Switzerland Guide
Weather
Switzerland spans a variety of altitudes, resulting in a climate which is highly changeable. Summer in the major lowland cities and lakeside resorts extends from, at the earliest, mid-May until, at the latest, mid-October. However, the higher in altitude you go, the more the season is truncated: the Alpine pass roads may not be cleared until mid-June, and snow may fall again in mid-September, limiting the opening times of the highest huts and mountain refuges to ten or twelve crowded weeks.
Ski resorts with access to slopes above about 2800m tend to have an extended winter season and good snow may fall at these places from mid-November through to early May. Cities and lowland towns are bitterly cold for general street wanderings in the winter, and – unless they offer direct access to the mountains – tend to flog accommodation at rock-bottom prices.
Precipitation patterns vary widely, with the northern cities (Bern, Zürich) experiencing more overcast skies than, for instance, Lugano, which tends to have long periods of sunshine occasionally punctuated by short downpours.