A summer alpine meadow at golden hour below pale Dolomite peaks, seen from a wooden hotel terrace

Alpine summer · Fora-affiliated

The Alpine Line summer in the mountains

Mountain hotels, lakes, scenic railways and walking days from June to October. The Dolomites are my specialism; the Swiss Alps, the Italian Lakes, the Austrian Alps and Slovenia's Julian Alps are the regions I recommend most after them.

Alpine regions: 5
Places profiled: 20
Summer season: Jun–Oct

Request a private plan Draft your trip brief →

For hut-to-hut treks and guided climbing, see The Adventure Line →For skiing, see The Winter Line →

(A) — What I arrange

The hotel, the views and the pace

I'm an independent advisor, affiliated with Fora, with hotel relationships across the Alps. Local guides, drivers and DMCs handle the days, so the trip moves at your speed.

01 · Where you stay

Mountain & lake hotels

Mountain hotels, lake hotels and wellness retreats in each region on this page
Preferred-partner benefits at many properties, such as breakfast, a hotel credit and upgrades when available
Two-base itineraries, so you see more than one valley without packing every day

02 · The days

Walks, rides & tables

Private walking guides, from easy valley paths to high ridges
Seats reserved on the Glacier Express and Bernina Express
Mountain hut lunches, wine estates and restaurant bookings

03 · Logistics

Getting between valleys

Private transfers from Venice, Innsbruck, Milan, Zürich, Geneva, Salzburg and Ljubljana
Drivers for the mountain passes, so nobody spends the day at the wheel
Boat transfers on the Italian Lakes

(B) — The regions

Where to stay, valley by valley

Altitudes are village or lake level. Each region is split into the places I book most, with a few of the hotels in each.

The church of Santa Maddalena in Val di Funes below the Odle peaks

The Dolomites

My specialism · South Tyrol · Veneto · VCE · INN · VRN

Alta Badia

Corvara, San Cassiano

1,568 m

Corvara

Aman Rosa Alpina, Hotel La Perla

Where to stay

Ladin villages below the Sella and the Fanes. The best base for mountain-hut lunches and fine dining in the same week.

Alpe di Siusi

Seiser Alm, above Castelrotto

1,850 m

Plateau

COMO Alpina Dolomites, Adler Lodge Alpe

Where to stay

Europe's largest high-alpine meadow. The road up is closed to most traffic by day, so hotel guests have it largely to themselves.

Val Gardena

Ortisei, Selva

1,236 m

Ortisei

Adler Dolomiti

Where to stay

Woodcarving workshops in Ortisei, and lifts up to the Seceda ridge for one of the range's best-known views.

Val di Funes

Santa Maddalena, Villnöss

1,339 m

Village

Small family hotels

Where to stay

The church of Santa Maddalena below the Odle peaks. A quiet valley, and Reinhold Messner's childhood home.

Cortina d'Ampezzo

Lagazuoi, Tre Cime

1,224 m

Village

Cristallo, a Luxury Collection Resort

Where to stay

Shops and cafés on the Corso Italia, open-air First World War museums on Lagazuoi, and the Tre Cime within an hour.

Lago di Braies & Alta Pusteria

Braies, Sesto

1,496 m

Lake

Hotel Lago di Braies

Where to stay

The lake below the Croda del Becco. In peak summer the road is controlled and parking must be booked, so staying at the lake is the easiest way in.

How I plan the Dolomites: two bases in different valleys rather than one, with the passes between them driven early in the day, before the traffic and the afternoon storms.

A red mountain train crossing a stone viaduct in green valleys

The Swiss Alps

Graubünden · Valais · Bernese Oberland · ZRH · GVA

The Engadin

St. Moritz, Pontresina, Sils

1,800 m

Valley

Kulm, Carlton, Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, Grace La Margna, Badrutt's Palace

Where to stay

A high valley of lakes and larch forest. The Bernina Express crosses the UNESCO-listed Albula and Bernina lines to Italy.

Zermatt

Below the Matterhorn

1,608 m

Village

Mont Cervin Palace, The Omnia, Riffelalp Resort

Where to stay

A car-free village. The Gornergrat railway climbs to 3,089 m, facing the Matterhorn and the Gorner Glacier.

The Jungfrau region

Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren

1,034 m

Grindelwald

Victoria-Jungfrau, Bellevue des Alpes

Where to stay

The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau above the Lauterbrunnen valley and its waterfalls. Car-free Wengen and Mürren are reached by train and cable car.

The Glacier Express

Zermatt to St. Moritz

8 h

Journey

Excellence Class

Book

291 bridges and 91 tunnels across the Oberalp Pass. The simplest way to link Zermatt and the Engadin in one trip.

A villa garden terrace above Lake Como with a wooden boat below

The Italian Lakes

Lombardy · Piedmont · Trentino · MXP · LIN · VRN

Lake Como

Bellagio, Cernobbio, Moltrasio

198 m

Lake

Villa d'Este, Passalacqua, Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni

Where to stay

Villa gardens at Balbianello and Villa Carlotta, best seen by private boat. An easy add-on to a Swiss or Dolomites stay.

Lake Garda

Gargnano, the western shore

65 m

Lake

Lefay Resort & SPA, Villa Feltrinelli

Where to stay

Italy's largest lake, with lemon terraces on the west shore. Two hours by road from the Dolomites.

