Recommendations for long (1month+) European summer mountain vacation

[jadedaid]

Fellow paceliners, I was hoping to crowdsource some inputs for a cycling and family holiday. The last couple of years we've done Tenerife in January and then some variation of Spain mainland around Easter (Girona, Granada, Malaga) to get in some sun whilst NYC was dreary.

This time round we were thinking of taking refuge in the European mountains, with the missus having a particular fondness for Italy - but we're open to any suggestion with a preference for Italy, France and Switzerland. We've spent enough time in Spain . We'd like to go around June/July and places like Andalucia or Tuscany would simply be too hot I fear. I've not been to the European mountains for a long long time (and definitely not in the summer) so I don't have much of a reference point to build off of anymore.

What we'd be looking for is a place where I can do some interesting bike riding in scenic scenery (ideally road, but open to gravel), hiking options with the wife and our infant and close to something resembling a town for restaurant options and a general sense of life. I'd also prefer quieter roads so that I can put the little one in a Thule chariot and pull her up the mountain. In terms of timeframe, I'd be looking at a 4-5 week stay, and open to moving around but ideally being in one spot for at least 2 weeks at a time. I worry that the classic ski villages might be cost prohibitive in terms of hotel cost even in the summer if we need a space big enough for a family of 3 (2 adults and one infant), so good air-bnb options would probably be important.

Before I dive deep into the annals of the internet for tour recommendations, I'd be gratetul to hear from anyone on here who has done a similar trip and have any concrete recommendations (or warnings about where not to go)?

Thanks in advance!

[Plum Hill]

Interlaken, Switzerland.
Stay in Bonigen, Wilderswil, or Brienz to get away from tourists if desired.
Plenty of ‘flat’ riding east or west. Regional and national cycling routes in the area.
Hop on the BOB train for the mountains. Left turn to Grindelwald, straight ahead to Lauterbrunnen. Connect the two towns via train or lifts.
English fairly universal ( many Brits in Lauterbrunnen).
Get tired of the area, hop on a train and head somewhere else for the day or week.

[donevwil]

Switzerland would be hard to beat for no other reason than everything is accessible via train and/or Postauto, but yikes CH is expensive.

Alleghe, IT would be near the top of my list. Right in the Dolomites, small town in truly beautiful setting. Stayed there while doing a Cinghiale Alps & Dolomite tour. Alp segment used Bormio as a base, but wife and I preferred Alleghe and the Dolomites.

[tv_vt]

Not Interlaken, and definitely not any place near Grindelwald, unless you want NYC crowds.

But if that area intrigues you, check out Meiringen. It is on the other side of Grosse Scheidieg from Grindelwald and is much quieter. You would probably go crazy in a month, though. And there are some serious mountain climbs nearby, but not much else.

How about St Moritz? Livigno would also be a place I'd check out, too. From Chiavenna, IT to Livigno is a nice stretch of country.

I'd suggest the Dolomites (Corvara, etc) but it can be really busy and crowded in summer.

[Ken Robb]

What is Merano like these days?

[texbike]

Not to be a broken record but how about Annecy, France? Fantastic riding and hiking out the door, great food, a beautiful lake, and plenty of stuff to do in the area. Plus, it's super easy to get to and not too far from Italy or Switzerland if you want to see a few other places.

Outside of that Martigny could be another interesting base.

Texbike

[fa63]

I haven't been there personally, but I keep hearing how nice Ljubljana, Slovenia is. Judging by Strava's heat maps, looks like there are lots of riding options

[echelon_john]

Bolzano area is pretty good for what you’re looking for. Amazing hiking with lift service throughout the Dolomiti Superski network; great food & wine, great road riding with epic climbs both close by and within a reasonable drive (Stelvio, Gavia). You could easily do Venice for a night or two to remind you why you didn’t do Venice for the whole time ; ).

Close to Innsbruck & Austrian destinations too.

You’d probably want to do an AirBNB given the length of stay you’re talking about but these folks are bike friendly and in a great location:
https://www.traminerhof.it/

We absolutely love this hotel: www.moseralm.com

[basilic]

I'd consider the Château-d'Oex, Rougemont, Saanen area. It's ideal hiking country (not so much mountaineering, rather "cow mountains"), and there are many cycling options, including loops (eg Saanenmoser, Jaun pass, Mittelberg, or col des Mosses, Aigle, Sion, Sanetsch pas, and cable car back down to Gstaad). There is a bike path along the valley. It's touristy, but not over-exploited yet like Interlaken. Crucially, there is a train line that runs from Montreux to Spiez, and makes it easy to extend riding, or do other activities.

Someone mentioned Brienz or Meiringen, and I agree with that. Meiringen used to be the starting point of the Alpenbrevet granfondo, straight access to Susten pass, Grimsel pass, Grosse Scheidegg, and other less challenging routes.

Another nice option would be val Müstair (in Switz.) or upper val Venosta (Italy). Again lots of hiking and biking options including the famous Stelvio but biking loops will be more difficult to achieve (an obvious loop is Stelvio-Umbrail, another is Ofenpass, lower Engadin, Reschen pass, and down val Venosta). Excellent network of bike paths in Val Venosta, from Austria to Bolzano. There is also a train line from Mals to Merano/Bolzano, but it wasnt running this summer. The Swiss yellow buses run from Zernez to Mals, through val Müstair, and from Müstair to Stelvio pass, then Tirano. If you rent in val M¨stair you get a tourist pass that gives free access to the buses on the Swiss side, it's convenient for hiking.

[verticaldoug]

Travelling between time zones with an infant can be pretty brutal. You lose probably the first week trying to get the child turned around. You will have the same experience upon your return to the states. I'd stick in the US times zones. obviously lacks the cool factor of Europe, but spending a slow summer in northern Vermont or New Hampshire probably suits the child better.

Although the thule is great, I'd lean more towards the baby backpack for hiking.

D

[verticaldoug]

Travelling between time zones with an infant can be pretty brutal. You lose probably the first week trying to get the child turned around. You will have the same experience upon your return to the states. I'd stick in the US times zones


Although the thule is great, I'd lean more towards the baby backpack for hiking.

D

[Kirk007]

If June consider lower elevation - Annecy is a great suggestion. The Dolomites can still be cold, snowy and wet in early June. A month is a long time in one mountain location but you could easily add some variety. Italy - Bormio then a small locations in the Dolomites. Take a couple 3-4 day road trips - Lake Como, Venice….

Or Annecy and then ventures into the villages and famous climbs in the Alps or smaller quieter areas in the Juras and Vercours region.

[jh_on_the_cape]

Don't go in August.
Dolomites are beautiful. Val di Fiemme, Val di Fassa.
With family I would go to one place and stay.
Moena or canazei.

[the fly]

For Italy, I would recommend Bormio. Not too big or crowded but very close to the Stelvio and some easier river riding. In SE France, Briancon might offer a good similar combination.

[bikinchris]

Not what you're looking for, but there used to be a hotel in the mountains near the Col du Tourmalet called Cite Cycle. It had a locker room to lock your gear and bike and people would stay there to ride the famous climbs. I think it closed a few years ago and don't know if it reopened.