Whether hiking on trails with altitude, rafting foaming rivers, tearing downhill on a mountain bike or skis, or paragliding above peaks, the Alps will have you itching to get outdoors. Rippling 1200km from France to Slovenia and topping out at 4810m Mont Blanc, these mountains certainly impress. Choose your base town wisely for an adventure of the highest order.
Interlaken, Switzerland
Switzerland has always been beautiful, but it doesn’t get more ludicrously lovely than the Jungfrau Region in the Bernese Oberland. These are Alps to make you want to yodel out loud with bell-swinging cows, cute-as-can-be log chalets, waterfalls spilling down cliff faces, and glaciers topping mountains of myth, such as Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau.
Sitting between two jewel-coloured lakes, Interlaken is the gateway to such fabulousness, and undoubtedly the country’s hottest adventure destination. Get yourself a Jungfrau Travel Pass for speedy access to the mountains via a brilliant network of trains, funiculars, and cable cars.
Name your pulse-raising pursuit, be it white-water rafting, canyoning, paragliding, glacier bungee jumping, rock climbing, skydiving, ice climbing, or hydrospeeding, and chances are they’ve got it. Reputable companies include Alpinraft and Outdoor Interlaken.
Turin, Italy
Not only does Turin feature elegant baroque boulevards, chic cafes, and exquisite cuisine—oh, the truffles, the Barolo wines, the chocolate!—the Alps that fling north of here are some of the fairest, highest, and sunniest of them all. Consequently, Piedmont’s capital makes a winning base for a blend of indulgence, culture, and outdoor action.
Choosing the best hikes in the Italian Alps is tough, but our focus is on Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso, just over an hour’s drive north. This stunning park offers 500km of trails, some centering on its namesake 4061m peak. Keep your eyes peeled for ibex wandering in this rare Italian wilderness. The park noses north into the Valle d’Aosta, where you can raft, kayak, mountain bike, and climb in summer, and ski in winter at upscale resorts like Courmayeur and Cervinia, gazing up at the Matterhorn.
Berchtesgaden, Germany
At Germany’s southeastern-most tip, where the Bavarian Alps meet Austria, Berchtesgaden is breathtakingly beautiful. There are ragged limestone peaks to explore on foot, by bike, or with rope and karabiner right on the doorstep, particularly within the wilds of the 210-sq-km Berchtesgaden National Park. Its centerpiece is the Königssee, a strikingly turquoise lake cradled by steep mountain walls. Boat across its fjord-like depths to St Bartholomä, a beautifully domed pilgrimage chapel that serves as the trailhead for a 2km walk to the eastern flank of Watzmann—the 2713m summit, Germany’s third highest.
More adventure awaits! For an eagle’s-eye perspective on the Alps, you could launch a parachute from the 1874m Jenner with Parataxi, offering tandem flights year-round. You can also find thrills rock climbing with Klettersteigschule Berchtesgaden, and white-water rafting, canyoning, and mountaineering with Adventure Elements.
Skiers can carve through 60km of downhill and 100km of well-groomed cross-country trails. Winter hiking is particularly special here as well.
Bled, Slovenia
When you first set sight on Bled and its eponymous lake, déjà vu is common. Nestled in the foothills of the Julian Alps, this is Slovenia depicted on a million postcards, with exquisite green-blue waters edging up to castle-topped hillsides and snow-dusted peaks. Once you’ve tired of hiking and biking around the lake, and swimming or stand-up paddleboarding in its glassy waters, greater adventures await. The one-stop shop 3glav Adventures offers kayaking, paragliding, canyoning, hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, skydiving, and more around Lake Bled.
Of course, many activities are also doable without a guide, particularly in the expansive Triglav National Park. This 840-sq-km wilderness is home to ravines, lakes, forests, waterfalls, meadows, and pin-drop peace where brown bears and Alpine ibex roam. The park’s centerpiece is 2864m Mt Triglav, or ‘Three Heads’. The Pokljuka Plateau serves as the obvious starting point.
Innsbruck, Austria
The Tyrolean capital seamlessly blends urban charm with the great outdoors. The jagged rock spires of the Nordkette range are so close that within minutes, you can transition from Innsbruck’s medieval lanes to proper 2000m mountains. Hikers are in for a treat: from late May to October, the tourist office arranges daily guided walks, from sunrise strolls to half-day mountain hikes, which are available free with a guest card.
The Nordkettenbahnen funicular provides quick access to the slopes. Trails extend from Hungerburg, Seegrube, and the 2334m summit of Hafelekar, yielding impressive views deep into the Austrian Alps. For those seeking to challenging experience, a very steep downhill track for mountain bikers, the Nordkette Single Trail, is available, as well as a thrilling seven-hour via ferrata (Klettersteig) that sets off from Hafelekar. In winter, these heights transform into the Nordpark, a central hub for snow activities. Snowboarders will find delight at the Nitro Skylinepark, featuring quarter-pipes, kickers, and boxes.
Even more action awaits in the form of white-water rafting on the Inn River (try H20 Adventure), alongside Olympic bobsledding, canyoning, mountain biking, paragliding, and daring bungee jumping from the 192m Europabrücke.
Chamonix, France
Few places spark such wild excitement in outdoor lovers as Chamonix, host of the first-ever Winter Olympics in 1924. As for the Alps, 4810m Mont Blanc is the grand highlight, and hardcore mountaineers, skiers, and adrenaline-seekers have challenged the rocky ridges, ice fields, glaciers, and slopes of this mighty massif in every way imaginable. Just over an hour’s drive southeast of Geneva, Cham, as it is affectionately known, is also incredibly accessible.
During the summer months, Chamonix serves as the prime destination for mountaineering and high-alpine tours. Some of the world’s finest guides, such as the Compagnie des Guides de Chamonix, offer thrilling climbs for those equipped with skill, experience, and stamina, including an ascent of Mont Blanc itself. For hikers, the 10-day Tour du Mont Blanc, which dips into neighboring Italy and Switzerland, has real allure. Other exhilarating experiences encompass rafting, paragliding, and hydrospeeding with Cham’ Adventure.
Skiing in Chamonix during winter is phenomenal, characterized by dive-like descents, backcountry powder, and unrivaled views of Mont Blanc. Additionally, La Vallée Blanche stands out as one of Europe’s most celebrated off-piste adventures, offering a 20km ride with a staggering 2800m of descent and crossing the crevasse-riddled Mer de Glace glacier.
