‘It’s one huge adventure playground’: readers’ best summer trips in the lakes and mountains of Europe

From the Alpine meadows of Bavaria to a pristine lake in Italy and the pilgrim routes of the Pyrenees, here are some of your favourite discoveries. • Tell us about a lesser known European island – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher Haldensee is a clear, sparkling cold lake located at the bottom of the Tannheimer Tal valley in the Austrian Alps (about 90 miles south-west of Munich). We visited last year, just when summer was on its way out, and it was too cold to skinny-dip in the lake (unless you were very brave). Nonetheless, if you’re a hiker, a ski lift takes you up into the Allgäu Alps where you can walk through dense forest to Bad Kissinger Hütte serving refreshing apfelschorle , warming soups and seasonal bakes to refuel for the journey downhill. When going down, we were accompanied by tinkling cattle, ambling along the mountain-side springs, which made the experience so much more memorable. Kovida Continue reading... [Read Full Story on The Guardian Travel →](https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2026/aug/14/readers-holidays-europe-mountains-lakes-alps-pyrenees)