Best time of year to visit Switzerland?
Maggie is considering a September trip to Switzerland after several summers of high heat and storms. She's worried about possibly cold and wet weather but is leaning towards September for less crowds and easier travel with 2nd class passes. Fellow travelers advise that September can still be a great time to visit, sharing tips on local events and experiences.
- September can be a pleasant month with a good chance of nice weather, despite some rain.
- Check local events like la Fête des Vendanges de Neuchâtel for unique experiences.
- Using the Swiss Travel Pass can help save money while traveling through the country.
- Plan for flexibility in your itinerary, with some days for rest and recovery during your visit.
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Hi all
We have for the last 10 years or so visited Switzerland during July and August and in recent years particularly have encountered some very high temperatures which I find difficult to cope with and also some stormy weather which often follows the high temperature. So we decided that maybe next year we would try for a September holiday instead. There would also be the advantage of it being a little less busy then so we could opt for 2nd class passes with just the occasional up grade to 1st (on GEX and maybe boats).
Unfortunately it seems from posts from people out there at the moment and the weather forecasts that Switzerland this year is having a rather cold and wet September! Now I am wondering whether we may be making a mistake to switch!
Any thoughts?
Maggie
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Well you can certainly get stretches of heat as well as cold and rain in September but I think on average it is still the best month to go. Either that or mid to late June perhaps.
Zurich where I live it 15 and rainy today but in a couple days it looks like sun and about 18 degrees which for me is perfect. Well maybe 22 and sunny 🙂
Lucas
I agree with Lucas that on average September is the month to be in Switzerland. That said, there are no guarantees. I suppose it all depends on what you are expecting to do during your visit. You’ve been visiting here for about the last ten years so perhaps you are looking for some new things to do and see ?
I am in Neuchâtel and this morning it is cool and partly cloudy but not raining. If you are here this coming weekend you might be interested in la Fête des Vendanges de Neuchatel. http://www.fete-des-vendanges.ch/ and this same weekend you can attend the largest antique show in Switzerland at le Landeron, la Fête de la Brocante. http://www.avvl.ch/brocante-landeron. This will be the seventh year in a row that I attend these events and I enjoy every moment, each and every year.
Hi Maggie,
This page might be helpful too: http://www.myswissalps.com/be sttimetovisit
Basically any time can be a good time, with the right expectations and some luck with the weather. November is perhaps potentially most problematic (low season, chilly weather).
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We were in Wengen and Riffelalp from September 2-10. It rained on the 2nd and 10 th but was beautiful the rest of the time. Just luck but you can check on the Swiss weather web sites and get the charts on average rainfall and temperature. We looked and as I remember September was drier by a little than all but one of the summer months on average. Mark
🇨🇭 The official SBB tourist webshop✓ Discounts for passholders ✓ Instant mobile e-Ticket ✓ Free cancellation option Unlimited travel
Swiss Travel Pass
Unlimited train, bus, & boat travel across Switzerland.
With discounts
Mountain excursions
Official e-Tickets with pass holder discounts. Skip the ticket counter.
Unlimited travel
Regional passes
Unlimited travel in the Berner Oberland, Jungfrau Region or Lucerne Region.
Hi Arno
Thank you for that link which I have just read. As it is mainly the very high temperatures you can experience in July /August that we wish to avoid, I think September will be the ideal choice. We will go first to St. Moritz for a week then would be in the Bernese Oberland for 3 weeks and so a few rainy days will not be too much of a problem – to be honest we need to take the occasional day off from excursions to rest up and get energy levels back up at our age! This we why we opt for the longer stay there and in self-catering as it allows for this – we can’t really cope with too rushed an itinerary of dashing about every day! Next year will be our 18th summer visit (we have also enjoyed 2 December visits to Christmas markets!) and we have noticed it getting warmer each year!
You may also like to know that instead of visiting somewhere in Europe for another Christmas market visit this December we have decided to allocate the funds for that to a new Swiss experience as we have been wanting to visit Ticino for the first time, so we have booked a week in Logano in early June – again to avoid the highest temperatures. I am currently researching and planning for that trip! Looks like lots of possibilities for new places to go in that area – the only time we have been there was a few hours in Locarno one year when we took the Centovalli train from Domodossola – a long day as we were based in Thun!
Thank you to the people who took the trouble to answer my post with their views – September it is going to be then!
Best wishes, Maggie
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