9 Alpine mountain towns to visit for summer adventures

Europe’s mountain towns may not offer guaranteed sunshine but by way of compensation, they serve up some of the most invigorating landscapes on the planet alongside temperatures that make exploring them a treat. If you’re looking for a summer coolcation, high above the Mediterranean’s sizzling heat, you’ve come to the right place. In all nine of those suggested here, superb hiking is a given but it’s the range of other activities and attractions on offer that really dazzles. Yoga, rafting, trail running, swimming, biking, mountaineering, tennis, skateboarding: you’ll find them all offered somewhere on this list.

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1. Chamonix, France

Best for: mountaineering
If you love the mountains, you’ll love Chamonix, where every street scene ends in a towering peak and the locals are even more outdoorsy than you are. Mountaineering is the big draw here: on account of western Europe’s tallest peak, Mont Blanc, whose dark and magnificent bulk looms over the southern end of town. But we’re not suggesting you climb it. Instead, join an introductory course run by the Compagnie des Guides. Over five days you’ll learn not just the basics of safe mountaineering, and spend a night in a refuge, but also whether you’ve got the nerve and stamina to tackle sheer rock faces and knife-edge ridges. In town, Langley Hotel Gustavia is a cute and central base in which to come back down from your natural high. 

2. St Anton, Austria

Best for: yoga
Never mind that, in winter, the pretty, low-rise town of St Anton is a byword for hell-for-leather skiing and full-throttle parties. Once the snow has melted, yoga is one of its strongest suits. The headline event is its four-day September yoga festival. But throughout the summer you can mix daily yoga classes in its Arflow centre with big, wind-in-your-hair walks on sections of the Adlerweg long-distance path. All of it seems entirely appropriate for such an environmentally aware resort, which generates all of its electricity using water from the Kartell reservoir. Stay at the four-star Arlmont to deepen your sense of serenity in its rooftop swimming pool overlooking the mountain peaks.

3. Bourg St Maurice, France

Best for: whitewater rafting
There are fast rivers flowing down almost every mountain valley in Europe, but few are as reliable as the Isère whose rapids are guaranteed to roar right through the summer, thanks to daily releases of water from a reservoir near Tignes. Rafting companies operate on an 11-mile stretch of it, downriver from the energetic town of Bourg St Maurice. Bunk down in the friendly Base Camp Lodge, close to where Arc Adventures launches its rafts. Then, once you’ve dried off, ride the funicular railway up to the off-duty ski resort of Les Arcs. The resort itself is not the most picture-perfect but the deep green valley views are magnificent, and the range of mountain activities mind-boggling. Up here, you can try everything from circus training for kids to tandem parapenting (a cross between hang-gliding and parachuting).

4. Morzine, France

Best for: mountain biking
The northern massifs of the Haute-Savoie may be lower and less rugged than the peaks further south. But when it comes to biking that’s a virtue and, in summer, the verdant slopes of the Portes du Soleil ski area are home to five bike parks, 372 miles of trails and 22 bike-carrying lifts. Morzine, a lively town packed with rustic chalets, is its natural hub with plenty of Alpine fun beyond mastering your banked, berm turns. Both hikers and trail runners are well-served by its many footpaths, while Lake Montriond is a spectacular place to cool off afterwards. But you’d be missing the point if you didn’t spend at least one day here on two wheels. If you’re new to the sport, schools such as Ride Ability can teach you the basics. The highly rated Hotel Champs Fleuris is close to the key Pleney lift as well as several bike rental centres. 

5. Sölden, Austria

Best for: taking the plunge
Set halfway along the Ötztal in Austria’s Tyrol region, the holiday town of Sölden has become a bastion of downhill mountain-biking in the last decade. But it’s not the only way to get the adrenaline pumping in this flat-bottomed valley lined with pyramid peaks. Head to the Area 47 water and adventure park at its northern end and you can whoosh down water slides, climb a bouldering wall above a lake and be fired from a water cannon. Or, for a more soothing aquatic experience, try swimming in the Piburger See mountain lake or soaking in the Aqua Dome spa. The latter’s raised Basin Pool hot tubs look like giant, steaming soup bowls. Back in Sölden, Sportlers Lodge is a modern, mid-priced hotel.

6. Laax, Switzerland

Best for: skateboarding
For more than a generation, Laax has been the mountain resort of choice for Zurich hipsters. In winter, its mighty No Name terrain park is where they snowboard. And in summer you’ll find them popping tricks in one of its three skate parks — one of which, the indoor Freestyle Academy, also offers lessons. You can even build your own custom board at the Enlain workshop. The minimalist Riders Hotel is the place to stay, complete with live music nights at the Lobby bar. But don’t get too caught up in the skateboard bubble: biking, hiking, rock-climbing and high-ropes courses are all on offer at Laax, too. 

7. Altaussee, Austria

Best for: lake swimming
The Salzkammergut may be named after its salt mines but these days, this mountain region is best known as a place for languid lakeside summer holidays. The western lakes, close to Salzburg, are the busiest so head instead to the resort town Altaussee in the east, said to have been dubbed “the most beautiful dead-end in the world” by writer Friedrich Torberg. Here, the old-school, but luxe Sieglgut apartments make a lovely base. Water temperatures at the local lake can climb to 25C in hot spells, so it’s a magnet for lake swimmers; the nearby Grundlsee and Toplitzsee are even more magnificent, as they reach deep into the North Styrian Alps. Boating, bike rides and paddleboarding are essential activities. So, too, is hiking on the Tauplitz plateau. 

8. Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

Best for: via ferrata
Via ferrata may have been invented in Austria in the 19th century, but it was in the Italian Alps in the First World War that these iron pathways of ladders, steps and fixed cables came into their own, helping both the Italians and their Austro-Hungarian opponents reach front lines that topped towering cliffs and mountain peaks. The spectacular town of Cortina d’Ampezzo is home to some of the most vertiginous of the old battle grounds as well as an extensive network of modern via ferrata routes — and the sense of history adds an extra edge to every ascent. This is Dolomite country where every rock face seems sheer and the yawning sense of empty space beneath you will fray the steadiest nerves, even though you’re secured against any slips by your safety harness. Book a qualified guide, go easy at the start and treat yourself to accommodation at the soothing, timber-panelled Villa Alpina when you’re done.

9. Kitzbühel, Austria

Best for: tennis and golf
Not all mountain towns are 100% devoted to mountain sports. With four golf courses and its own ATP tennis tournament, the Generali Open, upmarket Kitzbühel has forged a different path from many of its neighbours. For tennis fans, the three indoor and six outdoor courts at the Sportpark are the big draw, though you can also play at four of its hotels, including the four-star Bichlhof, which has two clay courts of its own. Meanwhile, serious golfers will want to test themselves against the 18-hole, par-71 Eichenheim Kitzbühel-Aurach course, designed by Kyle Phillips, a renowned golf course architect. Don’t imagine, however, that the Alps are just a backdrop. Kitzbühel is also a hikers’ hub with more than 600 miles of waymarked trails and free guided hikes on offer, from both the tourist office and the lift company.