I will be in Switzerland in late August for 10 days and am planning to bring only a carry-on and backpack. I will be all over, starting in Lugano, finishing in Lucerne with several days in Murren. Can anyone offer suggestions for what to types of clothing to pack taking into account the different temperatures?
Posted by
5983 posts
Activities? I don't want to assume you will be hiking if you will not. I always use Accuweather or Wunderground to look at typical temps for each place and time. Cool nights are possible (50s) but days will be quite warm, so we really just need to know what peaks you will be visiting.
This thread offers a useful discussion: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/murren-in-mid-august
Posted by
Bend, OR
1534 posts
Last August we were in Zurich, Appenzel, Zermatt, Wengen and Evian. It was very warm and muggy with afternoon thunderstorms. We never wore our heavier long pants or merino sweaters. I wore my shorts, capri’s and in the evenings a lightweight cotton sweater. When we went up to the Jungfrau, I had my nano puff on inside the glacier exhibit but it was too warm outside on the snowpack for it. That being said, no one can predict the weather and it might be completely different this year. I would pack lightweight tops, pants/shorts/capri’s, a raincoat and a sweater to layer but that’s just my opinion.
Posted by
Nashville, TN
1072 posts
MeteoSwiss is the most accurate weather app in the area.
Layers is always the answer - shorts, tshirts, pants, long sleeve/sweatshirt, rain jacket, hat, sunglasses, comfortable walking/hiking shoes and sandals to change into if you're doing a lot of walking. In August in the areas you mention you'll experience temps potentially in the 40s/50s up on mountain tops/evenings up in the mountains all the way up to mid 90s in places like Lugano and Luzern. Up in the mountains on a sunny day it can feel like it's in the upper 80s, but on a rainy/cloudy day it can feel quite cool. Down in Luzern and Lugano it's just going to feel hot.