How Long Does It Take to Travel Around the Most Widespread Olympics Ever?
One of the signature elements of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is proximity. The 2026 Milan Games, however, are stretching the definition of a “host city.”
In fact, the Milan Games are the first to have two official host cities: Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo. Milan will host the Opening Ceremony, hockey, and many of the skating events. Cortina will hold curling, luge, bobsled, skeleton, and women’s alpine skiing.
The two Italian host cities are nearly 250 miles apart. By car, this translates to a roughly five-hour drive; by train, you’re looking at a ride between five and six hours.
Yet, the events aren’t restricted to these two locations. There are several other small mountain towns hosting a handful of disciplines. Livigno, a town on the border of Switzerland, will hold several snowboarding events and freestyle skiing. Almost 150 miles north of Milan, getting to the venue will take five hours by train (or 3.5 hours by car).
If you drive an hour north of Cortina, you’ll reach the Antholz Valley, where biathlon events are being held. The area is so close to the Austrian border that the native language for the residents is German.
In total, there are seven locations with Olympic events spread throughout Italy, with the Closing Ceremony taking place in an eighth—Verona.
So why are the Milan Games so spread out? It all comes down to sustainability. The organizers wanted to prioritize using existing structures as venues and only build new structures that could be repurposed after the Games concluded. An example of this is the Milan Olympic Village. Once the site of an abandoned railway yard, the venue will be transformed into student housing post-Games. This will provide 1,700 beds to locals in the future, some at a subsidized rate.
This year, there is a second Olympic Village in Cortina. It truly does look like a small village, with 377 small wooden cabin-like structures lined up in neat rows. The buildings are fabricated entirely out of temporary materials, and once the Closing Ceremony takes place, the small pods will be dismantled.
Some athletes were concerned with the quality of these temporary accommodations, especially after the drama around the Paris Olympics accommodations. In 2024, athletes were stunned to discover their Parisian beds were made of cardboard. Even the “mattresses” consisted of cardboard modules. The uncomfortable beds went viral online, with several athletes complaining about how poor sleep from the beds led to decreased performance.
It seems the Winter Olympics organizers learned from this misstep. On social media, Winter Olympians have revealed that while their 2026 housing may be designed to be repurposed, the beds consist of real mattresses and bed frames.
While this spread-out setup may be the most sustainable option, time will only tell how it works logistically for athletes, coaches, and fans. As someone who will be attending the Olympics as a spectator, I must admit that the layout of the venues made planning fairly complex. With events in Livigno, Milan, Cortina, and the Antholz Valley, my husband and I will be taking multiple trains across Italy, as well as renting a car for several days for our Cortina area events.
While it is doable, seeing multiple disciplines at the Milan Games definitely requires more time, coordination, and patience than previous Olympics.