It Is Time To Plan Your Trip To The Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics 2026

How to plan an unforgettable trip to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics

Burrowing a famous phrase from legendary German soccer trainer Sepp Herberger: After the Olympics is ahead of the Olympics. In other words, just when the Paris Summer Olympics are history, the next big global world sports event hosted in Europe is already around the corner.

The XXV Winter Olympics will kick off in February 2026, and preparations for the event are already well advanced. Hosting the Winter Games for the third time will be Italy. Following the 1956 games in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the 2006 games in Turin, this time competitions will take place across several stunning, yet largely under-the-radar locations in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Veneto.

While the Winter Olympics usually get a little less attention relative to their big sister aka the Summer Olympics, there is no doubt we are up for large crowds cheering the more than 3,500 athletes and 22 different competitions to take place at the Winter Olympics from 6^th to 22^nd February and the Paralympics from 6^th to 15^th March.

For those keen to attend in person, planning will be particularly crucial for the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. With large distances to cover between the competitions (we talk about hours on the road from one location to the next), basing yourself in one place only is nearly undoable unless you are happy to stick to a limited number of competitions in one single location.

If you are planning to attend the 2026 Winter Olympics in person, and you have not started to plan your trip, right now is the time to start.

And while the competitions are certainly the main attractions, the nothing short than stunning locations playing host to the next Olympics likewise deserve a closer look; perhaps even a trip of its own before or after the 2026 Winter Games. Or you might extend your stay, adding excursions, and culinary highlights along the way.

Where are the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic competitions taking place

The next Winter Olympics will take place over the most widespread area of any Winter Games yet.

The opening ceremony will be held in Italy’s fashion capital (and the capital of Lombardy) Milan. While the city is usually not home to any winter sports events (snow is rare in Milan), it will host a couple of competitions, including ice hockey, speed skating, and figure skating.

Also in Lombardy, around three and a half hours north of Milan, Livigno will stage the snowboarding and freestyle competitions. The small ski resort in the Upper Valtellina near the Swiss border is a real gem, and a popular destination for those that love alpine activity.

Meanwhile, the final location in Lombardy hosting part of the games – Bormio – is one of Italy’s most popular alpine skiing destinations, not least because the small resort town is home to thermal springs. The town, located around three hours from Milan and about one hour east of Livigno, will host the alpine skiing and alpine mountaineering competitions.

Most other competitions are hold across the stunning regions of Trentino Alto-Adige. This northeastern-most region of Italy is characterized by the stunning snowcapped peaks of the Dolomites along with stunning medieval castles and bustling historic cities full of stunning architecture. Meanwhile, Alto-Adige (also known as South Tyrol) in recent years has transformed into an incredibly culinary hotspot, with an impressive number of luxury and spa hotels. And finally, there are the vineyards of Trento DOC and Alto Adige not to be missed.  

Anterselva (or Antholz how it will be better known to those following European winter sports) in the Antholz Valley on the shores of Lake Antholz, one of the largest mountain lakes in the area close to the Austrian-Italian border, is a well-known location for cross-country skiing and regularly hosts important biathlon competitions.

Still in Trentino Alto-Adige, the two towns of Predazzo, and Tesero in Val di Fiemme (the latter the first place in the Southern Alps to host a Nordics World Ski Championship back in 1991), are the other locations to host various competitions including ski jumping and cross-country skiing.

Finally, Cortina d’Ampezzo, the most famous and popular destination in Italy for ski enthusiasts and a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site, will host alpine skiing, bob sledding, and curling competitions. The beautiful location in the Veneto region is not new to Olympic Games, thought nearly half a century has passed since the 1956 Olympics took place here. The town is located around three hours from Verona.

Meanwhile, the closing ceremony will be held in the heart of the Veneto region, the beautiful historic city of Verona. With a stunning mix of small medieval cobble-stone streets, magnificent palazzi, and the stunning Arena di Verona, along with the more modern districts of the city, Verona is a destination worth travelling anytime.

How to plan an unforgettable trip to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics

If you are a (winter) sports enthusiast dreaming to attend the Winter Olympics in person, the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games in northern Italy will be your next opportunity; and in addition to a lot of sports competitions it will take place in some of the most beautiful winter destinations in the world.

With another 17 months to go, you are still on time to make that dream a reality, but you should not wait any longer either.

There are off course official partners offering ticket packages including access to the competitions and events along with travel and accommodation. This can take away a lot of researching and individual booking but in most cases will leave you with less flexibility to add additional activities, will be less adaptable to your individual preferences, and might be more expensive relative to booking individually.

So, if you want to make this dream trip to the next Winter Olympics become a reality, below, I am sharing some important planning steps and insights you should keep in mind when planning to attend the XXV Winter Olympics (or any other Olympic Games or large sports event).

1. Sign up to the ticket draw which will give you priority access to the best tickets once the sales process starts in February 2025 (more on this below).
2. Check out the competitions calendar on the official Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics website to find out when and where they will hold; then put together a priority list of all competitions you wish to attend.
3. With competitions hold in various locations far from each other, significant travel time between locations will be required. Research travel options between locations and work out an appropriate travel itinerary, including where to stay.
4. Check out the individual destinations on your travel itinerary for potential additional activities, i.e. adding day trips to other locations nearby, major attractions in the area besides the competitions, etc.
5. Buy travel insurance to be on the safe side in case you need to cancel your trip.
6. Research lodging options for the various locations hosting the competitions to be ready to book once your tickets are confirmed.
7. As soon as your tickets are confirmed and you know all locations on your final travel itinerary, book your train tickets to the individual locations. In case some of the destinations can’t be conveniently reached by public transport, make reservations for a rental car.
8. Book your plane tickets to/from Italy if you need to fly in, or train tickets if convenient. Plane tickets are usually available 330 days ahead of the flight, so make sure to be ready to purchase yours as soon as the ticket sale opens.
9. If you travel from outside Europe, make sure to know the EU entry requirements (which apply for Italy). Keep in mind, from early 2025 there will be a new entry Visa for the European Union regulating entry for currently visa-exempt travellers.

How to buy your tickets for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics

Tickets for the XXV Winter Olympics can be purchased initially in a three steps progress.

Since June 2024, you can already register on the official Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics website to become part of the tickets draw that will mark the first phase of the official ticket sales. While registering does not consist in a purchase commitment, it will give you priority access to the best tickets once the sales process will start in February 2025. Registration to take part in the tickets draw is still possible until January 2025.

Once you have registered, you will receive an email that will assign you your slot to purchase tickets.

In April 2025, ticket sales will open to everybody, and the remaining tickets can be purchased directly on the spot.

The race is already open. Head over to the official Milano-Cortina Olympics website to find out when and where your favourite competitions are taking place and get registered to the ticket draw to make sure you are assigned your slot to buy the best available tickets.

Keen to attend the 2026 Winter Olympics in northern Italy? Then stay tuned for more background on the stunning locations playing host to the Games, from what to explore beyond the competitions to the best excursions to plan, the best hotels, restaurants and the best local food you need to try while there.