At a glance
When is the best time to visit Switzerland?
Summer for the lakes and mountain walking, winter for snow. From June to September the lake cities average highs of about 19–27 °C; from December to March resorts such as Davos, at 1,594 m, are snow-covered. The months between, April and November above all, are the quietest in Swiss hotels.
Switzerland is two countries in one, climatically. Zürich and Geneva, at 556 m and 411 m, have warm summers and cold winters; Lugano, south of the Alps, is warmer and sunnier; and the mountains are another world again. MeteoSwiss's normals put the average July high at 24.3 °C in Zürich, 27.3 °C in Lugano, 20.0 °C in Zermatt at 1,638 m and 3.4 °C on the Jungfraujoch at 3,571 m[1].
So choose the month for the trip you want. The federal statistics show what most visitors choose: hotel nights peak in July and August, and guests from the UAE are more concentrated in those two months than visitors as a whole[4].
How warm is Switzerland each month, from the lakes to the peaks?
In July, Zürich averages a high of 24.3 °C, Geneva 26.7 °C and Lugano 27.3 °C, while Zermatt averages 20.0 °C. In January the lake cities average highs of 3.5–7.1 °C and Zermatt 0.8 °C. On the Jungfraujoch the average high stays below freezing from October to May.
Average daily high and low by month (°C), 1991–2020
| Month | Zürich (556 m) | Geneva (411 m) | Lugano (273 m) | Zermatt (1,638 m) | Jungfraujoch (3,571 m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.5 / −1.4 | 5.1 / −1.1 | 7.1 / 1.2 | 0.8 / −7.4 | −9.5 / −15.5 |
| February | 5.2 / −1.2 | 7.0 / −1.1 | 9.0 / 1.9 | 1.7 / −7.3 | −10.2 / −16.3 |
| March | 10.2 / 1.9 | 11.8 / 1.7 | 13.5 / 5.2 | 5.7 / −4.0 | −8.6 / −14.4 |
| April | 14.8 / 5.1 | 15.9 / 5.0 | 16.7 / 8.5 | 9.8 / −0.7 | −6.3 / −12.0 |
| May | 18.8 / 9.0 | 20.1 / 9.1 | 20.8 / 12.4 | 13.9 / 3.2 | −2.1 / −7.8 |
| June | 22.4 / 12.6 | 24.2 / 12.7 | 24.9 / 16.1 | 17.8 / 6.6 | 1.7 / −4.0 |
| July | 24.3 / 14.4 | 26.7 / 14.6 | 27.3 / 18.0 | 20.0 / 8.3 | 3.4 / −2.1 |
| August | 23.9 / 14.3 | 26.2 / 14.2 | 26.8 / 17.8 | 19.6 / 8.3 | 3.5 / −1.7 |
| September | 19.1 / 10.7 | 21.1 / 10.7 | 22.1 / 14.2 | 15.4 / 5.0 | 0.5 / −4.7 |
| October | 13.8 / 7.1 | 15.5 / 7.2 | 16.9 / 10.2 | 11.2 / 1.4 | −2.2 / −7.4 |
| November | 7.6 / 2.5 | 9.3 / 2.6 | 11.6 / 5.7 | 5.1 / −3.1 | −6.5 / −11.8 |
| December | 4.0 / −0.5 | 5.6 / −0.2 | 7.7 / 2.0 | 1.5 / −6.3 | −8.7 / −14.5 |
Mean daily maximum / mean daily minimum, 1991–2020. Source: MeteoSwiss normals tables[1], re-used under its open-data terms[3]; station heights are MeteoSwiss's. Averages, not forecasts.
In Zürich, summer is also the wettest season: it averages 119–128 mm of rain a month from May to August, on about 12 days each month, against 60–63 mm in January and February[1]. Lugano is wetter in total, at 1,567 mm a year against Zürich's 1,108 mm, but sunnier: 2,120 hours of sunshine a year, the most of the stations here[1].
Real heat is rare. Geneva averages 17.6 days a year of 30 °C or more, 7.1 of them in July; Zürich 8.5; Davos none at all[1]. For a traveller from the Gulf, a Swiss summer is warm by day and cool at night, and a jacket belongs in the bag for any trip into the mountains.
When is there snow for skiing?
From December to March in the resorts. At Davos, 1,594 m up, the ground is snow-covered on most days in December and almost every day from January to March, and 451 cm of snow falls in an average year. Zermatt's lifts run a winter season from 1 November 2026 to 3 May 2027, with its Sunnegga-Rothorn and Gornergrat areas open from 28 November.
Davos (1,594 m): snow by month, 1991–2020
| Month | Snowfall | Days with snowfall | Days with more than 10 cm on the ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 22 cm | 3.0 | 1.9 |
| November | 59 cm | 9.1 | 9.1 |
| December | 83 cm | 11.5 | 24.5 |
| January | 89 cm | 11.7 | 30.8 |
| February | 74 cm | 11.1 | 28.2 |
| March | 65 cm | 10.2 | 30.0 |
| April | 43 cm | 7.3 | 15.3 |
| May | 7 cm | 1.8 | 0.6 |
MeteoSwiss climate sheet for Davos, 1991–2020; snow data from MeteoSwiss and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF[2]. Days with snowfall are days with at least 1 cm of new snow.
The mountains also have the better winter light. In December Zürich averages 47 hours of sunshine in the month, while Davos averages 94 and the Jungfraujoch 101[1]: in midwinter the mountains get twice the sunshine of the lowland cities.
Lift seasons vary by resort and by snow. Zermatt's lift company gives its 2026–27 winter season as 1 November 2026 to 3 May 2027; its Sunnegga-Rothorn and Gornergrat areas open on 28 November 2026 and close on 11 and 18 April 2027 respectively[5]. Check your own resort's dates before you book.
