Arabba is a ski resort in Italy with 62 km of pistes and 24 lifts. Skiing reaches up to 3,269 m above sea level and the village sits at 1,602 m. Accommodation with lift pass included can be booked directly, you arrange your own travel there.
Cheapest places to stay in Arabba
Lift pass options
Prices above include the resort's default lift pass. Here is how the price per person changes if you pick another one when booking:
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Arabba is Sella Ronda's most challenging corner and a dream for experienced skiers seeking steep pistes and adventurous terrain. The small village sits at 1,602 metres at the foot of Porta Vescovo and is the most technically demanding of the four Sella Ronda resorts. Here, skiing itself takes centre stage, not glamour or nightlife.
From Arabba you can reach the Marmolada glacier at 3,269 metres, the highest point in the Dolomites. The cable car takes you up to a world of glacier runs and outstanding panoramic views across the entire Dolomite range. The descent from Marmolada back down to the valley is one of the most memorable experiences in the Alps, with over 1,600 metres of vertical drop.
Arabba is small and rustic, with just a handful of hotels, guesthouses and restaurants. It's precisely this simplicity that appeals to regular visitors. Free from mass tourism and focused purely on skiing, Arabba offers an authentic Alpine experience where you wake up, ski all day and finish with a simple but good dinner at your guesthouse.
If you fancy exploring further, you can ski the Sella Ronda circuit to Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Canazei and be back in Arabba by afternoon. With the Dolomiti Superski pass you have access to 1,200km of pistes, though many regulars are happy to stick to Arabba's own demanding descents day after day.
Ready to book a ski holiday in Arabba? Find accommodation with lift pass included in the price. You arrange your own travel there.
The lift pass included covers the ski area at Arabba. The offer at the tour operator states which pass is included. Regional passes covering several ski areas are bought locally.
Accommodation with lift pass in Arabba ›Did you know this about Arabba?
Arabba is regarded as the most challenging corner of the Sella Ronda and lacks the glamour of its neighbouring resorts; here it is all about pure skiing. From the village you can reach Marmolada at 3,269 metres, known as the queen of the Dolomites and its highest peak, with a descent of more than 1,600 vertical metres back down to the valley.
5 tips about Arabba
- Best for experienced skiers Arabba suits you if you are already confident on red and black runs; beginners will find better practice terrain in the other Sella Ronda villages.
- Ski Marmolada early Head up to 3,269 metres on your first morning, while the snow on the glacier is at its best and before the sun softens it.
- Do the full Sella Ronda circuit Your lift pass lets you complete the whole circuit in a day via Val Gardena, Alta Badia and Canazei, and still be back in Arabba by the afternoon.
- Make the most of the Superski pass Arabba's 62 km of local pistes are plenty for regulars, but the pass opens up a full 1,200 km across Dolomiti Superski if you fancy a change of scene.
- A quiet village feel Arabba is small, with only a handful of hotels and guesthouses, so evenings are peaceful, which is ideal if you put skiing ahead of nightlife.
Pistes and lifts in Arabba
Arabba offers 62km of local pistes with 26 lifts, and gives access to Dolomiti Superski's 1,200km network. The area is the most demanding in the Sella Ronda system, with a high proportion of red and black runs. From the village at 1,602 metres, you can reach Marmolada at 3,269 metres.
The Porta Vescovo side offers steep, technical descents that challenge even experienced skiers. The Marmolada descent, with over 1,600 metres of vertical drop, is a classic. The off-piste opportunities around Arabba are excellent for those with the right equipment and experience. There are a few blue runs for practice, but Arabba is primarily a resort for advanced skiers.
Piste map for Arabba
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Snow reliability in Arabba
Arabba sits at an altitude of 1,602 metres and gives access to the Marmolada glacier at a lofty 3,269 metres, the highest point in the Dolomites. That considerable vertical range means the area is considered snow-sure, with dependable conditions high up even when the snow further down the valley is less good.
The most demanding terrain is found on the Porta Vescovo side and around Marmolada, where the altitude helps to keep the snow in good shape for much of the season.
Best time to travel to Arabba
The best time for skiing in Arabba is from January to March. January brings cold, dry snow and the most challenging conditions. February offers more stable snow cover and better light on the steep runs. March allows for sunny skiing on the Marmolada glacier. For extreme skiers, early winter is best for off-piste.
Will there be lift queues in Arabba?
The lift system around Arabba carries 45,974 people an hour across 24 lifts. 15 of the 24 lifts are gondolas, cable cars or high-speed chairlifts, the kind that clear a queue quickly. The fastest lifts carry up to 3,400 people an hour, for example Lezuo-Belvedere. Per kilometre of piste there is more lift capacity than at an average resort on this site, and you notice it: queues clear quickly. The queue you actually notice is almost always down in the valley between eight and half past nine. If you are on the lift before eight you avoid it.
When is Arabba busiest?
