Such Great Heights: Exploring the Alps

With mountain meadows, charming trains ascending from pine forests to snowcapped peaks, mood-lifting views, and lakeside picnics, summer in the Alps has you on a constant high 

Spanning eight European countries, the Alps reveal their cinematic traditional side in summer with flower-freckled meadows echoing with the sound of cowbells, storybook towns swinging into folk festival mode, railways and cable cars gliding up to glaciers, and walkers and cyclists heading to rustic huts for platters of mountain cheese and home-cured meats on the terrace.  

These days of outdoor adventure are rounded out nicely at luxurious mountain hotels with peak-facing spas, rooftop bars serving sweeping views, and gourmet restaurants – some twinkling with Michelin Stars.  

In France’s Haute-Savoie, an hour from Geneva in Switzerland, the town of Megève offers riveting views of the Alps’ tallest peak, Mont Blanc, from its cobbled medieval center. This French heart-stealer beautifully and seamlessly combines Alpine tradition with refined dining, indulgent spas, and designer stores, winging you from haute couture to cow-nibbled pastures. 

Summers here embrace the outdoors: gentle walks to the forest-rimmed Belle au Bois falls, guided rides on electric-assisted cycles, husky hikes, and Alpine dairy visits. Squeeze in a leisurely picnic on the shores of mountain-framed Lake Javen or take the Rochebrune cable car up to L’Alpage de Pré Rosset. Overlooking Mont Blanc and the Aiguilles Croches, this authentic mountain hut serves a Savoyard cheese feast, such as tartiflette with farmhouse Reblochon. A cable car also glides up to Jaillet, a family hit with equally entrancing views, a playground, and downhill trails for scootering, mountain biking, and tobogganing. Festivals are open air, too, with New Orleans-style beats filling Megève’s historic heart at July’s Summer Jazz, and big-name acts performing at August’s soulful Megève Blues Festival. 

Dazzling mountain sunsets captivate at the glass-walled rooftop restaurant and bar of Grand Hôtel Soleil d’Or. Opened in 1901, it’s a marvelously indulgent base for exploring, with treats on offer that include champagne fondue at La Fromagerie restaurant and carefully crafted delights at the indulgent La Chocolaterie.  

From Geneva, trains race south toward the Swiss Valais, winding up mountain slopes to the iconic Alpine resort town, Zermatt. You’ll be glued to the window as the stark peak of the Matterhorn pops up on the horizon.  

Zermatt summers are glorious, with cycling and walking to idyllic hamlets and sky-high Alpine huts showcasing farm-fresh produce. Cliff-hugging walkways lead into Gorner Gorge, a waterfall-splashed ravine 220 million years in the making. Or ride the cogwheel railway to Gornergrat for front-row views of the Matterhorn, fragrant strolls in Alpine gardens, and encounters with shaggy-haired Valasian blacknose sheep in flowery pastures.  

For an unforgettable start to the day, take the sunrise train to Riffelsee to see the Matterhorn perfectly mirrored in still lake waters in the pink dawn. Higher? Accessible by cable car, Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, the highest mountain station in Europe, floats up to an ear-popping 12,740 feet and breath-taking views over three countries, 14 glaciers, and 38 peaks. At the top, explore the glittering ice palace, summer ski across the Theodul Glacier, or take a cable car over to Italy for lunch. 

Since 1879, the town’s most iconic hotel, Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, has attracted royals and celebrities: Walt Disney and Sir Michael Caine are among those who have stayed here. Arrive by horse-drawn carriage to find chandelier-lit interiors, Michelin-Starred restaurant Alpine Gourmet Prato Borni elevating mountain flavors, and the recently opened Vita Borni spa. 

Skip one valley over from Zermatt to Saas-Fee. Hemmed in by glacier-frosted summits, the car-free village moves to a similarly traditional beat, which you can tune into at The Capra. This modern-day Alpine lodge enthralls with heart-racing views, a brasserie celebrating the Alps and seasons, and science-rooted wellness at Peak Health spa. 

The mountains buzz with life in summer, ramping up at the month-long SaasFeestival in July and August, bringing top-drawer concerts to the peaks. Families have a blast spotting and feeding burrowing marmots on the circular trail at Spielboden. And if you’ve ever fancied slipping into skis in summer, here you can – ski teams from around the world train on these glacier runs.  

