Can some one tell me about the alps in summer?

[hellothere247]

I really want to go to the Alps this summer, I think it looks so much fun and will be so beautiful.

I'm a bit overwhelmed where to go! We normally go skiing in France.. is France a good place to go in the summer? Austria looks quite good too?

Would quite like a lake but also mountain / ski lift type activities.. would we be better somewhere like Morzine or somewhere like Lake Annacy? Any other recommendations?

Who is "we"? Pick one of the larger resorts with pools etc. Seefeld, Zell am See, Kitzbuehel etc all have access to lifts, peak season is July/August and some resorts include a pass for local lifts and post buses. Chamonix is bustling, Annecy is best with a car to access the mountain activities.

The Alps are amazing in the summer.

I'd be inclined to say go to a proper town rather than a resort as there will be more to do/open and better transport infrastructure if you don't want to drive everywhere.

Based on places I know, Morzine or Chamonix are great choices in France. Annecy is fabulous in summer, but very busy. If you do want the resort vibe then Tignes might work (summer skiing on the glacier), or possibly La Plagne/Belle Plagne, but that's a lot quieter.
In Austria I'd say consider somewhere like Zell am See/Kaprun.
Saas Fee in Switzerland is also nice.

Sorry that would have been useful to say who would be going! Me, DH and 2 kids 7 and 9.

I wouldn't say we are massively active but I quite like the idea of doing some kind of activity then either retreat to a nice apartment / chalet or some kind of apres ski type of thing? I Defintely think prettier town in the valley will be nicer in the summer, we are actually going to la plagne in a few weeks but only because it's more snow sure.

I quite fancy some mountain biking in Morzine / Les Gets but would it be manageable for the kids?

Also do you think it's worth paying for accommodation with a pool or not worth it?

Most large resorts have public indoor and outdoor pools , often free to those staying there, so probably not worth having one in accommodation. Weather can be variable. It might better to pick somewhere with flat cycling trails such as lakeside, before trying the mountain ones. If you check the websites of resorts that may interest you there is usually a summer map , like a ski map, with different footpaths, cycle routes, lifts etc marked. Look out for high rope activities like Go Ape, summer toboggan runs and overlarge scooters (Trottibikes) too.

Seefeld, Zell am See or Saalbach-Hinterglemm in Austria would be good choices.

Lots to do, mountain views, easy walks and cable cars. Mountain biking - even the kids can have a go and get instruction, for example on the beginner course at Saalbach. Go Ape-type parks etc ... Many resorts have summer cards that give free access (or discounted access) to the cable cars, local buses and local attractions - Zell am See and Saalbach-Hinterglemm certainly have these if you stay in accommodation that participates in these Tourist Office schemes.

A hotel with an indoor pool / wellness area is a good fallback for a rainy day - many public pools are outdoors, as of course is the great lake swimming at Zell am See, where there are several "beaches" with lidos, changing rooms, cafe areas etc.

We spent part of our summer holiday in Chamonix a couple of years back and it was great. We rented a big chalet (went with extended family) and had a great time. Beautiful walks, lovely shops and restaurants nearby, and needless to say, spectacular views.

Thanks all! Very exciting, it seems very good value and everyone who's done it seems to have had a great time...

We went to the Sallanches area/ Cordon a few years ago and it was great. There was a louge thing in the area (on wheels) which was loads of fun, an outdoor eco pool (cleaned by weeds, no chlorine), lots of walks. We had a great time.

I went as a child and they were my favourite holidays!

Stand out ones were Mayrhofen in Austria and not 100% sure where but in the Italian Dolomites. Did mountain biking, walking, paddling in shallow rivers and also one or two more exciting activities per trip, like white water rafting, paragliding, canyoning.

We also did Tignes which I enjoyed but not as much. Lots of water sports on the lake though, if that's your thing.

Looking forward to DC being old enough to enjoy it all.

Make sure you are somewhere with lifts you can take bikes on and the kids will love it.

I think we will probably go with Morzine, seems to tick all the boxes and easy reach of Geneva.

I'm so up for the ski lifts, I'm thinking kids moan with uphill on bikes and walking but if we can cut most of that out then should be onto a winner!

Does snyone know where the lake is at Morzine with the assault course? Is that in Les Gets? x

I see you’ve gone for near Geneva.

