A holiday to the Swiss village of Gstaad conjures up images of skiing on snow-coated mountains. But visiting in summertime has its own charms, particularly if you stay at the luxe Gstaad Palace. There’s a host of top-class restaurants, a hamman

literary escape, so the white-washed walls feature the odd blackboard for moments of self-expression, while you can also enjoy wintery walks around Pergusa Lake or visit the snow-capped Madonie Mountains. If the countryside adventures sound like too much

This resort was created for the 1992 Winter Olympics, but after the snow has melted, activities available include a circus school, swimming, basketball, volleyball, football, boules, fencing, tennis, walking, climbing, cycling, mountain biking

, with an Absolut Ice Bar, a chapel, a wilderness camp and art exhibitions.March is a good time to go, as the  days are longer, allowing plenty of time for cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, quad-bike safaris, snowmobiling and moose safaris. Don’t miss a night

We are perched at the top of the toboggan run with a 1,000ft descent in front of us. We brace ourselves for a breathtaking ride downhill, yet there is not a spot of snow in sight and the sun is beating down on six

stung by a wasp.On our last day, we took a short detour to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, where it’s a rite of passage to do that funny photo thing where it looks like you’re holding up the leaning tower. We spent our last few euros on tacky snow globes