Trains breeze scenically east from Switzerland into Tyrol, where the Austrian Alps are at their wildest. The landscape fizzes with tradition in summer: open-air folk music and brass-band concerts, cheese tasting at Alpine dairies, and the peaks ablaze with solstice bonfires at Mountains Aflame in late June.  

Hear that? Peace. What a rare and beautiful thing. Perched high atop the Seefeld plateau near Innsbruck, Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol in Telfs-Buchen brilliantly mixes Tyrolean craftsmanship with modern flair. This luxe hideaway enchants with its vast spa featuring panoramic pools and Alpine herb-infused treatments, and Michelin-Starred restaurant Chef’s Table riffing imaginatively on homegrown produce. 

It is tempting to stay put – but do explore. Low-key cycling and e-biking trails weave up to forest-rimmed Lottensee, a placid lake with a rustic hut, for an alfresco lunch on its shores. Or step up to Brunschkopf mountain, where a Swarovski telescope affords soul-stirring views of the Seefeld plateau, Wetterstein mountains, and Inn Valley. 

Swinging east brings you to the Ennstal Alps in Styria. Arriving at Imlauer Hotel Schloss Pichlarn in Aigen im Ennstal is a pinch-yourself moment. This stunning turreted castle looks proudly back on 1,000 years of history, weaving heritage into elegantly redesigned interiors. Tee off at the 18-hole golf course, drift in pools that reflect the mountains in the spa, and dig into food that puts a light Mediterranean touch on homegrown and organic produce from surrounding Alpine pastures, forests, and lakes. 

The castle is your summer springboard for gentle walks and bike rides through flower-sprinkled meadows at the foot of the Totes Gebirge (Dead Mountains). The circular walk at Tauplitz waterfall is a beauty, getting close to a 98-foot fall crashing over forested cliffs. For a wild swim, make for nearby Putterersee with its rowboats and floating island, or the pure, warm waters of moorland lake Spechtensee.  

For a shot of culture, it’s a 40-minute drive to Baroque treasure Admont Abbey, home to the world’s biggest monastic library, lavishly festooned with Bartolomeo Altomonte frescoes. 

Nudging France and the highest peaks in the Alps, Courmayeur in Italy’s Aosta Valley is linked by cable car to over-the-mountain Chamonix. Attracting A-listers with its phenomenal views, designer boutiques, and high-end food scene, the cobbled, car-free village is as chic as it is pretty. Nature is echoed beautifully in glass, stone, and wood at Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc, with views of its eponymous mountain and a peak-gazing spa. 

Grazing past jagged rock pinnacles and glaciers, the Skyway Monte Bianco revolves 360 degrees to provide sensational views of the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, and Mont Blanc. At lower elevations, you can play golf in Val Ferret, brush up on blooms at Saussurea Alpine Botanical Garden, or splash in the 37°C mineral-rich thermal waters of Pré-Saint-Didier, just as bath-loving Romans once did.  

After a day outdoors, return to the Grand Hotel Courmayeur Mont Blanc for dinner at La Fourchette, serving season-spun, region-led flavors like red wine-braised beef with polenta, before drinks under starry Alpine skies on the terrace of Equinox Lounge Bar. 

Swiss-French Architect Le Corbusier rhapsodized about the Dolomites being “the most beautiful work of architecture ever seen.” In the Trentino region of the Brenta Dolomites, the architecturally striking Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti in Pinzolo evokes this spirit with soaring floor-to-ceiling windows, natural materials, and handcrafted furnishings in light-drenched suites and residences. The spa almost appears to float above the mountains.  

From here, strike out into the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park on foot, by e-bike, or on horseback. Here, the Dolomites rise like natural fortifications above rushing rivers, ink-blue lakes, and waterfalls. Back at base, book a table at Michelin-Starred restaurant Grual, where Chef Matteo Maenza walks you from valley to summit on a meticulously presented plate of flavors.  

Summer events are expansive and include June’s Mountain Beat Festival, bringing music, open-air cinema, wellness, and food to Pinzolo. Visit in early September to see flower-bedecked animals descend from Alpine pastures for the Desmontegada festival, an ancient local ceremony, where traditionally dressed cowherds carry wheels of cheese down from the hills among the clanging of cowbells. You’ll find similar cattle drives across the Austrian and Swiss Alps at the end of the grazing season – all of them colorful, vibrant, and uniquely Alpine, reminding you that you’re in a very special part of the world indeed.