There is a particular kind of trip that only really works for a few weeks each year. The lake is still warm enough for a swim. Lunch can happen outside. The light has softened, the crowds have thinned and by the time dinner arrives, you are reaching for a sweater. Late September and early autumn might just be the best time for a lakeside escape.
We picked six Wonderful Stays across Italy, Germany and Austria where the season sits perfectly between summer and autumn. From Lake Como to Chiemsee, Lake Orta and the Salzkammergut.
Lake Como does not suddenly become quiet in September, but it does begin to feel different. The sharp summer heat softens, mornings become cooler and spending an entire day beside the water feels considerably easier. Villa Làrio sits directly on the lake within more than two acres of private gardens, with only 18 suites spread between several buildings, including a historic 19th-century villa.
It is the kind of place where there is very little reason to establish a complicated itinerary. Swim, have lunch overlooking the lake, take a boat out and return in time for the light to disappear behind the mountains.
Why now: warm water, softer temperatures and considerably better conditions for actually spending time outdoors rather than escaping the midday heat.
A Bavarian lake retreat with a distinctly Mediterranean rhythm. The Chiemgauhof Lakeside Retreat sits directly on Chiemsee and was designed by Milanese architect Matteo Thun. Its 28 suites combine natural materials and contemporary interiors with views across the lake towards the mountains. Outside, there is direct lake access, a beach club and a heated outdoor pool. The hotel even describes its evening ritual as its blue hour: an aperitif as the colours over Chiemsee begin to change.
September suits the place particularly well. You can spend the afternoon beside what locals call the “Bavarian Sea”, then move inside as the temperature drops and the first properly cool evenings return.
Why now: beach-club afternoons without peak-summer heat, clear views towards the Alps and long evenings that are starting to feel unmistakably autumnal.
If neighbouring Lake Como is the obvious choice, Lake Orta is the quieter one. LAQUA by the Lake sits directly on the water in Pettenasco, Piedmont, and belongs to chef Antonino Cannavacciuolo's hospitality collection. The small resort combines lake-view suites and penthouses, gardens, spa facilities and a restaurant led by Head Chef Gianni Bertone.
It is an especially good match for this in-between season: a swim before lunch, an afternoon around Orta San Giulio and dinner back at the hotel when the temperature has dropped several degrees. There is enough Italian summer left to spend the day outside, but already enough autumn to make dinner feel like part of a new season.
Why now: a quieter alternative to Italy's bigger northern lakes, with warm days and cooler Piedmont evenings.
There are few lakes where the transition into autumn feels as dramatic as Traunsee. Mountains rise almost immediately from the water and Traunkirchen sits on a small peninsula beneath the Traunstein. Das Traunsee places you directly at the edge of it, with lake-facing rooms, a SeeSPA and the hotel's Bootshaus restaurant.
On clear early-autumn days, the lake can still look entirely like summer. Then the sun disappears behind the mountains and the temperature changes remarkably quickly. That contrast is precisely the reason to come now. Swim or head onto the water during the afternoon, walk around Traunkirchen before sunset and leave the evening for a long dinner overlooking the lake.
Why now: crisp mountain air, fewer summer visitors and one of the most atmospheric lake-and-mountain settings in the Salzkammergut.
Possibly the most architectural stay in this selection. Opened in 1973 and designed by South Tyrolean architect Othmar Barth, Seehotel Ambach still carries its original seventies character: a curved façade, generous terraces, simple materials and rooms orientated towards Lake Kaltern.
There is a private lawn and bathing jetty beside the lake, while a later bathhouse added saunas, a whirlpool and a heated outdoor pool. And then there is the location. Kaltern sits where alpine South Tyrol begins to feel almost Mediterranean. September can still bring beautifully warm afternoons around the lake, while the vineyards surrounding it are moving decisively into harvest season.
Why now: swimming, architecture and grape harvest all within the same trip, with considerably cooler evenings than just a few weeks earlier.
Villa Alma feels less like a conventional hotel and more like someone decided to open the doors to their particularly beautiful house on the lake. Located in St. Gilgen on Wolfgangsee, the villa revolves around slow days beside the water: breakfast made with regional produce, bikes for exploring the shoreline, an honesty bar and plenty of places to simply sit outside and watch the lake.
Late September changes Wolfgangsee quickly. The lake still carries some of summer's warmth, excursion boats continue across the water and good afternoons can feel surprisingly summery. But the mornings are cooler, the mountains sharper and by evening you will almost certainly want another layer. It is perhaps the purest version of the trip this list is about.
Why now: quiet lake mornings, mild afternoons and the beginning of proper sweater weather in the Salzkammergut.
These trips are not quite summer escapes and not yet autumn retreats. That is exactly the point. Swim before lunch. Walk through vineyards in the afternoon. Sit beside the lake until the sun disappears. Then put on a sweater and stay for dinner.
For a short few weeks each year, the lakes between northern Italy and the Alps give you both seasons in a single day. And we think that might be one of the best reasons to go now.
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