From alpine trails to symphonies and a lakeside festival, Verbier’s summer sings with soul. Even The Libertine’s frontman Peter Doherty – who I met in the shadow of jagged peaks at the inaugural Lac/itude Festival – admitted it felt otherworldly: “It’s like playing a festival in Middle Earth,” he told me with a surprised grin.
Because summer in Verbier isn’t just about pretty chalets and cows; it challenges every preconception of a ski town out of season. The mountains here offer far more than hiking and scenery…they come alive with music, heritage, and culture, showing that Verbier’s true rhythm is not confined to snow and après-ski, but rises in harmony with the long days of summer.
Day One: A Century in the Clouds
If you’ve ever dreamed of waking up above the clouds, Cabane Mont Fort is your dream destination.
This Summer I visited Verbier and Cabane Mont Fort was where I spent my first night. At 2,457 metres, Mont Fort is more than a hut; it’s a front-row seat to the Alps. On clear evenings, Mont Blanc lights up pink at dawn whilst you can see the Grand Combin in the distance. Inside, the hut is all warmth and wood: cosy bunkrooms, hearty meals shared around communal tables, and stories shared among the hikers staying the evening.
This year, the hut celebrates its 100th anniversary. Built in 1925 by the SAC Section Jaman, it became the region’s first high-alpine refuge, opening up a lesser-known pocket of the Valais to hikers. Over the decades it has served as a staging post on the Haute Route and the Sentier des Chamois to Lac de Louvie, without losing the stone-and-timber charm that makes a cabane feel timeless. Its original masonry and distinctive sundial remain, even after the 2001 enlargement that expanded its capacity.
For forty seasons, the Bruchez family ran the hut; today, guardians Audrey Galas and Fabien Navilloux continue the tradition, alongside hut chief Marc-Henri Pasche. This summer, the centenary celebrations include an open-air exhibition along the Bisse du Levron which tells Mont Fort’s story in photographs and anecdotes, from storm rescues to supply caravans that once hauled provisions on muleback.
That night, I stepped outside to a sky dense with stars, with the sense of being in the presence of a century of stories. Utterly breathtaking.
And there’s more on the horizon. On September 7th 2025, the Flying Frenchies (daredevil acrobats also known as Le Petit Bus Rouge), will bring an extraordinary aerial performance above Mont Fort: net-jumps, speed-flyers and Balkan beats. And in December, the celebrations will close with reverence: a mass by the Canons Regular of the Great St Bernard, joined by 100 mountain guides in ceremonial dress, followed by a torchlit descent with a hundred flames marking a hundred years of Mont Fort’s story.
How to Get To Mont Fort: From Verbier, take the lift to Ruinettes. From there, you hike a beautiful intermediate trail that winds via La Chaux – this takes about an hour and a half.
Day Two: Trails, Tradition and Cattle Queens
Descending via the Bisse du Levron, we encountered rare Hérens cattle, the Valais’ famous black cows. Marie, our expert mountain guide, explained that Hérens herds are matriarchal, ruled by a dominant female known as the Queen. Each spring, they compete in ritual “cow fights” (gentle, shoving contests to establish dominance) and the victorious queen leads the herd proudly through the Désalpe, the festive descent to the valley adorned with bells and garlands. The clang of their bells was a constant companion on our hikes.
By lunchtime, we reached La Marlénaz, an iconic terrace restaurant perched at 1,895 m where the terrace looks over a horizon of stunning peaks. I ordered the Les Röstis Morilles, golden potato rösti with morel mushrooms and pine nuts. Rösti is Switzerland’s most traditional comfort food: once the breakfast of farmers, today it’s an Alpine staple and the perfect mid-hike comfort fuel.
That evening, we swapped hiking boots for concert attire at Salle des Combins, the festival heart. The Verbier Festival Orchestra, conducted by Gábor Takács-Nagy, filled the space with sound that was pure and just magical. Violinist Kristóf Baráti performed with amazing skill and talent. It was a reminder that Verbier is not just a physical summit, but a cultural one too.
