Most people dream of a beach & sunshine but why not try something new this year?  A summer chalet holiday in the Alps can be a lot of fun and with sunshine, fresh air & amazing scenery.

The Alps are very much alive after the ski season is over and offer plenty of activities and places to visit.  Why get bored sitting on the beach when you can be picnicking in alpine meadows with colourful wildflowers and the sound of tinkling cow bells or adrenaline rushes on a bike down the mountain.

So you would like to try an Alpine holiday and think it would be great to get the children being active; where do you go?  The majority of alpine resorts are open for business, it can be a little quiet in June & September but July & August many families and friends visit the resorts but it is never as crowded as the winter.  If you looking for lots of organised activities then Chamonix is the mecca for climbing, walking the Haute Route, parapenting, white water rafting, canyoning etc.  Zermatt is just as famous for the summer as it is winter.  Many resorts will offer a variety of activities but you can just easily go walking or cycling. The alpine trails are easily followed and many of the larger lifts are open to take you up to the top of the mountains for a 360 panoramic view.

 Walking & biking are free activities (if you take your own bikes) thus a self catered alpine summer holiday can work out very good value.  The chalets in the summer are much cheaper, flights are less expensive or take the scenic route and self drive from the UK. 

All ages we are sure will love the mountain biking which has something from everyone, from gentle forest trails to full on adrenalin descents. There are also fantastic bike parks with specialised routes down mountains with many jumps which are graded from beginner to expert.  Or there are scenic trails along relatively flat routes progressing up to following the Haute Route.  There are bike parks in many resorts but here are a selection:

• Verbier (Switzerland) – The Verbier Bike Park
• Tignes (France) –  Tignes Summer Bike Park
• Les Deux Alpes (France) – Deux Alpes Bike Park
• Alps D’Huez (France) – Alpe d’Huez Bike Guide
• Saalbach and Austria – Gravity Card which covers a number of bike parks including Saalbach. 

If you really miss skiing you can ski on a number of glaciers in Europe through the summer although some close a little earlier.  Tignes offers glacier skiing from June 27^th until August 9^th from 7am to 1pm.  Or Zermatt & Cervinia share a large glacier area for sking and is open 4^th May to 18^th October on the Zermatt side from 8am to 3pm which also offer the highest Gravity Park with halfpipe, kickers & more.  Or try the snow tubing and Glacier Palace.

There are plenty of events on offer in the summer for example Verbier Music Festival 17^th July – 2^nd August 2016, Hublot Polo Gold Cup in Gstaad 18^th-26^th August 2016, Climbing World Cup 9^th-12^th July 2016 in Chamonix,  Cosmojazz Festival 23rd-31^st July 2016 in Chamonix or you could even follow the Tour de France through the Alpine sections in July.Share

Summer Alpine Holidays – Where To Stay

There are plenty of hotels with summer vacancies and one of the favourite destinations is Wengen in the Jungfrau region.  Situated under one of Europe’s must stunning and famous mountains, the Eiger, Wengen is beautiful and very traditional Swiss town with so much to do and Beausite Park Hotel in Wengen we believe makes the perfect place to explore the area: 

Alternatively, why not stop in the delightful summer and winter resort of Grindelwald which is also in the Jungfrau region with great access also to the Eiger and surrounding countryside. Checkout the Hotel in Belvedere in Grindelwald for a great short or long summer break in the Alps.

If chalets are more your preference, we have a great choice here at Chalet Ski Holidays with a variety of catered, bed and breakfast, self catered options throughout the Alps. A selection is provided below:

Zermatt with the Matterhorn is one of Europe’s favourite destinations and Chalet D’Amore in Zermatt, which sleeps 8, at Sfr 5,000 Chf self catered all season we think makes it one of the best value options in this historic, traffic free town:

For the ultimate in luxury summer chalets in Zermatt, Luxury Chalet Maurice in Zermatt has to be one of the best, sleeping 12, at Sfr 14,500 all season we think it is also at a price you may find pleasantly surprising:

Alternatively, how about being pampered at luxury Chalet White Pearl in Zermatt on a catered basis is 22,900 chf for 10-12 people all season:

Moving away from Zermatt but still in Switzerland, how about Chalet Alexia in La Tzoumaz (Switzerland), sleeping 10 from as little as Sfr 2,500 for the week of the 20th to 27^th August 2016.

Stepping into France brings us to probably the Alps most popular summer holiday destination, Chamonix Mont Blanc. Situated under Western Europe’s highest peak, it has an abundance of activities, history and charm in this historic old town. Check out our Chamonix Chalets page for a great selection of summer chalets at prices to suit all budgets. 

Mountain bikers will love the Portes du Soleil and we think even more so the White Valley Lodge in Morzine, sleeping 10+2, is £125 per room per night for B and B:

Or if you really don’t want to cook!  Why not try Chalet Sauterelle in Tignes on a Half Board basis for £295pp for 7 days and sleeps up to 14. A great high altitude training base where you will find other fellow athletes that have included PSG football team and Toulon rugby club. 

We have many more offers and can help find your accommodation across most of the Alps, so contact us today for some more personalised advice and prices.