{"id":119324,"date":"2026-08-23T05:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T05:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/119324\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T05:40:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T05:40:29","slug":"european-summer-mountain-trips-to-escape-to-for-a-breath-of-fresh-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/119324\/","title":{"rendered":"European summer mountain trips to escape to for a breath of fresh air"},"content":{"rendered":"

With coolcations and hiking holidays all the rage this summer<\/a>, European mountain trips to escape the continent\u2019s incessant heatwaves are topping travel wishlists.<\/p>\n

But as tourists face snaking queues to summit the Dolomites<\/a> \u2013 possibly lining up for doughnuts \u2013 it\u2019s worth looking to peaks in Portugal<\/a>, Albania<\/a> and Germany for worthy hiking playgrounds outside of ski season. <\/p>\n

Whether seeking accessible trails in Madeira<\/a> or women-run mountain refuges in the French Alps<\/a>, here are the European mountain trips our travel writers love to help you reach new heights in 2026.<\/p>\n

Read more: I\u2019ve hiked in some of the most extreme heat in the world \u2013 this is how I stay safe<\/a><\/p>\n

French Alps, France<\/p>\n

\"JakeJake was captivated by the vertiginous landscape (Hugh Collins)<\/p>\n

The region might be best known for skiing, but Jake Hall found the quiet mountain trails around La Clusaz and Chinaillon to be the perfect antidote to high-octane travel<\/a>. While the inclines might be punishing at times, all is forgotten by the evening, when restorative meals of crusty white baguette, cured meats, blue cheese and local liqueur are served. <\/p>\n

Jake wrote: \u201cI soak in the beauty of the wildflower meadows and the cows with their pierced noses grazing happily in the sunshine. I\u2019m surprised by how fascinated I am by the sheer range of butterflies: their wings are powder blue, marigold yellow, even burnished copper. Every now and then they congregate around tiny streams, flapping happily on the hot, wet ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: I hiked through the French Alps to discover wildflower meadows and pretty villages<\/a><\/p>\n

Levada Trails, Madeira, Portugal <\/p>\n

\"MiradouroMiradouro Ilheus da Ribeira da Janela in Madeira (Matt Dennis)<\/p>\n

On the Portuguese island of Madeira, 200 Levada trails stretch over 3,000km. One in particular, the Levada do Caldeir\u00e3o, is described as a \u201ccaminho para todos\u201d or \u201cway for all\u201d. Matt Dennis put the island\u2019s Levada trail to the test to see if Madeira\u2019s mountains<\/a> could truly be an accessible paradise.<\/p>\n

He wrote<\/a>: \u201cAfter my hike, I return to the Parque Florestal das Queimadas trailhead, my clothes slightly muddied but my spirits high. The caminho para todos may not be perfect, but standing here among those ancient laurels, breathing that crystalline air, reminds me why accessibility matters. These moments of natural beauty shouldn’t be reserved for the non-disabled. Madeira understands this, even if the execution occasionally falters. The island has given me glass skywalks above Atlantic cliffs, wine cellars steeped in history, and mountain roads that dance with clouds.\u201d <\/p>\n

Read more: Is Madeira truly an accessible paradise?<\/a><\/p>\n

Accursed Mountains, Albania <\/p>\n

\"Viewtiful:Viewtiful: Looking down over the Vjosa river (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n

Although booming as a beach destination, for Laura Sanders, the real beauty of Albania lies in its Accursed Mountains. With farmhouse-dotted valleys, high cattle pastures and practically primeval forests, 75 per cent of Albania is made up of larger-than-life landscapes.<\/p>\n

Laura said<\/a>: \u201cTo wake up and gaze out at the Accursed Mountains on one side and the Montenegrin border on the other was magic. Slow travel is the best approach here. By hiking, biking and paddling through it, you get the full story. As tourism increases, I only hope Albania remains wild at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: I went to Europe\u2019s last true wild frontier to find adventure and escape the crowds<\/a><\/p>\n

Vall\u00e9e des Belleville, France<\/p>\n

\"Three-quartersThree-quarters of the mountain refuges in the Vall\u00e9e des Belleville in Savoie are run by women (Rachel Ifans)<\/p>\n

Rachel Ifans laced up her hiking boots and travelled to the Vall\u00e9e des Belleville in Savoie to meet the women running remote mountain refuges in the French Alps.<\/p>\n

