How to keep warm in Berner Oberland in July

We were there several years ago in mid July. We wore shorts hiking. Weather was pleasantly warm during the day, cool in the evenings and early mornings. I would take a light weight jacket and sweater for layering, and long pants for cooler days and nights.

A wind breaker outer shell type jacket is important in the mountains any time of year, for evenings and mornings or windy conditions during the day.

Unless you plan to stay the entire time at Piz Gloria or the Jungfraujoch, you need not worry about the temperature. A light windbreaker is probably the most you will need, and may be even too warm. The temperature in Switzerland in the summer is usually warm to hot, just like most of continental Europe. I've never been the Berner Oberland in the summer, but having hiked up the Zugspitze in June, I can tell you that I was sweating profusely after an hour.

In July at the top of the Schilthorn, there was snow and a cool breeze. Long pants and a sweatshirt/light fleece were good, but if you're really cold you can view things from inside the restaurant and you don't have to spend a lot of time at the top. We hiked down from the Birg station and were down to bare arms and shorts (zip-off hiking pants). Down near Murren, shorts and shortsleeved shirts were fine.

We were there June of '06 and it was in the 90's.

We were there in early June last year and it was warm enough to get around without a jacket until we went up to the top of the Jungfrau and Shilthorn. We needed jackets up there. But, not in Wengen, Muerren or Gimmelwald. Most pleasant. As suggested above, pack a light jacket or sweater in a day pack and off you go. Note, however, that in early June, you could experience colder weather. Priot to our vist to Berner Oberland, we were in Venice, the CT and Florence. It was briefly 90 degrees in Florence and it was very pleasant in Venice except for one strong rain system.

On any given day in the summer it can be quite warm or very cool, especially in the mountain areas. In 4 2-week trips covering late June, July and August, we've seen it all. But mostly we wear shorts in the daytime (for hiking), and long pants in the evening (and on cold rainy days). A microfleece jacket or pullover, paired with a lightweight rain jacket (like Goretex) should cover your cold-weather needs, and not be too bulky to pack. You do not need longjohns.