The Alpine village in July is a different world. The snow has retreated to the peaks – the white patches on the north faces of the highest mountains – and the pistes, the groomed runs that carried the skiers from December to April, are now meadows: the cows grazing the high pastures, the bells clanking, and the wildflowers – the edelweiss, the gentians, and the Alpine roses – blooming in the thin air. The lifts, silent in the summer except for the few that run for the hikers and the mountain bikers, are a reminder of the winter economy that sustains the Alps, and the villages – Chamonix, Zermatt, Cortina, and the others – are quieter, greener, and in many ways more beautiful than they are in the ski season. A European ski resort in the summer is a different holiday: the hiking replaces the skiing, the mountain biking replaces the apres-ski, and the prices – the hotels, the restaurants, and the lifts – are half the winter rate. Here are five European ski destinations that are popular all year round.

1. Chamonix, France – the mountaineering capital

Chamonix, at the foot of Mont Blanc (4,809 metres, the highest mountain in the Alps and in western Europe), was a summer destination before it was a winter one – the 18th-century English aristocrats who invented Alpine tourism came for the glaciers, the views, and the thrill of the sublime. The summer Chamonix: the Aiguille du Midi cable car (the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world – 2,807 metres in 20 minutes, the view of Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, and the Grandes Jorasses. ~EUR 67 return – expensive, and worth every cent. Book online, the queues in July and August can be 2 hours), the hiking (the Grand Balcon Nord – the most beautiful day hike in the Alps, the trail contouring the north face of Mont Blanc, the glaciers, the peaks, and the sense of being in the high mountains without the technical difficulty. 6-8 hours. Free, and the best day in Chamonix), and the Mer de Glace (the Sea of Ice – France’s largest glacier, accessible by the Montenvers cog railway. ~EUR 35. The glacier has retreated 700 metres in the last century, and the ice cave – the grotto carved into the glacier each year – is a striking, melancholy reminder of the speed of climate change). Summer season: mid-June to mid-September. Accommodation: from ~EUR 80/night in the summer (EUR 200+ in the winter).

2. Zermatt, Switzerland – the Matterhorn summer

Zermatt has the Matterhorn – the most recognisable mountain in the world, the pyramid that graces the Toblerone bar – and the summer in Zermatt is the most beautiful of any Alpine resort: the car-free village (the horse-drawn carriages, the electric taxis, and the silence), the hiking (the Five Lakes Trail – the most popular and most beautiful day hike, the five alpine lakes, each reflecting the Matterhorn from a different angle. 3-4 hours, well-marked, the best photograph of the Matterhorn you will ever take), and the Gornergrat Railway (the highest open-air cog railway in Europe, the 33-minute ascent to 3,089 metres, the view of the Gorner Glacier – the second-largest in the Alps – and the 29 peaks over 4,000 metres visible from the summit. ~EUR 50 return. Book a sunny day – the view is wasted in the cloud). Summer season: late June to September. Accommodation: from ~EUR 120/night.

3. Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy – the Dolomites in summer

Cortina is the queen of the Dolomites – the pink limestone mountains that glow at sunset (the enrosadira – the “turning pink” – the phenomenon of the Dolomite rock, rich in calcium and magnesium carbonate, that catches the last light of the day and turns the colour of a rose), the most beautiful mountains in the Alps. The summer Cortina: the Tre Cime di Lavaredo loop (the Three Peaks – the symbol of the Dolomites, the 10 km walk around the base of the three peaks, the most beautiful day hike in Italy. 4-5 hours, the rifugi – the mountain huts – serving pasta and beer at 2,300 metres), the via ferrata (the Iron Way – the protected climbing routes, the ladders, the cables, and the exposure that is exhilarating and safe. ~EUR 50 for a guided experience), and the food (the canederli – the bread dumplings in broth – and the speck – the smoked ham of the Alto Adige. The mountain huts serve food that is better than most London restaurants, and the view is included). Summer season: mid-June to September. Accommodation: from ~EUR 100/night.