5 Best Mountains in Europe to Visit This Year

 Europe is blessed with spectacular scenery, but what is most awe-inspiring is the continent’s dramatic mountain ranges. From old limestone peaks to snow-capped glaciers and remote volcanoes, we have selected five memorable summits that will take your breath away.

1. The Matterhorn

On the Swiss-Italian border, the Matterhorn (4,478 m) is possibly the most famous mountain summit in the world. This pyramid-shaped mountain, with its asymmetric, chiselled form and straight-to-the-sky cliffs, towers above the car-free town of Zermatt. In 1865, the peak entered the popular consciousness after the first ascent was successfully made by Edward Whymper’s party along the Hörnli Ridge. For the skilled climber, the Matterhorn provides a formidable challenge with steep slopes of granite and ice. You don’t have to carry an ice axe to enjoy the peak, however. The Gornergrat railway ascends to 3,089 m, offering sweeping views across 29 mountains over 4,000 metres high. At dawn, a walk along the lake-side path to Riffelsee offers an unbroken reflection of the peak’s brightly lit face in the placid waters of the lake.

​2. Mont Blanc

Crowning western Europe’s highest peak at 4,807 meters, Mont Blanc is the giant hub of global mountaineering. Situated within the Graian Alps on the French-Italian border, the immense cap of glacial ice and frozen waterfalls dominates the historic alpine town of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.

Mountaineers flock to climb either the popular Goûter Route or the more difficult Cosmiques Ridge; while those who would rather walk can follow the TMB (Tour du Mont Blanc), a legendary 170-kilometer traverse across France, Italy and Switzerland via mountain passes, flower fields and alpine huts serving bowls of hot polenta and cheese fondue. To get some elevation without any physical effort, hop on the Aiguille du Midi cable car in Chamonix. It will transport you in 20 minutes straight up to 3,842 meters, suspended above vertical cliffs with panoramic views of the Bossons Glacier.

​3. Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Nestled within the northern Italian Dolomites, a UNESCO-listed mountain range, Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo) offers a masterclass in verticality. Made up of Cima Piccola (2,857 m), Cima Grande (2,999 m) and Cima Ovest (2,973 m), this triad of pale, vertical dolomite juts out of scree slopes and verdant plateaus like a battlement. Its accessibility, combined with a raw, epic grandeur, makes this a must-see spot for visitors of all ages and fitness levels. A well-signposted 10km trail circles the base of the three peaks between Rifugio Auronzo and Rifugio Locatelli, where you’ll get to watch the sun change the colour of the rock, from grey in the middle of the day to pink and orange at sunset, a natural effect known locally as enrosadira. The area is also a mecca for rock climbers who want to conquer the famous north face of Cima Grande or try their hand at via ferrata, routes of climbing aids such as iron rungs bolted directly into the rock.

​4. Mount Elbrus

Mount Elbrus, towering over 5,642m in the Caucasus range, is Europe’s highest mountain and has a firm hold on its position in the list of the seven summits. Elbrus is an extinct stratovolcano consisting of two cones which is covered with a large glacial ice cap that feeds many of the rivers flowing down the valleys where wild pine and birch forests grow. 

Climbing Elbrus is a high altitude mountaineering challenge. The normal south side route features chair lifts and snow cats taking you up to the Garabashi huts but the final climb to the summit involves navigating across high altitude snowfields between the two peaks in thin air, inclement weather and freezing temperatures. The view from the summit ridge is incredible, an uninterrupted panorama of Caucasus mountains running from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea under the blue sky of high altitude.

​5. Kirkjufell

Though 463m high, this is nowhere near the scale of some of the Alps’ 4000m peaks, but you could argue that Kirkjufell is more dramatic than many others. It’s a free-standing, spire-like mountain which juts out of the ocean on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, close to the small fishing village of Grundarfjörður. Its shape resembles that of a witch’s hat, or an arrowhead emerging from the water. Formed by millions of years of volcanic activity and carved out by glaciers, Kirkjufell provides striking contrast with its terraced, grassy sides against the stormy North Atlantic Ocean. It lies directly opposite the tiered Kirkjufellsfoss waterfall making for an incredible photo opportunity. In summer it enjoys long days in the glow of the midnight sun, while in winter it’s the perfect setting for the northern lights to paint auroras over its peaks.