Austria may be best known for winter sports, but visit the Alps in summer and you discover a completely different kind of energy

Words & images: Lauren Murphy

The snow gives way to walking trails, glassy lakes, wildflower meadows and hotel gardens made for long afternoons between spa sessions. It is still dramatic, still active, still unmistakably alpine, but warmer, softer and surprisingly well suited to a wellness break built around movement, recovery and fresh mountain air.

I travelled through Tyrol with Best Alpine Wellness Hotels, a collection of independently owned, family-run four-star superior and five-star superior resorts across Austria. Over a few days, I stayed at Wellnessresidenz Alpenrose, Hotel Post Lermoos and Alpenresort Schwarz, three very different hotels with one thing in common: wellness is not treated as an add-on. It is woven into the food, the spa, the landscape, the activity programme and the natural rhythm of the day.

That is what makes Austria in summer such a brilliant option for active travellers. It is not a fly-and-flop holiday, but it is not a hardcore fitness retreat either. You can walk in the mountains, swim outdoors, take a Reformer Pilates class, spend time in the sauna, eat beautifully and still feel as though you have properly rested.

Heat, Cold, Movement, Rest

At Wellnessresidenz Alpenrose, close to Lake Achensee, the summer wellness feeling arrived quickly. The resort has that classic alpine prettiness, but with the scale and facilities of a serious wellness hotel. There is a mix of original alpine character and newer interiors, which gave it a sense of place without feeling old-fashioned. It also had vast family facilities, which stood out because it still worked beautifully for adults too.

That balance is surprisingly rare. So many hotels lean one way or the other: peaceful and grown-up, or brilliant for children but not especially restful for adults. Across all three resorts, I felt they managed both. There were huge spa areas, proper food, outdoor pools, quiet corners and grown-up wellness experiences, but also enough space and facilities for families to feel genuinely welcome.

Alpenrose’s wellness offering is enormous, with an 8,500 square metre spa and wellness area, an 800 square metre swimming pond, spas across three floors, adults-only relaxation areas, family pool areas, a tube slide, children’s pool, full-day childcare and a two-storey Fit&Fun Haus for fitness and activity. But what I loved most was how naturally you moved between all of it. Indoors to outdoors. Sauna to lake. Spa to garden. Activity to rest.

One of my favourite moments of the whole Austria trip was the sauna infusion at Alpenrose with Claudia. Austrian sauna culture is not like popping into a hotel steam room for ten minutes. The sauna infusion, or Aufguss, is a ritual, and part of what makes it so popular is the way it turns heat into a full sensory experience. Scented ice balls are placed on the hot stones, releasing waves of fragrance as they melt, while the sauna master moves the hot air through the room with a towel or fan. The result is intense but calming: heat, scent and breath working together in a way that feels both energising and deeply restorative.

In a country where wellness is so closely tied to nature, rhythm and recovery, it makes sense that the sauna is treated as something to be experienced properly in Austria, rather than rushed through. There is evidence behind the benefits too. Research published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings suggests regular sauna bathing may be linked with benefits for cardiovascular health, circulation, relaxation and stress management, although the evidence is still developing.

For me, the benefit was immediate and simple: I came out feeling calmer, clearer and more in my body. After Claudia’s infusion, we followed it with a cold dip in the lake and fresh fruit kebabs afterwards. It sounds simple, but it summed up the whole trip: heat, cold, fresh air, mountain views and something nourishing to eat.

We also did Reformer Pilates at Alpenrose, led by Edith, who guided the class beautifully and adapted it to each of our needs. Using the springs to control resistance, the session felt strong, precise and empowering without being punishing. I felt in control, which is not always how fitness feels when you are away from your usual routine.

The class was challenging enough to make me feel like I had worked, but not so intense that it tipped into exhaustion. It was controlled, strengthening and low impact, with enough focus on alignment to make me feel connected to my body again rather than depleted by it. Cryotherapy and forest bathing were also available as options, which showed how well the resort understands modern wellness: some days your body wants structure, some days it wants cold therapy, and some days it wants something gentler.

Food, Fresh Air And Alpine Energy

Hotel Post Lermoos was where the scenery really hit me. The setting alone was postcard-worthy. Walking out onto the balcony and seeing the Zugspitze in front of me did not quite feel real, and in summer there is a quietness to the mountains that makes you slow down without even trying.

