for the 2031 World Ski Championships. In the future, a bridge will also be built to serve as the finish line.
Two weeks later, it will be time for the Ski World Cup, featuring the two “classic” speed races on the famous Saslong slope. The 2025 program includes the Super-G on December 19th and the downhill race on December 20th.
Meanwhile, throughout the valley, lights, scents, and colors will already create a festive atmosphere, as Val Gardena has long been known as the Christmas Valley, thanks in particular to the famous markets in Ortisei and Selva.
In Ortisei, the Christmas Village will be open from November 29, 2025, to January 4, 2026, while in Selva, Mountain Christmas will welcome visitors from November 30, 2025, to January 4, 2026, with charming wooden huts for shopping or tasting traditional dishes.
To fully enjoy the days leading up to Christmas, the Val Gardena Superpremière package is available until December 20th. It includes 4 nights, 4 days of ski pass, and 4 days of equipment rental for the price of just 3. Ski schools also offer the possibility to book 3 consecutive hours of private lessons while paying for only 2. With 6 days booked, guests receive 2 nights for free. The offer is available at all participating hotels.
With the start of Christmas, Val Gardena enters the full winter holiday season, offering unique experiences. A particularly popular event is the Snow Sculpture Competition in Selva Val Gardena, taking place from December 27 to 30, 2025, now in its 29th edition. It is an adventure full of creativity and originality, where participants compete by sculpting a material as fascinating as it is challenging.
The snow comes to life through impressive works created by sculptors and artists, mainly from the valley, who usually work with wood but, for this occasion, will spend three days carving hand-made figures from 3x3x3 meter blocks of ice, without using powered tools.
The next day, December 31st, Ortisei will host the unmissable New Year’s Torchlight Parade by the Ortisei Ski School (6:15 PM – Palmer Slope), followed by a drone show.
At 9:30 PM, in Piazza Sant’Antonio, the New Year’s Eve Party organized by the Hockey Club Gardena will take place, with bars open after midnight.
Selva also hosts a Silvesterparty, with a DJ set from 10 PM to 2 AM. On January 1st, the Ski Show will feature 120 ski and snowboard instructors from the Selva Ski School, including former World Cup athletes, coaches, cross-country and freestyle instructors, and specialists for children and people with disabilities. On the same day, a breathtaking drone show by Showmatrix will illuminate the sky with lights, music, and technology, creating stunning choreographies and effects.
In Santa Cristina, there will be an open-air New Year’s Eve party in Piazza Dosses starting at 10 PM with DJ Ondy.
Finally, we recommend traveling to the Christmas markets in Val Gardena in an eco-friendly and safe way by train and bus. There are multiple direct train connections daily between South Tyrol and Munich, Vienna, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice, and Milan. Night trains are also available from Rome, Hamburg, and Düsseldorf.
During the first four weekends of the Christmas markets in Val Gardena, Trenitalia will run a special Christmas train connecting Lombardy directly with South Tyrol. The nearest train stations are Bolzano (40 km), Ponte Gardena (18 km), Chiusa (23 km), and Bressanone (34 km). For the final stretch, the Val Gardena Guest Pass, provided by participating accommodations, allows free use of public transport in South Tyrol on arrival and departure days, or visitors can use local taxi services such as Südtirol Transfer (shared transfer).
INFO: Val Gardena
