Switzerland in May

Hi;

I was in Switzerland the last week of May last year. It was chilly and we got rained on in some places, warm and sunny in others. Lucerne was 70 on one day and cold and rainy the next. Lausanne and the surrounding area was sunny and sweater weather. Zermatt was totally fogged in and rainy and Mt Titlis was clear and cold with views forever from the top. We went to the Lauterbrunnan valley and it was foggy and cold in Murren and totally fogged in and nasty at the Schilthorn. Lugao and the lake Lugano area was spectacular and warm. Very Italian.

The weather is changeable so I really can't make any generalizations. You will probably get rain as well as warm clear days. We were told that it was the rainiest may in years when we were there. Pick the places where you want to go but also be flexible. If you want to go to Zermatt and rain is predicted for the day you are there, see if there is somewhere else you can go.

Rain or not, you will have a good time.

Lauterbrunnen would replace Interlaken on your list. It's a more central base for visiting the surrounding mountains, or even for returning back toward Interlaken for a boat ride or folk museum, if mountain weather is not good.

The weather in the Lauterbrunnen area was spectacular during my mid-late-May 2005 trip. Could just have easily gotten snow. Honestly, you should play Switzerland by ear for a May visit. Book a place to stay where you land and where you'll be leaving from. Everything else leave open until you get there and see what the forecast is going to be. May is the off-season so you will have no trouble getting good lodging on the fly.

Regardless, in May the upper elevation hiking trails will still be closed.

If you decide on a visit to the Lauterbrunnen valley I certainly wouldn't give up on a trip to the Schilthorn or the Jungfraujoch just because of the possible cold weather at those locations. Both have 'inside' areas so you can go out to enjoy the spectacular views for as long as you wish - then go back inside for awhile - then back outside for another view, etc.

Our experience visiting the valley in late May 2014 (hey Mrs EB - maybe we were in the same cable car :-) was GREAT weather - this was our view of the valley as we exited the Trümmelbach falls on May 23rd - it was absolutely perfect. It was warm enough in Mürren that I had no use for the light jacket that I had brought along and actually felt hot as we walked down the mountain to Gimmelwald to enjoy lunch with some new found friends at the youth hostel (excellent pizza by the way!).

Barbara's advice is spot on - the weather in the valley goes from cloudy/rain to clear as a bell very quickly so spending a few days there is the only way to be sure you'll get some 'excellent' viewing weather.

FastEddie is also correct - we were interested in hiking a trail on the opposite side of the valley and it was still closed because of snow when we visited.

And finally Laura is correct as well - Lauterbrunnen (the village) is right in the middle of the valley. It took us an extra 20 minutes (car) to get to 'mountain/valley things' because we chose to stay in Interlaken instead of Lauterbrunnen - but we were happy with the choice because of the greater selection of restaurants and other 'commercial' offerings in Interlaken.

As others noted, just keep your options flexible in May. This is far from the best time of year to visit. I wouldn't worry about the cold, because you can always dress for that. The problem is that the mountains are covered in clouds more often than not in May. You can get lucky with beautiful blue skies, or you may see nothing but grey and white (and not those spectacular mountain visitas you paid so much to behold). Don't try to nail down a date for a mountain excursion far in advanced, bur rather, go when the short-term weather forecast indicates favorable conditions.

I should also add another potential complication. The exact timing depends on the snow melt, but as soon as the snow pack retreats from the pastures, the farmers use this opportunity to spray fertilizer... the all-natural, liquified manure kind! It usually happens in April, but a colder-than-normal spring could push this back to May or even June. Trust me, you want to be far away when this annual event occurs!

Always alot to see and do in and around Luzern. In may u should plan to have flexibility with reservations. Book Lauterbrunnen for sure. If weather forecast is gd stay longer and go to Wengen, Shilthorn, Jungfrau. The berner oberland in one of the most beautiful alpine areas in the world with xcellent accessibility. It is what switzerland is about.

Thank you folks for advice. We are planning to cover Paris - Switzerland - Vienna - Norway. Given that our top priority is Switzerland and Norway, and also we want to avoid peak season tourist crowd - shall I postpone it to June, which would make visiting Switzerland in June 2nd week and Norway in 3rd week of June ?
Is Switzerland better in 2nd week of June? (We are quite flexible with dates).

If you really want great hiking weather, wait until at least late June or early July. Don't worry about "peak tourist" season in the mountains (which is actually the winter ski season anyway, not the summer). This might be a busy time for, say, the museums of Paris, but the outdoors will never feel like a crowded day at Disney World.