We had spent many winter holidays skiing in the Alps and had always wondered what it was like in the summer. I imagined the villages to be surrounded by grey, rubbly ski slopes and ghosts towns abandoned until the snow returned. How wrong we were!
When we first got our VW camper Nelson in 2018 we planned a 4 week trip taking in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps and it was a trip that ignited a true love for the summer mountains and we have spent every summer since in the Alps.
So what is it that makes summers in the Alps so special?
The Lakes
I have always been a fan of beach holidays, spending hours lounging around on the beach or on the poolside and we discovered this is still possible in the mountains with many lakes having beaches and swimming areas that are life guarded. The lakes are crystal clear, salt free and if you are lucky, not too cold. Many of the resorts are set up for summer watersports with paddle boards, kayaks and windsurfers for hire. We spent a fab couple of days on the French side of Lake Geneva before heading higher into the mountains this year. Most of the lakes have walking and cycle paths around them with plenty of stop off points for a quick dip or for a coffee/beer.
Many of the larger more well known lakes such as Annecy and Geneva are extremely busy in the summer months and you do need to book in advance unless you just want the odd night stop over, but higher in the mountains there are hundreds of smaller lakes where you can either wild camp or stay at campsites and enjoy the space in relative isolation. We have found on our travels that many of the villages and lake areas have picnic areas with benches and bbq’s for family gatherings and on weekends they are really well used.
The Mountains
Our main form of exercise is walking and hiking, so to spend all our holidays with easy access to spectacular trails that are well sign posted from most villages in the Alps is just perfect. After the long drive through France we know we are getting closer when the landscape changes from miles and miles of flat farm land and you start going through a series of long tunnels. Each tunnel that you emerge from brings a more impressive view and you can’t help but admire the sheer enormity of what lays in front of you. There is an absolute WOW factor which increases with each hair pin bend you take.
The ski villages make ideal bases with plenty of cafes and restaurants to choose from. The lift systems operate during the high summer season at a reasonable price for hikers which enables you to get high into the luscious wildflower meadows with much less effort. Many of the resorts use the lift systems for downhill mountain bikers which is massively popular and bikes can be easily rented for those adrenalin seekers.
A wide variety of sporting activities
As I have already mentioned, there is open access through the lift systems for hiking and down hill mountain biking. We take our road bikes and enjoy exploring the area around us with plenty of coffee stops, we tend to cycle around the lakes and on flatter routes but there are plenty of cyclists who visit to take full advantage of cycling the various mountain cols. Most bike shops hire electric bikes for those who want a less energetic experience.
When we were in Courchevel, on the shore of the Lac de Rosiere, we watched several groups of climbers traversing a Via Ferata above the lake which looked so much fun. For our next summer trip we are going to invest in some basic climbing equipment to have a go at some of the easier routes.
I have already written about the variety of lake based activities that are widely available. Some of the bigger lakes are a Mecca for kite surfing and it is awesome to watch or have a go at! Parascending is another popular activity and on most walks we will spot the colourful canopy’s swooping in the skies above us.
Wild life and summer meadows
Once in the Alps, the scenery is just simply stunning. The wildflower meadows, which in winter are steep ski runs, are colourful and luscious. The resorts are set up with miles of hiking and cycling trails that are well signposted to explore the areas. There is an abundance of wildlife, the valleys ring with the sound of the marmots calling to each other and the birds and butterflies flutter in front as you walk almost leading you around the mountains. We have been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of Ibex and Chamois on the higher slopes and love coming across the hearts of cows with their bells ringing loudly and mountain goats.
Summer temperatures
We have spent 4 summers in the Alps and for the majority of the time the weather has been superb. Temperatures reaching mid high 20’s most days and cooling downing the evenings so it is comfortable sleeping in the campervan. We have had blocks of 2 or 3 days where it has rained non stop which is brisk you take. It is ideal conditions to get out and about and be active, we love hiking and cycling.
The Experience of driving the various cols and mountain passes
This is one of Richard's favourite parts of our journeys and our van Nelson copes really well on the tight knit bends. Some of the higher passes are still in the snow line and you can see where the road has been cut out in the snow drifts, even at the height of the summer!
The Furka Pass in Switzerland was one of the most interesting but definitely not for the faint hearted! We have headed over another mountain pass in Switzerland with some confusion as to why the road on google maps had a stretch several miles long that was absolutely straight with a symbol that looked very much like a ferry. It became apparent as we got closer that the only way was to board a train that took you through the middle of the mountain!
An abundance of places to park up for the night
Most European countries have a system of Camping car aires that are usually free or a relatively small fee and there are many of these aires in the Alps where you can park up for the night without booking. Many are in Ski lift carparks and some are really not the prettiest. They do not generally have facilities so we have to be more picky in our T6 that has no toilet.
Generally we use the Park 4 the night App or search for sites and pick rural, quiet, out of the way locations and read the reviews carefully. We have found some of the most amazing places this way and some locations are literally priceless.
We have also stayed at some fab campsites, some more expensive than others. In Val d'Isere the campsite was about €16 a night in a great location and OK facilities, in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland it was more like €55 a night! Booking in high season is definitely recommended as it does get very busy on the limited campsites that there are in some locations.
Relatively easy drive from the UK
After the long drive down to Dover, which from Yorkshire can take anywhere from 5hrs to 10 hours as you can NEVER rely on the British motorway system, it is about a 10hour drive down to Lake Annecy or Lake Geneva, both of which we use as a gateway to the Alps.
On our last trip in September we specifically set out to explore the French Alps and once in the region, each transfer day involved no more than an hour or so between resorts and there are so many resorts to choose from! Even venturing further into the Swiss, Austrian and Italian Alps is not too arduous once the trek from Calais has been completed.
We spent one summer where we were lucky enough to be able to stay away for the full 6 weeks of the school holidays bagging as many countries as we could and managed to visit 9 as the borders in the Alps are so close to each other!
Hopefully, if you are thinking about a holiday in the Alps, you will have found this blog useful, we have also made a YouTube Vlog which includes some of our favourite places we have visited in the Alps.
Jackie and Richard
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