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Seasons - When is the Best Time to Visit Switzerland

Anytime is a good time to come to Switzerland as she looks pretty all the time in her different seasonal 'costumes'. It also depends on what you would like to see or do as we have different sceneries & activities during the different seasons. (The question should actually be "What will the weather be like tomorrow?" when you are here. This is due to the fact that there can be a few different types of weather on the same day in different parts of this country, therefore, to be at the right place at the right time or on the right day is VERY important in order to optimise the view of the panorama landscapes and the Swiss Alps i.e. with blue skies, no fog nor rain that would obstruct the vistas. Good weather is also essential so that you can enjoy your activities. In this way, your photos will also turn out like postcards. That is why it is VERY important to have the flexibility to reshuffle your itineraries so that you can manoeuvre the weather i.e. steer towards the good weather areas, unless the whole country rains and is covered with grey clouds.)

Anytime
If you just want to do sight-seeing without any activities like snow activities (e.g. skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, ice-skating), summer activities (e.g. swimming in mountain lakes, hiking in the Swiss Alps, rodel tobogganing), or if seeing snow is not your priority, then anytime of the year is good. Click here to see our Year Round Highlights.

Spring (21 March to 20 June)
Early spring (approx. from mid-March) is a time when the snow in the lower valleys melts and early spring flowers begin to grow. Often in April, mother nature waters her gardens in this part of the earth to ensure that they produce lovely spring flowers in later spring which is in May and early June. Strawberry-picking is possible. It may sometimes snow higher up, ideal for those who want to experience snow falling but at the same time want to avoid the cold weather. Snow-capped mountains are right a common sight. Click here to see our Spring Highlights.

Summer (21 June to 20 Sep)
If you like picnics, barbeques or swimming, summer is an ideal time to come experience what it is like to do these things in Switzerland, in the heart of the Alps! Greenery reigns at this time of the year as meadows and forests help mother nature paint the picturesque Swiss sceneries with their rich colours. Summer flowers bloom to contribute to the scenic landscape. This is also the blueberry- and raspberry-picking season. Hiking is popular. Grottos are open for dinner. [Grottos used to be warehouses for the locals before the refrigerator was invented. They have been converted to eating places since.] More adventurous travellers might want to try out rodel tobogganing on the world's longest toboggan run on rails recognised by the Guiness Book of World Record. Once a year, on 1 Aug, we take our travellers to an alp to celebrate the Swiss National Day with the villagers - you get a chance to take brunch cooked and prepared by the farmers' wives and children. After brunch, we take you to see glacier in the process of melting before your eyes - global-warming at work! [Glacier is ice that has not melted since the Ice Age which ended about 12,000 years ago.]
Click here to see our Summer Highlights | Hiking Highlights.

Autumn (21 Sep to 20 Dec)
Mother nature repaints her gardens and changes some of her greenery to red, yellow or orange to add a variety of colours to the landscapes. Hiking is ideal as the view from the mountain peaks is splendid, enabling your eyes to roll a few hundred kilometers on a good day. Mountain visits are hence excellent. The air is cooler. A unique activity to witness at this time of the year is to see how approximately eighty goats walk from their stalls to their grazing grounds, with the older ones leading the younger ones - they know how to cross the highway by themselves! More adventurous travellers might want to try out rodel tobogganing on the world's longest toboggan run on rails recognised by the Guiness Book of World Record.
Click here to see our Autumn Highlights | Hiking Highlights.

Winter (21 Dec to 20 Mar)
If you want to see snow, experience falling snow, experience a white Christmas season, go to a Christmas market, or if you are the active or sporty sort, then winter (end-Dec to end-Feb/beginning March) with its accompanying activities like skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, ice-skating etc. would definitely be the time for you. Beautiful winter sceneries - snow-covered roofs and pine trees decorated with snow etc is a common sight. If you like water activities, then taking dips in various outdoor and indoor thermal pools with fresh mountain spring water would be an experience if you have not tried them before. Click here to see our Winter Highlights.


Public Holidays in Switzerland

The Swiss National and cantonal holidays are as follows:

Date	Name	Holiday in
1 January	New Year's Day	entire Switzerland
2 January	St. Berchtold	AG (partly), BE, FR, GL, JU, LU, NE, OW, SH, SO, TG, VD, ZG, ZH
6 January	Epiphany	GR (partly), SZ, TI, UR
19 March	St. Joseph's Day	catholic regions: GR (partly), LU (partly), NW, SO (partly), SZ, TI, UR, VS
Friday before Easter	Good Friday	entire Switzerland, except TI, VS
moveable Sunday in March/April	Easter	entire Switzerland
Monday after Easter	Easter Monday	entire Switzerland, except VS
1 May	May Day	BL, BS, FR (partly), JU, LU (partly), SH, SO (partly), TG, TI, ZH
40 days after Easter	Ascension Day	entire Switzerland
50 days after Easter	Pentecost	entire Switzerland
Monday after Pentecost	Whit Monday	entire Switzerland, without VS
61 days after Easter	Corpus Christi	catholic regions: AG (partly), AI, FR (partly), GR (partly), JU, LU, NW, OW, SO, SZ, TI UR, VS, ZG
29 June	St. Peter & St. Paul	only TI
1 August	Swiss National Day	entire Switzerland
15 August	Assumption of Mary	catholic regions: AG (partly), AI, FR (partly), GR (partly), JU, LU, NW, OW, SO, SZ, TI, UR, VS, ZG
3rd Sunday in September	Swiss Federal Day of Prayer	entire Switzerland, except GE
1 November	All Saints	catholic regions: AG (partly), AI, FR (partly), GL, GR (partly), JU, LU, NW, OW, SG, SO, SZ, TI, UR, VS, ZG
8 December	Immaculate Conception	catholic regions: AG (partly), AI, FR (partly), GR (partly), LU, NW, OW, SO (partly), SZ, TI, UR, VS, ZG
25 December	Christmas	entire Switzerland
26 December	St. Stephen's Day	entire Switzerland, without GE, JU, NE, VD, VS
31 December	New Year's Eve	only GE

In addition to the above, other regional and local holidays, most of them only valid for one district or a few communes and at times not accepted by law are as follows:

Date	Name	Holiday in	Remarks
5 days before Ash Wednesday	Carnival Thursday	LU, NW, UR	Ash Wed = 46 days after Easter
Mon, Tue before Ash Wednesday	Carnival	SZ, GL only Mon
Mon, Tue after Ash Wednesday	Carnival in Basel	only BS
1 March	Republic's day	only NE
First Thursday in April	Näfelser Fahrt	only GL
23 June	Independence Day	only JU
Thurs following 1st Sun in Sept.	Geneva's day of prayer	only GE	Jeune Genevois
1st weekend (& fol. Mon) in Sept.	Knabenschiessen	only city (and agglomeration) of Zürich
25 September	Bruderklausenfest	only OW
31 December	Restauration of the Republic	only GE	Restauration = Restoration

Note: Due to the high number of such local holidays, the above selection could only show a few of them.