On a walk from Refuge Lac du Lou, she wrote<\/a>: \u201cMy senses are in overdrive when I begin my second refuge hike; the squeak of a marmot on the left, the taste of blueberries plucked from bushes to my right and the smell of wild thyme ahead. The path from Les Menuires to Lac du Lou is narrow and snakes around the mountain. It\u2019s occasionally broken by the crossing of a wooden bridge; other times, it\u2019s simply a scramble across a stream.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter an hour, I arrive at a beautiful stone and slate house sitting at the end of a turquoise, glistening lake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Meet the women running remote mountain refuges in the wilds of the French Alps<\/a><\/p>\n

Bavaria, Germany <\/p>\n

\"SchlossSchloss Elmau retains a sense of tranquillity compared to the more popular peaks (Schloss Elmau)<\/p>\n

For global travel editor Annabel Grossman, it was hard to imagine ditching the Dolomites for an alpine holiday in Germany. However, the call of mountain retreat Schloss Elmau delivered with summer hikes, spas with breathtaking views, and fairytale castles in the Bavarian Alps. <\/p>\n

Annabel said<\/a>: \u201cOne of the great beauties of the Bavarian Alps \u2013 it\u2019s yet to draw the same crowds as the Dolomites and Alps and retains a real sense of tranquillity and calm. One morning, I climbed through lush meadows for lunch at the cosy Elmauer Alm alpine hut, where I ate Obatzda (a Bavarian soft cheese) spread on a warm pretzel. I also spent a sun-drenched afternoon cycling from the Schloss to the idyllic mountain lakes of Ferchensee and Lautersee, where I swam in the crystal-clear waters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Why you should swap the French Alps for the Bavarian mountains this summer<\/a><\/p>\n

Serra da Estrela, Portugal <\/p>\n

\"GooeyGooey cheese and mountain hikes await in the Portuguese mountains (Casa das Penhas Douradas)<\/p>\n

Just two hours from Porto, the Serra da Estrela \u2013\u00a0Portugal\u2019s tallest mountain range \u2013 was \u201cunlike any Portuguese landscape\u201d Estella Shardlow has ever laid eyes on during her midsummer visit. According to the travel writer, between the punchy cheese and snow-dusted resorts, although peaks are less than half the height of Mont Blanc, \u201cit\u2019s easy to see why this region has been dubbed the \u2018Portuguese Alps\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n

She said<\/a>: \u201cThe remnants of glacial lakes were glassy shards against a scrubland dotted with pine trees, thistles, juniper and gorse. As for the boulders heaped around us, they seem to have been hurled by more turbulent forces than millennia-long weathering \u2013 mountain giants, perhaps.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Is this mountain region Portugal\u2019s answer to the Alps?<\/a><\/p>\n

Annecy Mountains, France<\/p>\n

\"AA gentler kind of holiday: Mary at Col des Annes (Adam Batterbee)<\/p>\n

The French Alps are a familiar landscape for hikers and skiers year-round. But looking for a slower-paced summertime mountain fix, Mary Novakovich swerved adrenaline-inducing activities to embrace a gentler kind of holiday. In the small village of Talloires in the Annecy Mountains, she found lakeside swimming, boat rides and cheese tastings.<\/p>\n

Mary wrote<\/a>: \u201cSwimming was just what the doctor ordered, and the wooden bathing deck in front of my hotel, Abbaye des Talloires, gave easy access to the water. What a joy it was to plunge into those incredibly clear waters and give my knee a very gentle workout.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnable to join the cyclists making their way around Lake Annecy\u2019s 33km Voie Verte circuit, I took a boat ride with Florent from Blue Diamond Taxi Boat instead to get a closer look. Talloires sits on its south-eastern side under the cliffs of the Roc de Ch\u00e8re nature reserve, under which the atmospheric Smugglers\u2019 Cave was cut into the rock. Everywhere we looked there was seemingly a grassy bank, sandy stretch or bathing platform from which to launch yourself into the water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more: Embracing life in the slow lane on a summer holiday to the Alps<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With coolcations and hiking holidays all the rage this summer, European mountain trips to escape the continent\u2019s incessant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119325,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[16],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-119324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-alps","tag-alps"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/117143222853319882","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}