Ski resorts across the Alps are reinventing themselves as summer destinations, offering hiking, mountain biking, gourmet dining and spa breaks as snowfall grows less predictable and temperatures rise. Austria's Lech and Saalbach, France's Megeve, Italy's Alpe di Siusi and Switzerland's Engelberg are among the resorts that have built out warm-weather programmes to draw visitors beyond the ski season.
Lech, Austria: best for active families
This Austrian village has developed one of the most comprehensive summer programmes in the Alps. The Lech Card, one of the best-value summer passes in the region, gives access to mountain lifts, buses, guided walks, kayaking, canyoning and archery. It costs from £40 for two days if bought by one parent, with children aged 14 and under going free.
Three nights at Hotel Gotthard cost from £747 B&B for a double room, including two adult four-day Lech Cards, according to the hotel. Return flights from London to Innsbruck start at £226 with EasyJet.
Saalbach, Austria: best for cyclists
Few Alpine resorts have embraced four-season tourism as fully as Saalbach, where mountain biking is the main attraction. Located just over an hour's drive from Salzburg airport, it has built one of Europe's most extensive lift-served biking networks. Lifts repurposed to carry bikes link Saalbach to the neighbouring villages of Hinterglemm, Leogang and Fieberbrunn, with trails ranging from gentle forest paths to technical downhill runs and flow trails designed for cruising downhill.
Seven nights half board at Hotel Panthera in Saalbach cost from £887 per person, including return flights from Gatwick to Innsbruck and transfers, through Inghams.
Megeve, France: best for food and style
Megeve was transformed into one of France's most glamorous mountain resorts by the Rothschild family in the 1920s and has drawn summer visitors ever since with its restaurants, hotels and medieval village. Summer mornings can begin with a walk along the Chemin du Calvaire, a pilgrimage trail passing 15 small chapels on the way to Mont d'Arbois. At Les Fermes de Marie, a collection of Alpine chalets houses hotel rooms, restaurants and a spa.
Rooms at the boutique Relais & Chateaux Hotel Saint-Georges start at £242 a night for two adults, room only. Return flights from London or Manchester to Geneva start at £95 with EasyJet, with trains running on from Geneva to Megeve.
Alpe di Siusi, Italy: best for winding down
Set beneath the limestone peaks of the Dolomites in northern Italy, Alpe di Siusi is Europe's largest high-altitude alpine meadow. Cars are restricted there, encouraging visitors to explore on foot or by bike along gentle trails through hay meadows filled with wildflowers and past mountain huts. Many hotels in the area offer panoramic saunas, outdoor pools and herbal treatments.
Doubles at COMO Alpina Dolomites start at £700 B&B, including access to the COMO Shambhala spa and its classes. Return flights from London to Bolzano start at £380 with SkyAlps, followed by a one-hour transfer to Alpe di Siusi.
Engelberg, Switzerland: best for walking
Engelberg, a monastery town, has built its summer offering around 310 miles of walking trails looping through the surrounding mountains. The standout route is the 28.5-mile Buirabahnli Safari, a two- or three-day trail that leads hikers deep into remote Alpine farmland. A hiking pass covers rides on eight small, farmer-owned cable cars known as Buirabahnli, which carry walkers between high pastures and valleys.
Walkers spend each night at family-run farms in simple guest rooms, sharing hearty suppers. The route follows sections of the Walenpfad high-level trail through meadows and beneath towering cliffs.
Doubles at Ski Lodge Engelberg start at £172 B&B. Return flights from London to Zurich start at £128 with Swiss, followed by a two-hour train to Engelberg.
