Summer Sport Climbing in the Alps - Best Areas Dolomites, Aosta, Ailefroide or somewhere else?

My girlfriend and I get two weeks of in the beginning of July and we're keen to spend them somewhere in the alps, sport climbing. We climb around 6c, and enjoy vertical and overhanging routes.  We will be driving from Switzerland with our own car. We're looking for a place that ideally has all three: 

1) Long, sustained and bolted mutlipitches

2) Some single pitch crags with more athletic routes to work on projects and balance the mutlipitch stuff out. 

3) A beautiful landscape would be an amazing extra!

The recommendations I got so far are: Dolomites, Aosta, Ailefroide. Let us know what you think the best place is!

If you're prioritizing multipitch and scenery, go Dolomites (which is a bit limited in single pitch options but has more than enough to get you through two weeks). If single pitch quality is an absolute must, Briancon wins but you'll have to hike for the multipitch goods - Ailefroide multipitch is slabby and vegetated and the low elevation limestone will be hot as hell in July. The higher elevation stuff (Tenailles de Montbrison, Tete d'Aval, Roche Robert, Tour Termier, etc) is the move but is all a bit of a trek by comparison.

Grenoble also has a lifetime of amazing high elevation multipitch climbing that requires a bit of (quite uphill) hiking since all the roads are deep in the valleys below (see these guides https://www.grimper.com/news-nouvelles-editions-topos-presles-massifs-vercors-chartreuse-devoluy for a greatest hits list).

I've never been to the Aosta valley so someone else can compare+contrast. Also in Italy, the Cuneo province has some sweet bolted multipitch alpine climbing: Rocca Castello, Rocca la Meja, and Corno Stella are all pretty amazing (both for climbing and views) and you can all but guarantee you'll be the only climber (or maybe only person) there on a weekday. I can't speak to the single pitch quality in the region, though.

I only spent one day in Ailefroide, and the Brits seem to love it, but I was not terribly impressed by the nature of the granite. Maybe I just missed out. The camping scene looks wonderful though. 

There's another current thread bashing Briancon but we had good weather for a week and climbed every day. I liked the Rocher Rober for alpine multipitch limestone and Fressenieres seems to be a forgotten gem. Single and multipitch bolted limestone. 

Arco would also fit your needs. Val di Sarca has a guidebook devoted to single pitch and one for multipitch. Some routes are polished and then some longer routes are just brilliant.

I don't go to the Dolomites for single pitch but have done quite a few good ones at Cinque Torri. The base of Hexenstein is popular as well and I've noticed crags above Armentarola and at Passo Gardena. You can surely find more.

The Plaisir series covers Aosta but they don't include much hard sport.

The thing that can ruin a climbing trip to europe is to plan on climbing. Have no expections except to be there and have fun. The dolomites are one of the best places to go in europe.My youngest daughter went on a snow board trip to europe a couple of years ago and got skunked because of a crummy snow year but still  had fun because it was cool to be there.Remember food. wine and cheese.

Arco is very hot in the summer, especially the single pitch routes, though the area is so extensive that there are likely some shaded nooks that are fine in July and, anyway, the Dolomites are just up the road. I do think the Dolomites meet all your criteria, with more than enough accessible single pitch crags to balance out your multi-pitch endeavors. One thing, though, is that the vast majority of the multi-pitches there are trad---and even those described as 'sport' are very 'sporty' and some supplemental gear is often highly appreciated. There are many guidebooks, but I suggest the Rockfax one, though only covering limited areas, as being a good one for trip planning.

We really enjoyed the climbing in the Grimsel-Susten-Furka Passes region of south central Switzerland---really amazing area, but the multis tend to be slabby and many of the steeper ones are notorious for widely-spaced bolting ( there are exceptions though).

While I haven't been, it might be worth looking into some of the areas in Austria, such as around Innsbruck--not far from Switzerland and, from what I've heard, lots of both single and multi-pitch options primarily on limestone and, maybe, not quite as hot in July as areas further west.

Another thing to consider is the nature of the climbing, which varies considerably in the Alps. I love the Dolomites as the scenery is unparalleled, but I personally am not a huge fan of extremely run-out routes on questionable rock, which is the norm in the 'Mites. I love me some solid granite, and for that I recommend Bregaglia (Bergell), where you can find dozens of granite towers with endless splitters and plaisir style bolted routes. 

I second looking at Austria as an option, especially the area around Innsbruck which is relatively close to the border with Switzerland. Lots of plaisir-style multipitch routes in the grade range you are looking for and excellent single pitch climbing as well, pretty much all of it in a beautiful landscape. Some of the more popular valleys (Zillertal, Ötztal) can get a bit crowded with tourists in the summer but its easy to move around with a car and plenty of options. You're just across the border from the Dolomites also in case the weather doesn't cooperate. 

cubist A wrote:

Another thing to consider is the nature of the climbing, which varies considerably in the Alps. I love the Dolomites as the scenery is unparalleled, but I personally am not a huge fan of extremely run-out routes on questionable rock, which is the norm in the 'Mites. I love me some solid granite, and for that I recommend Bregaglia (Bergell), where you can find dozens of granite towers with endless splitters and plaisir style bolted routes. 

Yes the standard fare in the dolomites is runout and spooky, but the past 20 years have also resulted in a huge number of excellent plaisir routes in the Dolomites if you know where to look, mostly from 5c to 6c (with some mega looking 7s too, not that I've done 'em). https://www.montialpago.it/dog.htm has topos+photos of about a hundred different fully-bolted routes (note the page index at the top and route list on the sidebar) and that's just a subset. 

To me rock quality definitely matters more than each point on its own! Also it is nice when you have choice and don`t have to chase the shade. I'd rather be a bit cold than broiled alive