Europe’s summers keep making the wrong kind of headlines. So my clients are asking a smart question: where’s cooler, quieter, and just as beautiful? The alpine lakes are having their moment — and Lake Como is not the only option worth booking. Lake Garda anchors a growing crop of new luxury hotels on Italy’s largest lake, framed by mountains and vineyards. Lake Iseo delivers a quieter Italian summer near the Franciacorta wine region. Lake Lucerne pairs Switzerland’s fjord-like coastline with early-20th-century wooden steamships. Then there’s Slovenia, which quietly outdoes the neighbors with Lake Bled’s iconic island church and Lake Bohinj’s mirror-still alpine calm. Here are six lake escapes I’d send you to before Como.
Happy Travels!
