Visiting Switzerland in Late June vs. Early September

In late June, you may see some snow on mountain tops. It's good to avoid July and August. Happy travels!

Both are good times as we visited during both periods recently… would recommend itinerary to include a couple days in Chamonix and the rest around Lauterbrunnen/you will luv Switzerland…we are currently in the Dolomites also with amazing views but much more resealable in costs.

The days will be much, much longer in June.

We visited the Lauterbrunnen area in mid July. It was way more crowded than our last visit in mid June 2018. Fortunately, the weather was great, there was very little rain (in the morning) and the hiking trails were not crowded, so we enjoyed our stay. I don't have insight into how the weather (rain) in early September would compare with the last 2 weeks in June.

I generally go the last 2 weeks in September, and have had superb weather for over a decade, EXCEPT for the last few years, when it rained like 8 days straight. All day.

I have been to Berner Oberland and Zermatt/Lucerne areas in 2022 and 2024 respectively during the last week in June and first week in July. Each trip I only had 1-2 days light rain. There were a lot of people but not a major issue besides a few long lines. It is nothing compared to Beijing China or the Minnesota State Fair. The one weather condition to consider is the temperature can be hot even in elevation. I did like the amount of daylight and remaining snow at the time.

I am trying September next week and I can report on that month option in a few weeks.

June is a great time for wildflowers. We were there in mid-June 2024 and the flowers were spectacular.

Thanks for talking me out of the state fair, that was on my bucket list

I just returned from another amazing Switzerland trip. Middle September still has crowds with every mountain train and gondola packed to capacity. There was exceptional weather 22-28C for 4 days while in Grindelwald and surrounding areas. Then not so nice with occasional light rain and moving fog and around 15C. Not a problem for our activities. A Cow parade was something to see in September. Wild flowers in the mountains that I saw in early July were gone. Interlaken still had flowers in the parks.

Nothing wrong with going in September. I had no regrets. If you plan to stay in any of the big cities or lower elevations then, September is the time to go to avoid the heat. My conclusion from the trip to use on my next one is to go late June to first week in July and fly to Zurich not Geneva. Many on the forum suggest less stay locations, I completely agree. There is so much to do in the BO area that a home base for a week would be ideal for me.

I appreciate all responses, everyone. Great information!

To Dave A, we have reached conclusions that align with your suggestions. We are already booking a trip next year from late June into early July, and we will stay in fewer places than in the sample itinerary in Rick Steves' guide. We will stay at least two nights in each one, three in the Berner Oberland. We will fly into Zurich, which Rick suggests. It has better connections from Charlotte than Geneva, and we don't plan to visit the French speaking parts of Switzerland on this trip.

For anyone planning a trip in the summer of 2026, be aware that many choice accommodations are already sold out in the tourist hotspots. That includes the Hotel Romantica and Hotel Alpenblick in Zermatt. We fortunately got one of the last available rooms with Matterhorn view in the Hotel Bristol. We're just getting started with bookings, but we've picked the Hotel Adler in Zurich and already booked the Ameron Hotel Flora in Luzern.