Lake Maggiore

Stresa, the Borromean Islands

193 m

Lake

Grand Hotel des Iles Borromées

Where to stay

The palace and terraced gardens of Isola Bella, a short boat ride from Stresa.

Lake Orta

Orta San Giulio

290 m

Lake

Villa Crespi

Where to stay

The smallest and quietest of the lakes, with an island monastery opposite the old town.

A lakeside village with a church spire and steep wooded mountains

The Austrian Alps

Salzburgerland · Tyrol · SZG · INN

The Salzkammergut

Hallstatt, Wolfgangsee, Fuschlsee

511 m

Hallstatt

Schloss Fuschl

Where to stay

Lakes and mountain villages east of Salzburg. Hallstatt is a UNESCO World Heritage site; staying nearby lets you see it before the day visitors arrive.

The Seefeld plateau

Above Innsbruck

1,300 m

Plateau

Interalpen-Hotel Tyrol

Where to stay

A large spa hotel on a quiet plateau, 30 minutes from Innsbruck airport, with walking straight from the door.

Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Hohe Tauern, from Zell am See

48 km

Road

Schloss Prielau, Zell am See

Where to stay

A mountain road to the foot of Austria's highest peak, at 3,798 m. Open from early May to late October.

The Julian Alps

Slovenia · LJU

Lake Bled

The island church and castle

475 m

Lake

Vila Bled, Grand Hotel Toplice

Where to stay

A church on an island below a clifftop castle, about 35 minutes from Ljubljana airport.

Lake Bohinj

Triglav National Park

525 m

Lake

Small lakeside hotels

Where to stay

Bled's quieter neighbour, inside Slovenia's only national park and below Triglav, its highest peak.

The Soča Valley

Kobarid, Bovec

234 m

Kobarid

Hiša Franko

Where to stay

An emerald river for rafting and swimming, and Ana Roš's restaurant with rooms at Hiša Franko.

Why Slovenia: Alpine lakes and peaks at a smaller scale and lower cost than the better-known regions, and easy to combine with the Dolomites or Venice.

Mountain summers worldwide

Through Fora and my partners, I book mountain hotels and lodges in most ranges. These are the most requested.

A Norwegian fjord with steep green walls in summer

Norway

The fjords

Geirangerfjord and the Sunnmøre Alps, with long days from May to August.

Canada

The Rockies

Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper.

France & Spain

The Pyrenees

Quiet valleys, Romanesque churches and walking without the Alpine crowds.

Japan

The Japanese Alps

Kamikochi's river valley, onsen villages and the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.

Georgia

The Caucasus

Kazbegi and Svaneti: stone towers, high meadows and Georgian food and wine.

Chile & Argentina

Patagonia

Lakes, glaciers and lodges from November to March, during the European winter.

(D) — Before you book

What I check on every Alpine summer trip

Mountain summers are short, and the details decide how much of it you get. I check these before a hotel goes on your shortlist.

Opening dates
Many mountain hotels close from April to mid-June and from October to December. I confirm dates before anything else.
Minimum stays & half board
Dolomites hotels often set minimum stays in August and include dinner. I plan the evenings around it.
Afternoon storms
July and August thunderstorms build after lunch. Walks and pass drives are planned for the morning.
Car or train
Car-free villages, controlled roads and booked parking in the Dolomites, and the Swiss rail network that makes a car unnecessary.
Ferragosto
The week around 15 August is the busiest of the Italian summer. I steer around it where dates allow.
Altitude & walking level
How high you sleep, and walks matched to everyone in the group, with lifts to shorten the climbs.

(E) — When to go

Mid-June to early October

Mountain hotels and summer lifts open from mid-June. September is often the best month, with settled weather and fewer people. In October the larches turn gold, but many mountain hotels start to close. The Italian Lakes open earlier, from March and April.

Best monthsGood, or peak season

Region	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Dolomites
Swiss Alps
Italian Lakes
Austrian Alps
Julian Alps

(F) — How an Alpine trip comes together

From first call to first view

1
The brief
Who's travelling, dates, and the balance you want between walking, lakes, food and rest.
2
The plan
One or two regions, a hotel in each, and the routes between them by road or rail.
3
The booking
Hotels, guides, rail seats, drivers and tables confirmed, with one itinerary covering all of it.
4
In the mountains
Local partners run the days. I stay your contact if the weather or plans change.

Begin the conversation

Tell me when, who's coming, and how active you'd like the days to be.

I'll come back with valleys, hotels and a route that fit.

Request a private plan Draft your trip brief →

The Alpine Line summer in the mountains

The hotel, the views and the pace

Mountain & lake hotels

Walks, rides & tables

Getting between valleys

Where to stay, valley by valley

The Dolomites

The Swiss Alps

The Italian Lakes

The Austrian Alps

The Julian Alps

Mountain summers worldwide

The fjords

The Rockies

The Pyrenees

The Japanese Alps

The Caucasus

Patagonia

What I check on every Alpine summer trip

Opening dates

Minimum stays & half board

Afternoon storms

Car or train

Ferragosto

Altitude & walking level

Mid-June to early October

From first call to first view

The brief

The plan

The booking

In the mountains

Tell me when, who's coming, and how active you'd like the days to be.