First of all I know this has been covered, I remember seeing it but searching for Alp, Alps, Summer in the Alps, Summer Holiday Alp etc hasn’t bought it up.

So please help, 2.5 year old daughter, me and Mrs Happy are looking for a quiet Alpine village/town not full of dirty mountain biking types (according to her) although if it happens to be close to some my bike my hitch a lift…

Recommendations gratefully received please for the 2nd week of September.

Ecrin National Park has no uplifts / ski infrastructure – very quiet and beautiful…

I’ve camped at http://www.ailefroide.com/english/

Correct link for campsite: http://www.ailefroide.fr/camping/

Meribel Les Allues is a great little village. Close enough to Meribel/Courchevel etc that you can get there easily.
But a lovely quiet little village.

Trip to Lac Tueda nature reserve will take about 20 mins either by car or regular bus. Great place.

Good mountain biking easily accessible too. But not as “obvious” as Morzine/Les Gets (to keep your wife happy)

Samoens. Lovely place, and some good accommodation available through http://www.alpsaccommodation.com/ . But do be aware that by the 2nd week of September the Alps are basically closed.

Hello.
I was going to say Tignes, as its got free bike lifts, and lots of free activites to do if you are not biking, such as pedalos, sailing, remote control cars, swim pool etc… But i thin 2nd september it may be closed.

Not too many bikers around yet (compared to Morzine)

That late in the season, I think the Funicular in les arcs will be running still… I think… If you stay in Bourg St Maurice, there is plenty to do/not do! and is a proper french town…

Went here a few years ago and it was awesome

http://www.laclusaz.com/home-in-summer.html

Or, go the pyranees orientale or even andorra. The weather is still usually really nice and the lifts are open till the middle of September.

Andorra has some nice places like ordino (there is a camp site just up the valley with a pool) and there are some great walks up towards Arcalis.

Les Angles or Font Romeau have great riding and a lot of kid type activities. There is a hot spring water park not far away at Eyne.

For the Alps, go south for decent weather. The area that footflaps mentions is really beautiful. As is the Haute Verdon even further south. Briancon is a decent town with some real history for a visit and could be got to easily from Aillefroide. Orcieres is nice but might be dead by September.

Pretty much all the lifts in the the alps will be closed in September

Edit> La Clusaz is a nice village but the weather might be dodgy by September.

We had a great family holiday in lauterbrunnen. It’s a bit busy and touristy but in a good way. I don’t mean packed I just mean you will have to share it with others

But really is a lovely area. Just a beautiful valley. There are other villages with no car access which are even more beautiful. Just depends on how deep your pockets are.

Fantastic thank you! I didn’t realise it was late in the summer, obvious I suppose…

We were hoping to avoid the summer holiday prices while we can but may have to adjust that theory as guaranteed dampness rather than the usual 50/50 alpine dampness wouldn’t be ideal.

The French, for whom the Alps were built, holiday in August. After August and before the ski season there will be no French people there as the ones who live there will be holidaying somewhere else, and the ones who were on holiday will have gone home.
Having said that, We went for a couple of weeks end of August/beginning of September and the weather was great. Lots of stuff was closed the second week but I think the high ropes course was still open – probably not a high priority for a 2.5 year-old.

Ailefroide is indeed awesome. One of my favourite places.
But as the man said, it shuts in September (or at least did 15 years ago when I was there that late)
As the week wore on the shop had less and less stock. Then the laundry closed, then some of the shower blocks closed, then the hot water was off. By the end of the week there was only a cold tap still on and nobody to pay our camp fees to. Shame.

We camped at lake Annancy last summer in August.
We stayed here: http://www.campinglaserraz.com/
Although the town itself was fine, the campsite was slowing down for the season.

Lots to do in and around and a lovely lake to swim in.
(crystal clear and warm)
Numerous trails to keep you happy but no ski lifts to help with the climbs

La Clusaz mentioned above is about 40 mins away if you want an uplift day.

About 8 years ago we stayed in Les Gets in September, was mainly fully of bikers but was open and buzzing. However the campsite was just a field outside of Les Gets with a toilet so not much comfort for a LO.

As stated, just be careful about the lifts closing. The mountains are open or course, but for example, in the Portes de Soleil, you won’t have that lovely, extended network, go anywhere feeling. We went to Chatel at the start of September last year and you were basically restricted to staying in the resort you’re in. So for example, the lifts weren’t available to allow you to go from Chatel to Les Crosets, or Chatel to Morzine. I hated that – wont do it again.

We stayed at Lake Annecy also – Camping la Chapelle St Claude in Talloires, right on the lake, swim 50m from the door of the mobile home. Rose (2.5 then) was in the lake swimming at least twice a day – it is 20 degree plus water at that time of year, lovely for swimming, so nice we’re back again later this year.

Tons of road biking (it was a Tour de France stage), and there have to be some good trails round there, were various vtt routes marked on maps. Nice mountain walking. No uplifts there, although i think it isn’t too far from uplift resorts if you have a whole day off.

Talloires is a very small town, couple of normal restaurants, shop, good bakery, couple of fancy pants michelin ones. Annecy is a nice big tourist town for the rest.

We went first week in sep, some things closing, but most still okay, and we rented a static caravan at the campsite which was nice and comfy, and dead cheap in September.

If you want road riding, I’d camp at the foot of Alpe d’Huez eg http://www.camping-piscine.com/

You have all the major TdF hills within reach and can even have a go at La Marmotte if you’re feeling masochistic (I’ve ridden the course twice).

However, the area will be busy in peak season.

I can recommend La Clusaz – I have spent three summers there now with Snow Chalet. We were there at he end if August last year and weather was fine, but could be a bit changeable. As noted earlier coud stay in one of the many campsites in annecy and revel upto the Alps when you want.

Samoens

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Ski Chalets in Morzine & Le Grand Massif