If you start looking up things to do in Sölden in summer, most of what comes up still revolves around skiing, hiking, or some kind of activity that sounds like it requires far more energy than you actually feel like having on holiday. Sölden is one of those places people strongly associate with winter, and for a long time I did too. The first time I went, I didn’t expect much from it once the snow was gone. I assumed it would be quiet, and maybe even a little dull. The kind of place that only really makes sense when the slopes are open.
Now that I’ve been there twice, I see it very differently. Sölden has become one of those places I go to when I want a slower pace, clean air, and that feeling of being somewhere slightly removed from everything without being completely cut off. Both times I’ve been there, the trips happened during Franco’s cycling events. Which meant long days for him cycling and a lot of time for me to figure out how to fill the hours.
The first time, I didn’t plan much. I thought the scenery would be enough. But after a couple of days the town started to feel smaller than I expected. It’s beautiful, no doubt about that. But, without skiing, you do have to move around a little, otherwise the days begin to blur together in that strange way small mountain towns sometimes do. When I came back the second time, I approached it differently. I drove further down the valley, stopped in places I had ignored before, and started looking for a rhythm that didn’t depend on being active all the time.
That’s when Sölden started to grow on me. It stopped feeling like just a cycling destination and started feeling like somewhere I actually enjoy returning to. These are the things that, for me, make summer here work. Especially if you’re looking for things to do in Sölden in summer that don’t involve spending the entire day out of breath. Whenever I arrive, the first thing I want is somewhere that slows everything down straight away, and somehow I always end up going to the same place to get that feeling.
1. Spend a day at the Aqua Dome
On both trips, one of the first places I went back to was the Aqua Dome in Längenfeld. It’s about fifteen minutes from Sölden. If you’ve seen photos of those round outdoor pools floating above the mountains, that’s exactly what it looks like in real life. Which almost never happens with places that are this well known online.
What I like most about going there in summer is the contrast. You sit in warm thermal water while the air around you still feels cool and sharp. And the mountains in the distance sometimes even hold on to streaks of snow long after the valley has turned green. Steam rises from the pools. The air smells faintly of wood and minerals. And for a while, you forget what time it is.
When you stay in Sölden for a few days, especially if the person you’re with is there for sport, the days can fall into a routine without you noticing. The spa breaks that rhythm completely. You move between the pools, the saunas, the quiet rooms, and before you realise it the afternoon is gone and the evening feels slower than it did when you arrived.
Every time I go, I stay longer than I planned. And after a day like that, going back up into the mountains somehow feels easier, not more tiring.
2. Take the lift up the mountain, even if you’re not skiing
The first time I came to Sölden, I didn’t even realise the lifts run in summer. Going up the mountain without skis hadn’t crossed my mind. But it turned out to be one of the simplest ways to enjoy the place without turning the day into a workout. The ride up to Gaislachkogl is already worth it for the views alone. And once you get to the top the atmosphere feels completely different from winter.
There’s the 007 Elements installation up there, and the ice Q restaurant, perched right on the ridge with the valley stretched out below. Even if you don’t go inside, just standing there is enough. In summer it’s quieter, the wind is colder, and you suddenly notice how far the mountains seem to go in every direction. In winter, everything moves fast. And so in summer, nothing needs to.
I usually come up here on days when I don’t feel like hiking but still want to be outside. It gives you the feeling of being in the mountains without the need to turn the day into a performance.
After a few days of that, though, I normally want a change of scenery. As much as I like the quiet in Sölden, staying only in the valley for too long can make it feel smaller than it really is. That’s usually when I decide to leave for the day.
3. Drive to Innsbruck for the day
Whenever I stay in Sölden for more than a few days, I always plan at least one trip to Innsbruck. It’s about an hour and a half away, and the drive itself is part of the reason to go, but the biggest shift happens when you arrive.
You go from narrow mountain roads to colourful buildings, cafés, shop windows, and people walking around with no hiking gear anywhere in sight. The Innsbruck old town feels lively without being overwhelming. And it’s the kind of place where you can spend hours doing very little. Coffee that turns into lunch, a walk that turns into an afternoon, a terrace where you sit longer than you meant to.
I’ve realised that having a day like this makes the whole trip feel more balanced. If you stay only in Sölden, the days can start to repeat themselves, and that’s when the valley begins to feel smaller than it actually is. Leaving for a few hours resets everything, and when you come back the quiet feels intentional again, not empty.
Usually after a day like that, I don’t feel like doing anything big the next day. That’s when I start driving through the smaller places nearby instead.
4. Drive through the villages in the Ötztal Valley
One of my favourite things to do now, and something I completely overlooked the first time I visited, is simply driving through the smaller villages around Sölden. Places like Vent or Obergurgl feel quieter, more traditional, and somehow more real. Wooden houses, flower boxes on the balconies, narrow roads that seem to lead nowhere in particular, and mountains that never quite leave your view.
These are usually the days when Franco is out cycling for hours. So instead of staying in town, I just get in the car and head down the valley without much of a plan. Sometimes I stop for coffee at a small café with a wooden terrace. Sometimes I walk for ten minutes and turn back. And sometimes I just keep driving.
Those days often end up being the ones I remember most. They make the trip feel less like a resort stay and more like slow travel in the Alps. Where the point isn’t to see everything, but to let the place set the pace. And somehow, whenever I spend time like that, I always end up wanting to be outside even more. Being in the mountains does that to you.
5. Go hiking, but not in the extreme way
Hiking is probably the most obvious of all the things to do in Sölden in summer. But I’ve learned you don’t have to approach it seriously to enjoy it. Some of the best easy walks in Sölden I’ve done here were the ones where I didn’t plan anything at all. I just followed the path, stopped when the view looked good, and didn’t worry about how far I went.
In summer, the mountains feel completely different from winter. There are fewer people, the air feels lighter, and everything moves at a slower pace. You hear cowbells somewhere in the distance, the smell of grass and pine in the air, and even a short walk feels like you’ve been away for hours.
For me, hiking here isn’t about pushing limits. It’s about having something to do during the day that makes the rest of the holiday feel earned. After a walk, sitting on a terrace, going to the spa, or doing absolutely nothing feels better somehow.
What started as trips built around cycling camps slowly turned into something else. I didn’t expect to like Sölden this much. And I definitely didn’t expect to come back. But it’s become one of those places I now associate with quiet mornings, long drives through the valley, spa afternoons. And that strange feeling you only get in the mountains when time seems to move differently.
Looking back, these are the scraps of summer in Sölden that actually made the trip for me. Not the big moments. Not the busy ones. But the slow days in between. When the valley feels small at first, and then suddenly feels exactly the right size.