How busy the slopes get is not decided by the English half term but by when the Italians are on holiday. These are the weeks that fill Arabba in the 2026/2027 season.
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Italy: Italy has no national ski holiday. Instead it is Carnevale that fills the resorts, when Italians take their settimana bianca.
24 January to 9 February: Carnevale, with carnival Sunday on 7 February and Shrove Tuesday on the 9th - England: The English February half term is 15 to 19 February 2027 for most councils, with a few areas breaking up a week earlier. The Easter holidays run from 26 March to 9 April.
8 to 12 February: half term in a few council areas, for example Hull
15 to 19 February: half term in most of England, including London, the Midlands and the North
26 March to 9 April: Easter holidays for most English schools - Easter holidays: Easter 2027 is early, on 28 March. Austria and Germany take their holidays around the weekend, while the French holidays fall after Easter, in April.
20 to 29 March: the whole of Austria, all states at the same time
22 March to 3 April: most German states, including Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia
3 April to 3 May: the French zones, which fall after Easter 2027 and only affect the highest resorts - Long weekends: Long weekends fill the slopes with day visitors from the nearest cities, even when no schools are on holiday.
26 December to 3 January: Christmas and New Year, the most expensive period of the year
6 January: Epiphany, a public holiday in Austria, Italy and parts of Switzerland
27 to 29 March: the Easter weekend. Easter Monday is a public holiday across the Alps, but Good Friday is a working day in Austria, Italy and France
1 to 2 May: May Day, a public holiday across the Alps
After Shrove Tuesday things calm down quickly. The second half of February and March offer both lower prices and plenty of room on the slopes.
Opening and closing dates are typical values derived from altitude, not confirmed dates for this season. Check the resort's own website before booking.
Who will you share the slopes with in Arabba?
422,591 overnight stays over the whole of 2025. Tap a country or a segment of the circle to highlight it.
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1
Italians
29.2%
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2
Germans
13.6%
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3
Czechs
6.6%
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4
Poles
5.9%
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5
Slovenians
5.4%
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6
British
5.2%
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7
Dutch
5.2%
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8
Slovaks
2.9%
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9
Swedes
2.6%
- 10 Others 23.4%
Source: the Veneto regional statistics office. Arabba belongs to the municipality of Livinallongo del Col di Lana, so the figures cover the whole municipality. The figures cover the whole year, not just winter.
Snow right now. There is no snow cover in the valley or at the top right now. The figures are modelled by Open-Meteo, not measured by the lift company, and were fetched 14 October 2026 at 04:26.
The lift pass included. The stay comes with the Arabba - Marmolada lift pass, which covers 63 km of piste. The pass is worth around €380.
How to get to Arabba
You arrange your own travel: we sell the stay, not the transport. Here are the three ways people get to Arabba, so you can pick the one that suits you.
By air. The nearest airport is Innsbruck (INN). Pure flying time from London is around 2 hours, and from there it is 2.5 hours on to Arabba. You can cover the last stretch in one of two ways:
- Private transfer. A private driver meets you in the arrivals hall and drives straight to your accommodation with no stops. The price is per car, not per person, ski boxes can be booked in advance, and the driver waits even if the flight is late.
- Hire car at the airport. With SmartCarRental you collect the car in the arrivals hall. That gets you to the neighbouring villages on the same lift pass, lets you shop at valley prices rather than resort prices, and frees you from transfer timetables. Winter tyres are standard at Alpine desks.
By car. Many drive. Taking the Eurotunnel from Folkestone and arriving at Calais, it's roughly 1,206 km to Arabba, around 13.3 hours of pure driving time through France. Remember that studded tyres are banned in France and Germany.
Last-minute deals in Arabba
Last-minute offers, that is late dates the operator still wants to fill, appear from January onwards. Once the season is under way we will show them here on this page.
Arabba is suitable for
Suitable to some extent
⭐ Excellent choice
Limited selection
⭐ Very snow-reliable
Read more about ski holidays
Ready to book? Choose from accommodation in different price ranges. Lift pass is included in the price, and you arrange your own travel there.
Accommodation with lift pass in Arabba ›Frequently asked questions about Arabba
Arabba is primarily aimed at experienced skiers, with a high proportion of red and black runs. If you're a confident intermediate, you'll manage the blue runs and the Sella Ronda circuit, but the resort's core terrain is demanding. For a mixed-ability group, it's better to stay in Alta Badia and take day trips to Arabba.
Yes, Arabba is the resort closest to Marmolada, the highest point in the Dolomites at 3,269 metres. The cable car from Malga Ciapela, just outside Arabba, takes you up to the glacier. The descent back down offers over 1,600 metres of vertical drop and is one of the most impressive runs in the Alps.
Arabba is not an après-ski destination. The village is small and quiet, with just a handful of bars and restaurants. It's a place for those who prefer to turn in early and be first on the lift in the morning. If you're after nightlife, Selva Val Gardena or Corvara in Alta Badia are better options nearby.
