Piani di Bobbio – The best option for skiing near Milan

If you are planning a trip to Milan during the winter months and would like to escape the city for a day to enjoy the snow, we introduce you to the ideal solution: go skiing close to Milan! After a quick search, you will find that there are multiple options for ski resorts located near Milan. Our preferred option is the ski area of Piani di Bobbio. In this article, we will tell you all you need to know to go skiing near Milan at Piani di Bobbio Ski Resort.

How to get to Piani di Bobbio?

The ski resort of Piani di Bobbio is located in the mountains that surround Lake Como, called pre-Alps (since, as the name suggests, they come right before the Alps). If you are wondering how to get to Piani di Bobbio from Milan, these are your main alternatives:

By bus

If you intend to go skiing in Piani di Bobbio just for a day, going by bus is the best alternative. The ski resort of Piani di Bobbio has a bus line called “Bus Della Neve” where you pay a fixed value that includes a return transfer to the ski station from Milan and the daily ski pass. In the winter season of 2025/26, the ticket price is only 49 € per person.

By car

If you want more flexibility instead of being restricted to the bus schedule, the best option is to rent a car and drive from Milan to Piani di Bobbio. We recommend this alternative if you intend to spend at least a couple of days in the mountains, in which case it does not make sense to be commuting to Milan. The ski area of Piani di Bobbio has a parking lot available that costs 4 € per day, but be mindful that it isn’t very big and may get full quite early on the day.

Do you need to rent a car for your trip?

We always use DiscoverCars to rent our car. So far it has proved to be not only the cheapest option but also the most reliable one. We used DiscoverCars to rent our car for our trips through Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Italy, and so many other countries, and we never had any issues. We even convinced all of our friends and family to use it. So that’s why we are also recommending it to you!

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With public transport

To get to Piani di Bobbio from Milan using public transport, you will first need to get a train until Lecco, which takes around 40 min on the regional train. Outside Lecco’s train station, hop on the bus D35 until Barzio and, from there, you will need to get another bus to the ski area. This second bus is free – it is a local orange bus that runs only during the ski season. The bus does not have a fixed schedule, but it passes regularly so it is very easy to spot.

Read more about Public transport in Milan.

Reaching Piani di Bobbio via public transport may be quite long if you are going from Milan – we do not recommend it for commuting daily. Instead, the best alternative is to get a place to stay in Barzio, which is the closest village to Piani di Bobbio. Another option is to find a place to stay in Lecco, which has more options for accommodations and usually more affordable prices – but have in mind that in this case, you will need to catch two buses instead of one.

How much does it cost to ski in Piani di Bobbio

The prices for skiing in Piani di Bobbio are considered affordable when compared to other major European ski resorts such as Chamonix or Courchevel. The accessible price is one of the main reasons why skiing in Piani di Bobbio is so popular amongst locals. You will see many Italians who live in the area on the slopes, not only tourists.

See below some price examples for skiing in Piani di Bobbio in the winter season of 2025/2026:

There are many other ticket options for skiing in Piani di Bobbio, as well as discounts for kids and family packages. For complete information about prices, we recommend checking Piani di Bobbio’s official website.

In 2025/2026 the High season is considered to be every Saturday and Sunday, 8/12/2025, between 26/12/2025 and 6/1/2026, and between 14/2/2026 and 22/2/2026.

Renting ski equipment in Piani di Bobbio

Most of the people visiting Piani di Bobbio for a ski day from Milan are not carrying the clothes or equipment necessary for the trip. If this is your case, do not worry. You can rent the necessary equipment directly at the station.

Right on the lower platform of the cable car, where you will first arrive and buy your ticket (if you didn’t do it online), there is a big equipment rental store called B Rent. It is located underground. This store is quite well equipped and was able to offer everything we needed for either skiing or snowboarding. Renting the ski equipment at B Rent was extremely practical, even if we then had to carry the equipment with us in the cable car. 

The biggest downside of renting at B Rent is that there are cheaper options on the upper cable car station (which are often much emptier, so you won’t lose time on the line). To make sure the stores above are open, we recommend asking around at the ticket booth or the workers at the cable car station. They are the best people to inform you of how busy it is on the day you will be there.

Price for renting ski equipment in Piani di Bobbio

We have been to Piani di Bobbio a few years ago and the prices were a bit different. Now you can expect the prices to be from 19 € for the complete ski equipment and from 28 € for the snowboarding one. On the side, we also rented snow gloves and waterproof pants. The only thing they didn’t offer for renting at B Rent was the snow jacket, so make sure you have a waterproof one when coming.

The prices vary based on the dates you are visiting and what equipment you will need. You can book everything online through their online store.

We are sharing this information just to make the trip easier for you, as we have not used their service and cannot vouch for it. (Please let us know if you did and what was your experience! It would help other readers)

Piani di Bobbio Ski Resort – The structure

Piani di Bobbio is a popular ski resort among families and locals since it offers a large number of easy runs (blue) and several options of classes for kids or beginners. If you are an advanced-level skier, do not worry as you will also find a selection of difficult runs along the slopes (both red and black).

I must be honest and admit that the structure at the ski resort caught me by surprise. I didn’t expect much but was pleasantly surprised to see there are multiple options of restaurants, stores, ski schools, and snow activities – all very well connected. And the best of all is that it was never crowded, due to the large variety of options.

Piani di Bobbio has a total of 35km of ski runs with a mix of all levels, from beginner to advanced. Everywhere we went, the snow was in amazing condition, sometimes filled with artificial snow when needed. We didn’t come across one single spot with bare ice.

Pro tip: If you are already in this area, don’t forget to visit Lake Como!

Don’t forget your travel insurance!

In case of accidents, the cost of being rescued by a snowmobile at Piani di Bobbio starts at 200€. When you purchase your ticket, you will have the option of purchasing additional insurance that covers the rescue cost. However, the medical assistance is charged independently, along with the cost of treatment itself, if needed.

Here at Mauka, we always recommend getting good and reliable travel insurance to avoid negative surprises during your holidays. When traveling, we use SafetyWing for insurance. They have international coverage and offer very good support. If you intend to go skiing, make sure your insurance covers action sports (such as skiing and snowboarding).

SafetyWing Travel Insurance

We know that insurance is one of those things that we think we don’t need… until we actually do! Dealing with hospital visits and health issues is stressful when you’re traveling, so getting a good travel insurance is the only thing that will give you peace of mind. We recommend SafetyWing, they have very flexible insurance plans covering almost every destination in the world! Take a look at their options and prices below.

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Essentials for your ski-trip to Piani di Bobbio

If you plan on skiing close to Milan, whether it will be at Piani di Bobbio or another ski resort, here are some essential items you should bring with you:

• Beanie or winter cap (or however you wish to call it) – don’t underestimate the cold when skiing!
• Sunglasses – extremely helpful when skiing. Alternatively, you can also use ski goggles.
• Lip balm – one of our essentials whenever practicing any winter sport.
• Sunscreen – being so high on the mountains, you will see that the sun is strong! Protect yourself.
• Thick socks – we recommend using thick long socks for protection since many times the ski or snowboard boots are very hurtful.

We hope our tips about skiing in Piani di Bobbio are helpful for you! Hope you have an amazing time at the slopes.

Have a nice trip,

Fe and Edo

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