Posted on 05 July 2021
If you’re wondering why you should buy a house in the Swiss Alps, look no further than the beautiful scenery of a Swiss Alpine village in summer. After all, it’s always good to know that you’re buying a property that’s good for more than just six months a year.
Buying a ski property in the Swiss Alps is about more than just the winter season. Swiss Alpine villages are picturesque places to holiday during the summers too. With a host of summer sports on offer, stunning mountain vistas, and dinners on pretty Alpine terraces, why wouldn’t you spend summers here?
Whilst the joys of an Alpine winter are pretty well known, summers are often overlooked. Falling in love with the Alps feels almost inevitable for anyone who’s had the pleasure of spending a summer there. So, to help convince you of all the reasons why you should buy a house in the Swiss Alps, we take you through five reasons you’ll love using your ski chalet in summer.
Mountain Biking, Road Cycling, or Both
Whether you love road cycling, mountain biking, or a combination of both, the Alps are the perfect place to test your mettle. Mountain biking routes, with jumps for all abilities, are all over the slopes above Swiss Alpine villages. Verbier especially is home to some excellent mountain biking trails, with bikers from all around heading to the Swiss town during summers.
Along with the excellent mountain biking trails, which are clearly marked, the Swiss Alps are home to some of the most amazing roads in Europe. If you’re a fan of road cycling, you can’t go far wrong with a trip to the Swiss Alps in summer. High Alpine roads take you through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Swiss Alps, especially at the Rhine Gorge near Flims.
Whilst you may not have your heart set on Swiss cycling routes, it’s a healthy and stress-free way to see the stunning Alpine countryside. It’s also great for fitness in the long summers. After all, you’ve got to keep yourself ski fit somehow! If you’ve ever been interested in mountain biking or cycling, this could be a big reason why you should buy a house in the Swiss Alps.
Great Hiking Routes
The Alps are littered with famous multi-day hiking trails, but there are great hikes for those of us not keen on spending day after day sleeping rough and walking ten kilometres too. If those trails happen to pass one of the fabulous mountain restaurants that Switzerland is so famous for, so much the better.
It’s not all about hopping on a cable car and wandering precariously along mountain spines either. You can indulge in woodland walks, along narrow Alpine paths that may or may not have been made primarily for goats, or amble along gentle trails around the village. A resort like Crans-Montana, where the town is on a far gentler pitch than nearby Verbier, has plenty of hikes not designed to terrify anyone with a healthy fear of heights.
While the big, multi-day hikes are worth perhaps working up to, spending summers in the Alps needn’t involve packing your tent, and trekking across glaciers. You’ll still see some incredible scenery if you’re sticking around the resort!
Summer Views are as Superb as Winter
We know, we know; looking out across snow-capped mountains from a sunny terrace is one of the joys of skiing. There’s something about the mountains in winter, and we all know it, but summer comes with its’ own brand of breathtaking scenery. The Mountains are brilliant green, and wildflowers grow everywhere. The colours are vivid, and everything is alive around you.
The scenery does get a little balder once you get to the highest points, where the only thing that will grow is scrub, but most Swiss towns aren’t built anywhere near that high. What can be a double-edged sword in winter becomes a blessing in summer! While many resorts are snow-sure at the topmost level, Swiss ski resorts tend to be genuine villages; they tend to be built low enough for wildlife.
If spending long afternoons on sunny terraces watching cattle herders dressed in traditional Swiss clothing doesn’t win you over, it’s hard to say what will. If you’ve ever wondered why you should buy a house in the Swiss Alps, when you’ll only use it in winter, we’re here to let you know that the summers are as special as the skiing.
Hot Days and Cool Nights
We all know the feeling of being in a beach resort after a long day sunbathing when it’s too hot and you just can’t cool off. No matter what you do, how low you put the air-conditioning on, you can’t get comfortable. Well in the Swiss Alps, the nights cool down to a manageable temperature. You can spend an evening eating outside and return home safe in the knowledge you won’t be too hot to sleep.
Hot summer days also make summer the perfect time for paragliding, which can be deathly cold in winters. As with the Mediterranean, summer in the Alps involves long days and late sunsets. Sunsets in the Swiss Alps are as spectacular in summer as in winter, with pink sunsets reflecting off the glaciers.
If you’re more of an action lover than a beach lover, the Alps give you the perfect blend of tanning weather and activities.
Lake Swimming and City Trips
If you’re looking for reasons to buy a house in the Swiss Alps, and you’re worried that you’ll miss out on swimming pools and seaside days, never fear. The Mountains are filled with freshwater lakes where you can take a dip and cool off. Nearby aqua-parks offer water sports for all the family. Although lakeside restaurants are fairly scarce, this isn’t a bad spot to spend an afternoon tanning.
In the Swiss Alps, you’re never too far from a pretty town or city. Places like Montreux, which sits on Lake Geneva and is home to a famous Jazz Festival, are popular day-trip destinations for visitors of any age. As the Swiss Alps can be as hot as the Med, it’s worth waiting for a slightly cooler day before setting off for one of these sights. If you’re wondering why you should buy a house in the Swiss Alps though, it’s worth bearing in mind that this is a country full of beautiful spots to spend a summer day.
Wherever you’re looking to buy a property, check out our selection of ski property for sale. If you’re wondering why you should buy a house in the Swiss Alps, or you want to enquire about a property, please get in touch!