BEST FOR… FAMILIES
GET ACTIVE ON THE ALMZEIT TRAIL, AUSTRIA
Like many ski-focused resorts, Sölden – in southern Tyrol’s Ötztal – is increasingly ramping up its summer offer. To that end, the Ötztal Inside Summer Card, free to guests at accommodation including the fivestar Das Central hotel, covers bus and gondola transport, entry to swimming pools and museums, and a programme of guided hikes ranging from child-friendly ambles and nature walks to summit conquests. A family favourite is the hut-to-hut Almzeit Theme Trail, featuring more than 20 interactive stations and attractions.
A five-night stay at Das Central Sölden (00 43 5254 22600; central-soelden. com) costs from £660pp half-board
EMULATE ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, FRANCE
The sun-soaked peaks and valleys of Mercantour National Park, south of the Italian border where the range arcs down to meet the Med, encompass the cascades, the gentian-purpled meadows, the glacial lakes, the farming hamlets, the larch forests and the tempting trails you expect from an Alpine escape. Responsible Travel’s family holiday includes an aid to entice little legs along ancient mountain paths: a donkey, lugging bags between rustic overnight stays. Responsible Travel (01273 823700; responsibletravel.com) offers a sevenday self-guided Mercantour Family
Walking Holiday from £502pp including full-board accommodation and donkey, but excluding flights; departures to September
GO LUX FROM LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND
Leaven mountain walks with a little indulgence on Black Tomato’s threecentre family itinerary, striking out into the peaks from five-star hotels in Lucerne, Interlaken and Montreux. Follow in Queen Victoria’s footsteps up Mount Rigi, overlooking Lake Lucerne; chug up to the Jungfraujoch on the romantic cogwheel railway to roam trails beneath that iconic summit; and get a taste for chocolate, cheese and castles around Lake Geneva.
Black Tomato (020 7426 9888; blacktomato.com) offers a six-night Lucerne, Interlaken & Montreux: A Swiss Summer Family Escape itinerary from £3,550pp including B&B accommodation and transfers, but excluding flights; tailor-made departures June-October
AMBLE WITH ALPACAS AND ALPINE FLORA, AUSTRIA
It may be Austria’s premier ski resort, but Kitzbühel is just as appealing when snow-free – indeed, Britons have summered here since the future Edward VIII visited in 1928. Hikers rejoice in more than 600 miles of trails, and families can add an Andean flavour by walking with an alpaca (£47 for a family of four; kitz-alpakas.at). Alternatively, roam the Alpine Flower Garden, home to more than 400 native plants including yellow gentian, arnica and of course edelweiss on a free guided tour.
Inghams (01483 698099; inghams.co. uk) offers a seven-night stay at Hotel Edelweiss in Kitzbühel from £629pp including flights, half-board accommodation and transfers