The Alps are the easiest mountains in Europe to reach and the hardest to leave. An hour from a motorway you can be on a path where the only sound is meltwater, and the only decision left is how far up to go before turning round.
What the days look like
Mornings are cold and bright. The valley holds its shadow until nine or ten, then the light arrives all at once and the whole slope changes colour. Most of the good walking happens before noon, and most of the good sitting happens after it.
Afternoons are for water. There is almost always a lake within an hour’s walk, and it is almost always too cold. Get in anyway — the ten minutes afterwards, lying on warm rock, are the part you will remember.
Evenings are long. In June the light holds past ten, and the last hour of it turns the limestone the colour of apricot. This is the hour nobody plans for and everybody remembers.
When to go
June and September are the honest answers. July and August bring the crowds and the afternoon storms; the shoulder months give you the same light with half the people and twice the parking.
Avoid May unless you like walking on old snow. The high paths do not clear until the end of the month, and the huts are shut.
What to bring
- A warm layer you will not wear until seven in the evening, and will then not take off
- Shoes you can get wet, because you will
- Less than you think. The valleys are full of shops and none of them are far away