When is Switzerland busiest?
July and August. Swiss hotels counted 4.94 million nights in July 2025 and 4.99 million in August, against 2.38 million in November and 2.91 million in April, the quietest months. Guests from the UAE spent 288,444 nights in Swiss hotels in 2025, a third of them in July and August.
Nights spent in Swiss hotels by month, 2025
| Month | All guests | Guests from the UAE |
|---|---|---|
| January | 3,198,449 | 18,916 |
| February | 3,357,762 | 17,243 |
| March | 3,359,078 | 13,458 |
| April | 2,907,357 | 19,521 |
| May | 3,476,654 | 17,881 |
| June | 4,164,932 | 20,345 |
| July | 4,936,565 | 44,384 |
| August | 4,985,072 | 50,096 |
| September | 4,125,616 | 19,677 |
| October | 3,479,713 | 19,314 |
| November | 2,375,671 | 14,391 |
| December | 3,563,277 | 33,218 |
| Year | 43,930,146 | 288,444 |
Federal Statistical Office, accommodation statistics (HESTA): nights spent in open hotels, by the guests' country of origin[4].
The pattern for UAE guests is sharper than for everyone else. July and August held 23% of all hotel nights in 2025 but 33% of those spent by guests from the UAE, and December, the month of the UAE's winter school break, was their third-busiest[4]. If you can travel in June or September instead, the weather is only a little cooler and the hotels are less full.
Events add their own peaks. The Montreux Jazz Festival's 61st edition runs from 2 to 17 July 2027[6].
How do the UAE school holidays line up with Switzerland?
The winter break, 14 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, falls in the ski season; spring break, 5 to 11 April 2027, is late in it: Zermatt's Sunnegga-Rothorn area closes on 11 April. The October mid-term falls between the seasons, cool and before the ski lifts open, and summer holidays meet the busiest weeks of the Swiss year.
UAE school breaks in 2026–27, and Switzerland at the same time
| UAE break | Dates | In Switzerland |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-term | 12–18 October 2026 | Zürich averages a high of 13.8 °C; before the Zermatt winter season opens on 1 November |
| Winter | 14 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Ski season: Davos snow-covered on most days; UAE guests' third-busiest month in 2025 |
| Spring | 5–11 April 2027 | Late ski season: Zermatt's Sunnegga-Rothorn area closes on 11 April; Zürich averages 14.8 °C |
| Summer | From 3 July 2027 (school ends on 2 July) | Peak season: highs of 24–27 °C in the lake cities; Montreux Jazz Festival 2–17 July |
UAE dates from the Ministry of Education's calendar for schools that follow it[9]; check your own school's dates. Switzerland: MeteoSwiss normals[1][2], lift dates[5], hotel statistics[4] and festival dates[6].
Swiss time is Central European Time, one hour ahead of UTC, and Central European Summer Time, two hours ahead, from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October[7]. The UAE is four hours ahead of GMT all year[8], so Switzerland is three hours behind the UAE in winter and two hours behind in summer.
Entry requirements for Switzerland depend on your passport, and we do not restate them. The State Secretariat for Migration's entry page is the official source, and our visa desk can check your case.
Questions travellers ask
What is the best month to visit Switzerland?
For walking and lakes, June or September: Zürich averages highs of 22.4 °C and 19.1 °C[1], and hotels are less full than in July and August[4]. For skiing, January to March, when Davos has more than 10 cm of snow on the ground on almost every day[2].
When does the ski season start and end?
It depends on the resort and the snow. Zermatt's 2026–27 winter season runs from 1 November 2026 to 3 May 2027, with its Sunnegga-Rothorn and Gornergrat areas open from 28 November[5]. At Davos, snow cover is near-continuous from December to March[2].
How hot is Switzerland in summer?
Warm rather than hot. July averages highs of 24.3 °C in Zürich, 26.7 °C in Geneva and 27.3 °C in Lugano, and Geneva has 17.6 days a year of 30 °C or more[1].
When are Swiss hotels quietest?
In November and April: 2.38 million and 2.91 million hotel nights in 2025, against nearly 5 million in each of July and August[4].
Do I need a visa for Switzerland?
It depends on your passport, and we do not restate visa rules. See the State Secretariat for Migration's entry page, or ask our visa desk.
Sources
The desk opened each source on the date shown. Rules, fees and timetables change: check the official source before you travel.
- [1]Klimanormwerte / Climate normals 1991-2020 (normals tables by station) — MeteoSwiss (Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology). Accessed 25 September 2026
- [2]Climate normals Davos, reference period 1991−2020 — MeteoSwiss (snow data: MeteoSwiss and WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF). Accessed 25 September 2026
- [3]Terms of use — MeteoSwiss Open Data. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [4]Hotellerie: Ankünfte und Logiernächte der geöffneten Betriebe nach Jahr, Monat, Kanton, Herkunftsland und Indikator — Federal Statistical Office (BFS), accommodation statistics. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [5]Ski pass prices for Zermatt — Zermatt Bergbahnen (Matterhorn Ski Paradise). Accessed 25 September 2026
- [6]Montreux Jazz Festival — Montreux Jazz Festival. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [7]Realisierung und Verbreitung der Schweizer Zeit — Federal Institute of Metrology (METAS). Accessed 25 September 2026
- [8]Fact sheet — The UAE Government portal (u.ae). Accessed 25 September 2026
- [9]MOE announces the academic calendar for the next three years — UAE Ministry of Education. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [10]Entry — State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), Switzerland. Accessed 25 September 2026
Published 25 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026
Seen something wrong or out of date? Write to trade@nwp.ae and the desk will check it against the source.