We spent a week last summer in Saalbach-Hinterglemm with three children aged 4-9 and it was brilliant. We had an apartment attached to a hotel with a pool and a kids club and spent the mornings going up a mountain and doing the activities up there then the afternoons in the pool. We got a train from Saltzburg and went past Zell Am See and it looked wonderful. Everyone had an amazing time.

Ive done this a few times. We went to Austria (like the other posters) and had a marvellous time. Skied on the glacier in the morning, lazed by the pool in the afternoon.

they can be beautiful but I’ve experienced very patchy weather in the Swiss alps in summer. Plenty of grey skies and drizzle and temps of about 15! But you can get glorious sunshine too of course. It can be very changeable weather and unpredictable so bear that in mind if you go hiking

This sounds great, any recommendations of companies to book French or Austrian alpine accommodation in summer through, that comes with the local amenity cards? How busy/touristy are we talking for stays within the school summer hols? My DH doesn’t like crowded places on holidays which sometimes isn’t easy outside of term time. Thanks

I quite fancy some mountain biking in Morzine / Les Gets but would it be manageable for the kids?

Totally! They use the ski lifts to take your bikes uphill! The ski runs become bike trails. I've mtb'ed the Portes du Soleil area with my nephews when they were 7 and 10ish.

I was going to suggest Morzine! Or Chamonix.

We went last August and it honestly wasn’t that busy. We got the Joker card with our hotel.

We've twice stayed at apartments in St Gervais which was great. Lots of nice places in the town, the railway takes you up the mountain plus easy drive to the lake just outside the town.

Our kids loved it so much the first time that they chose to go back the following year.

@MarmiteLovers As for as the Austrian resorts mentioned are concerned, booking everything yourself is really easy.

Fly to Salzburg (numerous flights from UK airports) and then either hire a car or use public transport to get around.

Tourist offices have accommodation services where you can book, or that will point you in the direction of hotels, B&Bs (called "Pensions") and apartments that you book direct. Every accommodation provider that offers the discount cards will advertise the fact - for a family of 4 it represents a saving of about £300 compared with if you had to buy a similar card. The UK tour operators also have "Lakes and Mountains" programmes.

Of the resorts mentioned, Zell am See can get busy in July and early August, but it is rarely crowded, and once you get up on the mountain, everyone spreads out. Saalbach-Hinterglemm is busy enough to have a nice buzz without being crowded. Compared with a beach holiday in Spain, Italy, Turkey etc. a mountain holiday is blissfully quiet - which is one of the main attractions.

Thank you very much Santa and Havana

Morzine is very British, lots and lots of British owned chalets and businesses - https://www.morzinesourcemagazine.com/ is a good starting point for looking for accomodation etc. Les Gets is a good alternative if you want a more French feel, or even Samoens, which is also close enough to Geneva.

@Santasbigredbobblehat I was looking at Salbach and thought it looked great. What hotel did you stay at? That sounds ideal.

https://www.hotel-theresia.com/en

It’s a hotel with the apartments next door so we could use the facilities; spa, pools, kids club. A couple of mornings we asked if we could have breakfast in the hotel, but we had a self-catering apartment. The kids club was 3-8 I think and was great. They made pizzas in the pizza oven in the garden, arts and crafts etc. My youngest is autistic and they were great with him too.

Similar age kids and we love Morzine. Yes the assault course is in Les Gets and is great fun. If staying in Morzine you can hike to Les Gets very easily thanks to the lifts and there are frequent buses back. There are lots of hikes that are easy for kids and the tourist information centre is super helpful. Just watch out some lifts only operate in one direction so don't assume!

With the multi pass you get free access to lifts, pools, train and literally 100s of other activities. There is so much to do from zip wires to just taking in the view. The municipal pool (free with multi pass) has indoor and outdoor pools with slide outside. We've used Reach4the Alps and Treeline chalets for accommodation, both excellent. We drive over stopping at Dijon on the way out but back in one ho on the way home.

We're going to Morzine this year for our summer holiday, flying into Geneva. We've booked accommodation through Alptitude Chalets, who are Morzine Pass partners. Lots of hotels and other chalet companies are partners too.

I've booked the DC into the Alpine French School (our main reason for going). They'll do fun French lessons in the morning and outdoor activities like climbing and rafting in the afternoon. DH and I are planning peaceful days of walking and MTB while the kids are occupied!

Can't decide between Morzine and Saalbach now! They both look so good! x