Alpine lakes and mountains

Fly into Salzburg, Austria, and drive just half an hour out of the city to be within reach of three beautiful lakes in the Salzkammergut region. Many visit Wolfgangsee; it’s one of the area’s clearest lakes. Hire a motorboat to carve up the water. A cable car from lakeside village St Gilgen takes you to the top of Zwolferhorn – a green, pleasant hiking peak from which the surrounding lakes look like little puddles. For a quieter stay, the pretty Fuschlsee next door has a ban on motorboats and a reputation for hosting the rich and famous. It's the site of choice for many fancy summer homes and is also home to the Red Bull HQ.

Arabella Jagdhof Resort am Fuschlsee is right on the doorstep of the crystal-blue waters of Lake Fuschl. With its own golf course and a restaurant serving lavish regional breakfasts and sumptuous four-course dinners, plus tours and ticket assistance and an inviting bar and lounge, this hotel is perfectly placed to explore this charming region.

With so many lakes to choose from around Salzburg, it’s nice to be picky. Drive a little further out to the town of Zell am See – overlooking Lake Zell. Just 4km long, an unusual, horseshoe-shaped mountain gives Zell a majestic frame. The northern end sees brave swimmers testing the water. In the winter, it freezes over completely. Stay here for peace and beauty – only the hum of electric motors are allowed.

Hotel Seevilla Freiberg, which is right on the lake. Every single room has a view of the water – except in winter, when every single room has a view over the ice.

Between Innsbruck and Salzburg, on the Austrian corridor of Tyrol, lies the upscale medieval town of Kitzbuhel. It’s a fancy place for chic sportsmen. Speed demons flock to take on the Hahnenkamm ski race in winter. The steep slopes conjure images of James Bond fleeing down the mountainside in black salopettes — Ian Fleming was educated here after being ‘removed’ from both Eton and Sandhurst. Misbehave on the biking trails after breakfast in the local coffee shops. For dinner, famous Rosi’s Sonnbergstuben is a restaurant with tableside yodelling courtesy of local celebrity Rosi.

The Kempinski Hotel Das Tirol is great year-round for tackling the area’s 120km of mountain bike paths and 500km of hiking trails. Or at least a small portion of them.

Swoon over Lake Garda, just an hour’s drive out of Verona. The largest lake in Italy is so big you can’t see the other side. The immediate scenery is framed with man’s hand – a balustrade here, a manicured lawn there – but Riva del Garda, the large historic town at the narrow northern end of the lake is backed by the dramatic Dolomite mountains. Take an authentic paddle steamer or jet off in your own hired motorboat, and look out for olive-infused beer from the local micro-brewery.

Lido Palace. Once the holiday home of the Habsburg royal family, this hotel has put its past to bed in favour of a stylish and inimitably Italian renovation, which hasn’t failed to include massive windows. The palace is just outside Riva del Garda, where you can get a history fix with a short climb to the old, crumbling Bastione at the foot of Mount Conchetta.

Framing Lake Garda are the steep slopes of the Dolomite mountains: here you need to hike to reach the best spots, though a short cable car is all you need to reach the oft-visited summit of Sass Pordoi. Drive here from Lake Garda and find a steep, alien landscape – figures crawl, ant-like along the Alta Via Dolomiti – a dramatic path linking the highest peaks. The famous via ferrata allows you to scale the mountainsides by way of wire and iron stapled to the rock. Get a guide to lead your expedition. The food gets weightier as the hills get steeper. Enjoy casunzei – hearty filled pasta and dry smoked speck (ham).

Lefay Resort & SPA Lago Di Garda. This luxury resort covers 11 hectares of natural park, surrounded by rolling hills and olive groves, with dazzling views of Lake Garda. Indulge your senses at the Lefay SPA, a vast space dedicated to wellness with an infinity pool blending into the horizon.

Lake Como, George Clooney’s home away from home, asks for a little more refinery from its visitors. Travel there via Milan, and spend your days deciding which grand villa you will pretend to own next, while wandering around their botanical gardens and ridiculous interiors. Stay north of the town of Bellagio, where the views keep getting better. Visit the gardens of nearby Villa Serbelloni or Villa Melzi and take a ferry to reach chic Como and colourful Varenna. A hired motorboat will zip you close to Villa Balbianello, where Casino Royale played out.

The Grand Hotel Tremezzo is tremendously grand indeed. Run for three generations by the same family, they've recently given the decor a lift, though plush velvets and chandeliers still reign supreme. There’s a floating pool in Lake Como itself, and a man-made beach reached by way of the Champagne bar. Nearby is the stunning Villa Sola Cabiati, where the hotel can arrange special events. The soothing grace of Villa Carlotta’s botanical gardens are also close at hand.

Glamorous Chamonix is big, and stuffed full of activities. It is here, in the shadow of Mont Blanc, that Dr Frankenstein re-encountered his monster. You can have your own sublime adventures: hike to the White Lake and visit the foot of the retreating Mer de Glace (‘sea of ice’) glacier, where you can explore the ice cave. Take the cable car 3,777 metres up the Aiguille du Midi and ‘Step into the Void’ – a glass box hanging over the valley claiming to be the highest tourist attraction in Europe. Great for that killer Instagram shot.

Hotel Mercure Chamonix Centre, enjoying a great mid-town location, is good for all the activities, the bars and the kids’ clubs. Enjoy Savoy region recipes in the hotel restaurant – cook meat over a hot stone (‘pierrade’) or dip everything in melted cheese (‘boite chaud’).

What would an Alpine lakes and mountains guide be without Switzerland? Sprawling Lake Lucerne, a tangled blue heart in the middle of the country, is beautiful. Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata was named after it: a critic compared the piano piece to moonlight shining on the lake’s surface. Today, the historic city of Lucerne hosts a great classical music festival in August and you can visit Wagner’s villa. The views of the snow-covered mountains are hard to avoid, unless you walk hidden under the city’s charming long, covered wooden bridge, the Kapellbrucke. Enjoy the town’s fascinating stories – from statues of dying lions to the dragons rumoured to live on Mount Pilatus.

The Grand National Lucerne. From the Grand Hotel National Lucerne you can see the famous Rigi, Stanserhorn and Pilatus mountains, as well as the highest peaks of Central Switzerland. Should you ever tire of such splendid views you can simply luxuriate in the hotel’s lavish rooms, some of which sport Italian marble floors and walls covered with silk wallpaper.