Every hiking vacation is different. One only makes sense in the height of summer, another in the blossoming spring, the third only in the golden fall. Feuer und Eis has the solution: the perfect hiking tour for every month!
In this blog, we present the advantages and disadvantages of the different hiking months — and recommend some varied hikes for the summer months.
Hiking vacation in June: mountain hiking for midsummer
16 hours of sunshine! The midsummer night month of June brings the longest days. This will delight all early risers who want to admire the sunrise shortly after five on June 21. And all late risers who have time to finish their mountain tour by sunset at half past nine.
On a hiking vacation in summer, the temperatures are usually pleasant and the snow often melts at higher altitudes — but not everywhere! — has melted. The risk of heat storms is even lower than in July and August. And the hiking trails are usually less busy. However, on north-facing slopes in particular, old snow can often still provide a thrill in June. So be careful on your chosen route to a mountain peak!
Our tour tip for June: the “Isarwinkel and Blue Land” hiking week. On six stages, you can hike through some of the most beautiful natural and cultural landscapes in the Northern Alps. Blomberg, Herzogstand, Walchensee, Staffelsee, Murnauer Moos and Osterseen are the highlights. Overnight stays are in beautiful hotels and luggage transfers are taken care of during the day. A day rucksack is sufficient for the individual stages between the accommodations.
Individual hiking tours in July: city escape for summer visitors
When it gets hot, stuffy and smoggy in the big city in July, many people long to escape to the countryside. Now is the time for summer visitors to treat themselves to a cool break in the mountains. The advantages are clear as day: the temperatures for hiking tours are pleasant, so the down jacket can go on vacation. It is also a popular time for active travel for beginners.
All mountain huts are open in July and tempt you to cool off from the inside. The many bathing lakes, which are now at the perfect operating temperature, promise cooling off from the outside. But with so much light, there is also shade. Not shade from the sun (watch out for sunburn!), but a risk of afternoon thunderstorms. So set off early and chill out on the hotel terrace with an aperitif!
July is the perfect month for trekking trips in the Dolomites. Unlike in August, there is even less hiking traffic on the trails. And the hiking tour called “Dolomitenhöhenwege” by Feuer und Eis is the perfect summer retreat. These five days of hiking between Lago di Braies, Alta Badia and Cortina guarantee spectacular natural scenery from dawn to dusk!
Hiking in August: escape from Ferragosto to Switzerland
Assumption Day in mid-August — but actually the whole of August — is the main travel month for Italians. Millions of Tifosi hike, trek and picnic on and off the hiking trails between the Three Peaks, Ortler and Lake Garda.
So if you don’t fancy traffic jams on your trekking tours, it’s better to avoid Italy in August. Why not head to Switzerland? And why not tackle an individual crossing of the Alps?
The multi-day“Via Spluga” hiking tour is a perfect example of both. This is one of the most famous long-distance hiking trails in the Alps and leads from Thusis to Chiavenna in five stages. Through the legendary Viamala and Roffla gorges, you follow the young Rhine to its source before turning south in Splügen to the pass of the same name. The Romans used this pass to cross the Alps.
After five stages, 80 kilometers and 4100 meters of altitude, the hiking tour ends in the Mediterranean town of Chiavenna. You can’t get more nature and culture in one week in August! The perfect trip to slow down and discover the world of the Alps on foot.
September: The best month for hiking trips
Summer vacations and heat storms are finally over — now comes the best hiking season of the year: September! The mountain air becomes pleasantly cool and crystal clear again. The likelihood of thunderstorms decreases, but the motivation for mountain hiking increases.
Nature is slowly revealing itself in all its colorful glory and the hiking trails are back to traffic-calmed areas after the end of the summer vacations. However, you should now have a light down jacket in your hiking rucksack, as it can get chilly again in the mornings and evenings. Every now and then, winter comes knocking and covers many a pass and summit with snow in September.
Nevertheless, these are ideal conditions for crossing the Alps on foot. Ideally from Tegernsee to Sterzing! In seven tour days, you hike from Gmund via Achensee and Zillertal up to the main Alpine ridge at Pfitscherjoch. The last day of the tour takes you through the already slightly autumnal Pfitschertal valley to the pleasant town of Sterzing.
April: 2025 gets off to a flying start after the winter break
We’ll leave out the Golden October, which will get its own blog post in due course. Instead, we have a look ahead to the new year. After the long winter break without hiking, hikers with fire and ice can hit the gas again from April. Even if April tends to be a little moody, it’s usually a great time to get the season off to an early start: you wake up from hibernation, slowly become resilient and fit again, soak up the sun and vitamin D.
Temperatures are dropping, the snow is melting at lower altitudes and nature is beginning to awaken. But watch out — it’s still winter here at high altitudes in April! With all the associated dangers such as cold, snow and avalanches. So head south!
For example, to the“Cinque Terre”. This individual stage hike takes you in six days from Sestri Levante along the spectacular Ligurian coast of the UNESCO Cinque Terre National Park and through the world-famous coastal villages to Portovenere. Your luggage is transported to the next hotel.
May: Everything is new in the merry month. Even when hiking
Winter is dead, long live spring! In the merry month, the flowers sprout and the winter blues give way to spring fever. But as in April, keep your eyes open when planning your tours. High alpine trails are usually still off-limits in May. Even those hiking one or two storeys lower should bear in mind that the day is still short and the temperatures are cooler.
The best way to start the hiking season is leisurely, low and south-facing. Or even better: switch to the main Alpine ridge side and welcome the hiking summer the Mediterranean way: on an extended stage hike from Merano to Lake Garda.
On the six days of the tour, you hike from the time-honored spa town of Merano in South Tyrol via Nalles, Caldaro, the Mendola Pass (with shuttle), Val di Non and Lake Molveno to Riva. Silent companions are the mountains of the Texelgruppe, the Dolomites, the Mendelkamm, the Brenta and the Garda mountains. 95 kilometers of route and 3000 meters of altitude are just numbers, the impressions of this hiking week on the sunny side of the Alps are countless!