Understand the high and low season from the Alps to the heartland.
Come winter, skiers rush to areas like Zermatt and St. Moritz.
For starters, here are Switzerlands main tourism seasons.
Credit:Stephanie Pollak/Travel + Leisure
On mountainsides, alpine flowers bloom from May to early July, rewarding hikers with budding blankets of color.
And because of the higher elevation, temperatures here are comfortable throughout the summer.
Even in Swiss cities, hot days give way to pleasantly warm evenings.
Fall foliage in Grendelwald, Switzerland.SW Photography/Getty Images
Plus, many Swiss cities and towns lie next to a refreshing body of water.
Locarno and Lugano, in the Italian-speaking Ticino region, sit on Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano, respectively.
Geneva has sandy beaches along its namesake lakethe largest alpine lake in Europe.
Michela Sieman/Travel + Leisure
Some of these establishments are located withinbadis, Zurichs organized bathing areas, all with changing rooms and cafes.
I absolutely love them and always recommend our guests to go.
While badis open their doors in mid-May, April can bring lovely, albeit cooler, weather.
Christopher Larson/Travel + Leisure
You’re slowly starting to have more sun again, and its energizing and vitalizing.
October is a great time to visit almost any part of the country.
The weather is crisp but usually sunny, and leaves take on autumn hues.
Mountain village during spring.Christopher Larson/Travel + Leisure
At higher elevations, October is when the needles of larch trees turn vibrant yellow.
After winter, March is the least-visited month.
Its the perfect time to explorepopular townslike the medieval Gruyeres, birthplace of the cheese by the same name.
Swiss cities, for their part, rarely fill up in summer.
I don’t think we have that issue of big crowds, says Kracht.
Snow has accumulated by then and its after the hectic holiday period.
Among these are Engelbergjust 90 minutes from ZurichArosa, and Murren, one of Switzerlands most unique mountain villages.
Murren is quite attractive.
Worst Time to Visit Switzerland
The worst time to visit Switzerland depends on your activity preferences.
Then, toward the end of November, holiday lights turn on in many cities.
But the Swiss answer to the winter blues is to find real blue skies above the clouds.
You dont need to be a downhill skier to enjoy Swiss mountain towns.
Even theGlacier Express from St. Moritz to Zermattis a destination of its own.
Every season has something to offer.
It’s always worth going to Switzerland, says Wolf.
It just depends on the mood you want to experience.
