5 days in Switzerland in late May

Hello,

A friend and I will be in Switzerland in late may (26th-31st) and I was hoping to get some advice on hiking. We'll fly into Zurich and maybe spend a little time there, but our main reason for going is to hike. Now I've read that some of the better trails might still be closed then due to snow, is this true?

Also, where would you recommend making a home base? We'd like to see Lucerne as well as the Lauterbrunnen Valley area and do some hiking around these areas. One hike I'd like to do is the Schynige Platte, would that be accessible in late May?

Any other hikes that you would recommend would be appreciated as well!

Thanks!

Hi jseyf26,

The higher hiking trails are usually still covered in snow by the end of May, but which ones will be accessible can best be checked with the local tourist office as it's different every year. This year's Winter is too warm and snow came late, but a lot can happen between now and May.

Both areas are beautiful and offer hikes at various altitudes, including along the lakes in the valley. If this is your first trip to Switzerland I would probably choose the Jungfrau region, because that's where you can see the highest peaks, but still there are plenty of lower trails to enjoy. You'd best stay in one of the lower towns like Lauterbrunnen, Wilderswil or Interlaken. A day trip to Lucerne via the Golden Pass line is easy to do.

Have you checked the hiking section? Any of the trails below about 2000 m should be fine.

Arno,

Thanks for the response. I'm sure we'll just play it day by day once we get there and see what the weather/snow situation is like. Yes, we're looking at staying in Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen and making one of those our bases.

Definitely looking forward to some great hiking!