Best Time to Visit Zurich

Summer: warm, green and a bit wet

June to August is when Zurich feels most like a lake town. Days are warm, usually in the low 20s°C, and evenings stay mild. You can swim in the Limmat river or at the lake baths, like Seebad Utoquai. Locals float down the Limmat on warm afternoons, and you'll want to join them.

It's also the wettest stretch, with July and August tied at 151 mm. Rain comes in short, heavy bursts rather than all-day grey. Keep a plan B, like the Landesmuseum or the Kunsthaus, for those afternoons.

Street Parade, a huge techno festival, takes over the lakefront on a Saturday in August. It's fun if you like dance music. If you don't, book your hotel carefully, because rooms fill up and prices jump. Swiss school holidays run through the summer, so this is high season.

September: the sweet spot

September is our top pick. It's the only month rated Good. Days are mild, around 20°C, and rain drops to 13 days. You still get decent sun for a ferry ride on Lake Zurich or a walk up Uetliberg, the city's own hill, for the view.

Crowds thin out once school starts again. Hotels ease off. Late September also brings the first autumn colour and wine-harvest season around the lake. Fancy a day trip? It's a good time for Rapperswil or a train into the hills.

Spring and autumn: shoulder seasons

April and May bring blossom and longer days, but May is wet, with rain on 19 days. Spring suits city breaks, with museums, old-town lanes and cafés. Easter is busy, and Sechseläuten, in April, is the big spring festival. Guilds parade in costume, and a snowman figure called the Böögg is burnt on a bonfire. Its burn time is said to predict how good the summer will be.

October is cooler and greyer, but still fair. Sun drops to under four hours a day by then. It works well if you want quiet streets and don't mind a jacket.

Winter: cold, dim and cosy

From November to March, Zurich is grey and damp. January is coldest, with highs of 3°C and lows of -3°C, and only about two hours of sun a day. Snow in town comes and goes.

December is the exception. The Christkindlimarkt in the main station and the Old Town markets glow with lights, and mulled wine (Glühwein) is everywhere. It's busy on weekends. January and February are the quietest and cheapest months, and a good match for fondue, spas and museums. If you want skiing, take the train to the mountains.