We also took the Ehrwalder Almbahn cable car up into the mountains, where a lake sits at the top surrounded by alpine scenery. It gave the stay that active summer element without feeling too demanding. In winter, this whole landscape is built around skiing, but in summer it opens up in a completely different way: walking routes, mountain views, fresh air, lake reflections and that lovely feeling of being high up without needing to be an expert hiker.

I spent time in the spa too, which felt exactly right for the pace of the trip. That balance is what Hotel Post Lermoos did so well for me: big scenery, beautiful food, proper spa time and enough gentle activity to feel like you had really experienced the mountains.

The Post Alpin Spa covers 3,000 square metres, with indoor and outdoor pools, a saltwater pool, whirlpool, saunas, eight treatment rooms, waterbeds, an ice grotto, cold plunge pool, Kneipp walk and a panoramic adults-only sauna house with Zugspitze views. It felt peaceful and grown-up, with food and spa at the centre of the experience.

The food across all three resorts was outstanding. Homemade, fresh, local where possible and genuinely delicious. Not “wellness food” in the joyless sense. Proper food. Generous breakfasts, beautiful dinners, fresh produce and dishes that felt rooted in where we were.

At Hotel Post Lermoos, we tried Kaiserschmarrn, the famous Austrian torn pancake. Warm, sweet and comforting, it was exactly the kind of dish you want in the mountains. It also summed up what I liked about the approach to wellness across the trip: there was no sense of restriction. Wellness was about fresh air, good food, proper rest and actually enjoying yourself.

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Why It Works

At Alpenresort Schwarz, on the Mieming Plateau, the authentic, cosy interiors and family-run feel really stood out. It is a large resort, but it still felt warm and rooted in tradition rather than overly polished. The kind of place where you can feel the family history behind it.

The fitness and recovery offering here is serious too. Schwarz has a 5,500 square metre ME SENSE Spa, seven saunas, four outdoor pools, two natural bathing ponds, adults-only areas, a gym, guided hikes, biking, tennis, golf, sports guides and personal trainers. Its wider fitness programme includes options such as HIIT, Pilates, Reformer Pilates, yoga, aqua fitness, cryotherapy and health diagnostics.

Guests can also rent e-bikes free for three hours, which fits perfectly with the resort’s active wellness feel. It is the sort of place where you can move, recover, swim, cycle, use the spa and still feel completely held by the landscape.

My favourite part of Schwarz was swimming outdoors. The natural swimming lake and lagoon-style pools made the whole spa experience feel connected to the landscape. There is something about being in warm water outside, with the mountains around you, that makes a spa feel less like a hotel facility and more like part of the place itself.

What I loved most across the trip was that wellness was intertwined through every part of these resorts. It was in the food, the gardens, the spa, the guided experiences, the sauna rituals, the pools, the mountain air and even the way the days were structured.

For women who train, work, parent, travel and constantly push through, that matters. We are often good at doing the workout, but less good at giving our bodies the recovery they need afterwards.

Austria in summer gives you both.

You can be active every day without feeling as though you are punishing yourself. You can hike, swim, stretch, do Pilates, use the spa, eat properly and sleep well. It feels healthy without being rigid, luxurious without being lazy, and restorative without being boring.

By the end of the trip, what stayed with me was not one single treatment or one hotel facility. It was the feeling that recovery had been built into everything.

Sometimes wellness is a sauna infusion. Sometimes it is a slow morning in the spa. Sometimes it is Reformer Pilates, a cold lake dip, a homemade dinner, or standing still long enough to breathe in the alpine air and realise just how good it feels to move and recover in the same place.

For anyone who thinks Austria is only for winter sports, summer might be its best-kept wellness season.

Need To Know

Best for: Summer active wellness, spa recovery, Reformer Pilates, hiking, couples, soft adventure, golf, gourmet escapes and family-friendly luxury.

Hotels visited: Wellnessresidenz Alpenrose, Hotel Post Lermoos and Alpenresort Schwarz.

Location: Tyrol, Austria.

Good to know: Best Alpine Wellness Hotels is a collection of independently owned, family-run four-star superior and five-star superior resorts across Austria.

More information: austriawellnesshotels.com