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Packing for 12-day Swiss Tour end of September 2025

If you’ve been on the 12-day Swiss tour end of September or thereabouts, anything you wish you’d packed and didn’t? Anything you packed and didn’t need? TIA

Posted by
3683 posts

I haven’t taken the tour, but have been to Switzerland and wished for sunscreen and a sun hat. That mountain sun is hot!! I also left my puffer coat home once and missed having that for the cool mountain mornings. So, now I always pack for both cool and warm temps. And rain of course.

Posted by
2625 posts

I just returned from this tour, June 3-14, and wrote a trip report under Trip Reports.

Title of my report is “Switzy Fun, Best of Switzerland Tour Report”. I’m not sure how to add the link here.

Definitely bring sunscreen and a hat, I needed both throughout the trip but especially in the mountains.
It was warmish and I wished I had packed more tops of the cool technical fabric. I get warm just by walking outside in the elements even if the temperatures are in the 70’s or 80’s.

You will have a great time on this exciting tour!

Posted by
12031 posts

We have experienced temps from mid-40s to mid-80s in late September in Switzerland. I’ve had to buy a base payer to wear under my hiking pants as well as a shortsleeved hiking shirt when the temps were too high for my merino and fleece. Now I take at least one SS easy-dry shirt as well as my silk base layer to cover the extremes. And my handy packable puffer and gloves, too.

Posted by
1 posts

I strongly recommend the lightest weight Merino wool shirts (merino.tech and unbound are both good) - a couple of long-sleeved and a couple of short-sleeved shirts will get you through 12 days easily, especially if you also take a long-sleeve hooded fleece, a light rain jacket (for rain and as an extra layer) and a nice top for evening dinners. (If you tend to get chilly, make one of the merino shirts a medium-weight.) The Merino shirts don't get smelly, wash in the basin and dry overnight, layer wonderfully, and go from 40 degrees to 90 degrees F, as I can attest from my experience with that range on safari in South Africa last summer. A nice pair of leggings that you can also layer, and another pair of nicer slacks for city wear. Also a microtowel (remember the Hitchhikers Guide...), a set of utensils and a few extra ziplock baggies. If this sounds too casual for your taste, dress up the shirt and slacks vibe with a colorful scarf or two. A small travel clothes line and soap for handwashing in your hotel, TWO pair of shoes if you are going to be walking a lot, and you are set.

Posted by
23819 posts

An alternative to two pairs of shoes is interchangeable inserts. Change inserts daily to keep the shoe dry on the inside.

Posted by
23 posts

I will be on the same trip in September and just bought a pair of Eddie Bauer Horizon pants from Costco for the trip. They are water resistant and I wanted to have a pair of pants in case of rain. I also purchased a few "Dry on the Fly" shirts on sale from Duluth Trading Company in anticipation of doing laundry in my bathroom sink. Getting excited for the trip!