Summer in Verbier

As the snow melts and the sun starts to shine, find out what makes Verbier the perfect summer destination.
The fun doesn’t stop in Verbier when winter ends; far from it. As the snow recedes, numerous festivals take place, and a range of seasonal activities get underway.

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Summer’s major event is the buzzy Verbier Festival, which brings some of the world’s best classical music artists and orchestras to the village in the last two weeks of July and early August. While a large concert hall is temporarily erected for ticketed shows, free concerts also take place daily in intimate little churches and chalets. Better yet, as you’re walking around town, you’re liable to hear musicians tinkering on their piano or sound-checking a trumpet.

Then, only a 45-minute journey away down by Lake Geneva is early July’s Montreux Jazz Festival, which delivers more mainstream names. This year they have an already-sold-out Elton John performance, part of his final tour, plus Lauryn Hill, Janet Jackson and famous DJs playing. People tend to go there to see a performance or two, then climb to Verbier for weekends of outdoor activities.

In mid-August, the new Verbier E-Bike Festival will debut. E-biking has become so popular here by allowing easier access to remote Swiss Alps sites for those of us who aren’t hardcore road cyclists! The festival includes discovery tours led by one of our partners, and lets attendees test out different e-bikes. Family-friendly evenings promise live music and barbecue food on an urban beach.

As for activities, where to start? The list in summer is near-endless, ranging from classics like hiking and downhill cycling to rock climbing: we have an indoor centre plus marked routes for advanced beginners and intermediates at nearby Champex-Lac. Via Ferrata is more about climbing ladders, along with big hikes and epic scenery. Tennis is really big in Verbier, too – there are competitions and training courses, some for children – as is showjumping and volleyball.

Want to swim? Kids may play at Verbier’s outdoor pool and huge diving board, while wilder bathing is possible in Lac des Vaux, after a really nice hike up there, but be warned: the water is very cold! For more extreme types, we can arrange paragliding or mountain-based peak fitness retreats. Yoga camps afford a slower pace.

While you’re here, look out for the locals: not Verbier villagers, but the really cute marmots and ibex, which frequent our slopes. They’re adapted to all climes, and so should you be; temperatures can climb to 33C in July and August (although 23-27C is more normal) before really dropping once the sun goes down.