Day Three: Music in Middle Earth
The crescendo arrived at the PALP Festival’s Lac/itude event at Lac des Vaux.
The climb up was relatively quick at an hour and a half, and not too taxing, but there was a surprise at the last stretch of the climb where it became almost a mini via ferrata, with steel ropes and grips hammered into the rock, forcing our crew to cling and climb before arriving onto the amphitheatre of cliffs and turquoise water. As we climbed, it was magical to hear the music drift across the valley with the sounds of guitars, voices and laughter carrying across the lake.
And then, the reveal: festival-goers dancing on the grass, taking dips in the lake, and performances against a backdrop of glaciers. Pete Doherty, surveying the scene, quipped: “It’s like playing a festival in Middle Earth.” And he was right. His performance was raw and unforgettable in the open air.
The descent was pretty tough going for an intermediate hiker such as myself, taking around two hours and 30 minutes – with a brief 49m climb and then a 1,089m descent – but the stunning views made it more than worth it.
At the bottom, it was time for dinner at the warm and welcoming Le Papill’on in La Tzoumaz. It was here I tried raclette for the first time, too. This dish of molten cheese scraped from the wheel, poured over potatoes and served with charcuterie and pickles is delicious. Once shepherds melted it over open fires; today it’s still the Alps’ most comforting ritual.
That night, we stayed at Chalet Bastide, a rustic mountain home on Route de Ransou in Verbier. With three bedrooms and three bathrooms, it’s the perfect base for groups. The décor is cosy and traditional rather than sleek: think wooden beams, mounted stags heads, check fabrics, warm lamplight and stunning views that frame Verbier’s mountains.
A Village Alive with Spirit
Verbier in summer is a revelation! Yes, there are the postcard-perfect chalets and the clang of cowbells drifting across the meadows, but the truth runs deeper. These mountains challenge preconceptions: they aren’t only playgrounds for hikers or winter skiers, but living stages where history, culture and creativity collide.
Verbier shows that the Alps can be many things at once; pastoral and poetic, rugged and refined, rooted in tradition yet always reinventing itself. In winter, this village may be known for its slopes and après-ski, but in summer, it has a different rhythm…it’s a crescendo in the clouds that lingers long after you’ve descended!
If you’re thinking about booking a summer stay in Verbier, do it – you’ll be entranced by a season filled with trails, festivals and magical moments.
Travel At A Glance
Where to Stay:
- Cabane Mont Fort: CHF 130 / £117 pp per night (dinner + breakfast). A century-old refuge at 2,457 m offering breathtaking views and Alpine Club hospitality. To book: cabanemontfort.com
- Chalet Bastide, Route de Ransou 46: From CHF 1,800 / £1,640 for two nights (sleeps six). A rustic alpine chalet with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, two flats, and sweeping Verbier views. To book: allverbier.com – Chalet Bastide
Where to Eat:
- La Marlénaz: Mountainside restaurant at 1,895 m serving refined Valais cuisine with panoramic views. To book: kvhotels.com – Restaurant La Marlénaz
- Le Papill’on, La Tzoumaz: Intimate Alpine bistro perfect for raclette after a long hike. To book: papillon-latzoumaz.ch
Getting There:
- Flights: Direct return flights with Swiss from London Heathrow from £130pp.
- Transfers: Travel Switzerland ensures seamless journeys by train, bus, boat and mountain railway. Point-to-point tickets from £40; Swiss Travel Passes from £229 (3 days).
The Pass
Each night spent in Verbier, Val de Bagnes – La Tzoumaz includes a free Verbier Infinite Playground (VIP) Pass, unlocking lifts, buses and activities across the valley.
For more info visit Switzerland Tourism: switzerland.com and www.vebier.ch
Review and images by Victoria Reddington @vic_reddington
