What Alps resort will suit us for a summer holiday?

[HerbertVonDoodlebug]

Looking for something that meets our requirements for summer holidays 2026 - two adults plus 17yo and maybe 19yo:

• Austrian or Swiss Alps
• Easy transfer from Geneva, Munich or Zurich
• Easy access to hikes, mountain peaks via cable car, other outdoor activities etc - if we could do it all by public transport that would be perfect
• Amazing mountain views
• Decent self catering accommodation
• a chilled vibe but still has restaurants and shops etc
• (this might be the hardest) not overrun with crowds in July/August

On our radar are Zell am See and Saalbach but bit worried about crowds, have read Zell am See is particularly busy in summer.

Any recommendations please for town and accommodation??

Have a look at Brienz. It’s doable on a train from Zurich. It’s very pretty and doesn’t have the crowds of Interlaken.

Achensee area in Austria is great and easily accessible from Munich

if you considered France then Morzine would fit your bill and I’d easily accessible from Geneva. You can actually walk into Switzerland on a walk from one of the cable cars there.

Does it need to be self catering?

We did half board in Zell for not much more than the accommodation, and the hotel came with guest pass that included all the mountain lifts.

We went June and I’d have said nicely busy. Mountains weren’t, town centre was.

I personally liked Garmisch in Bavaria - easy from Munich - we went in July - germany also was much cheaper - I did like zell but we went for new year so no idea what it’s like in summer

Not self catering, but we went with Alpine Elements to Morzine and had a fabulous time with 17 and 15 year olds.

Thank you- will take a look at all these! we have food allergies to manage which is easier with self catering.

Wengen/ Grindelwald, Arosa, Saas Fee, Zermatt

Annecy, an hour from Geneva (by train or coach). Lake surrounded by mountains. Day trip to Chamonix. You can swim in the lake, go for hikes, cycle around lake, go parascending , lots of restaurants etc.

We’ve been to Söll in Austria twice. I think it ticks all your boxes and isn’t busy at all.

At the risk of stating the obvious, Switzerland Cost of living is very high.

Yeah Annecy lovely. Only an hour from Geneva.

Another vote for Garmisch in Germany.

If looking for France, from Geneva airport both Morzine and Chamonix would be convenient and both places great to visit in the summer, lots of outdoor activities to do

St Wolfgang. Not been since I was a child though and even then it was an busyish area in summer. Ticks all the other boxes though

Also Annecy and lake are absolutely beautiful especially in summer time

Public transport in Switzerland is amazing... but yes, costs are high, even self catering...

Allergies: the English catered chalet offerings in Morzine have been great for us... even when we had really complicated needs.. we did choose carefully though.

I can highly recommend Ehrwald in Austria. Lovely peaceful small town in the mountains. Very close to zugspitse and loads of other mountain based activities nearby. We went in the summer time and it was absolutely gorgeous.

Ooh. This looks like it may tick a lot of boxes. What airport did you fly into and how was the transfer? Did you need to hire a car?

Saalbach-Hinterglemm has a nice vibe and plenty of shops and restaurants, but it's not "too busy" (as in uncomfortably crowded). Zell am See is beautiful and has the lake, but can get uncomfortably crowded in July and August. It is easy (and free) to take the short bus ride from Saalbach to Zell am See for a day trip.

This summer public transport throughout the State of Salzburg will be free for tourists as long as they stay in Approved accommodation. Most hotels in the various resorts will be participating, as will the B&Bs, Apartment Hotels and many self-catering apartments - just check with them before you book. Some resorts such as both Zell am See and Saalbach-Hinterglemm offer local Summer Cards that give free access to the cable cars, pools, museums and other activities - again, these are only available from Approved accommodation providers. The tourist office websites have the details.

@Havanananana now that is useful info !! Worth a lot

I’d love to know more about your experience with Alpine Elements. I’m considering summer in the alps next year, but don’t really have a clue where to start and the idea of it all being organised by a company is quite appealing. Plus we are a single child family - son is 13 (will be 14 then) so it would be great if there was a social element for him to potentially make a friend or 2!

We’re not necessarily the most active or adventurous family generally but trying to be more so!

@Melon2312 we filled a catered chalet with friends but I think if you went to one of their hotels there would be other families there.

We drove out and had one overnight stop each way, but you can use their transfers if you fly.

it’s worth booking early to get the discounts and choice of rooms in a hotel, then you let them know in advance what activities you fancy (we did most of them as they were included) and they come up with a timetable for you. We booked some extras in town too - canyoning and paragliding for our older teens which they enjoyed. Included in the holiday was the multi pass which meant that you could go on foot on several of the lifts and use their big outdoor pool in morzine for free. It also gave a discount on the luge and son’s other things that I can’t remember.

It really was a really great trip.

If France is possible, then we had a lovely summer self catering trip to Samoens with Alps Accommodation. It's roughly halfway between Morzine and Chamonix. Lovely little town - definitely not a ski resort vibe (chilled rather than glam). Not too busy, lovely hiking nearby, cable car, rafting, canyoning etc, nice low-key restaurants. We drove there, so not sure about public transport, but my guess is that it would be reasonably well-served by buses etc. I'm guessing Geneva would be nearest airport.

Zell am Zee was very busy when we were there, this time last year. Sallbach was quieter.

Would you consider France?

Apologies as I’ve resurrected an old thread!

I was particularly interested in the Alpine Elements as I like the idea of everything being taken care of for you 😁