Switzerland is a traveler’s paradise, offering a perfect blend of natural beauty, cultural richness, and thrilling activities in August.
With pleasant weather, vibrant festivals, and plenty of outdoor activities, August is an ideal time to explore this beautiful country.
In this article, I will explore everything that is important for you if you want to visit Switzerland in August.
So, pack your bags, set off on an unforgettable journey, and discover the magic of Switzerland in August.
Table of Contents
Weather In August
August is summer in Switzerland, which means you’ll experience warm and pleasant weather.
The average daytime temperatures range from 18℃ to 30℃. So, you’ll be able to walk around in shorts and T-shirts.
The lower regions and cities usually see warm temperatures, which are around 25℃ to 30℃, and there can sometimes be heavy rains and thunderstorms.
If you don’t like warm weather, then I suggest you go to higher altitudes.
Up in the Alps, it’s going to be cooler, around 20℃, but you’re still going to be able to enjoy the same amount of sun.
In August, as I mentioned earlier, it can also rain a lot. In fact, it happens quite often on a 3 to 5-year basis that we have massive floods during August.
Last year (2023), it was raining a lot, and when I arrived at the Lavertezzo, it was crazily flooded. All of the rocks were underwater, and the watercolor was brown.
Therefore, don’t make your plans for sunny weather when it comes to Switzerland during any month.
There will be at least one day when it’s going to be cloudy or rainy.
Attractions In August
In August, pretty much everything is going to be open. This is really fantastic, like July.
Every hiking trail is open this month, and you can go to every mountaintop.
But remember, it’s going to be crowded in some attractions, especially around the hotspots, because of the peak season, and Swiss people love to take vacations in August.
So, you will have to book your ticket in advance; otherwise, it’s going to be fully booked.
Any places with limited space will have to filter the tourists, and usually, they do that these days with online ticket reservations.
I would say to secure your reservations, book your ticket one week in advance, but sometimes it’s also enough one day ahead.
On rainy days, you have plenty of attractions to visit. You can go to museums, underground Lake St. Leonard, and caves to escape the rain.
Some of the attractions I recommend to visit:
The Matterhorn: Pay a visit to one of the most iconic mountains in the world. You can hike there and enjoy the scenic views.
Chateau de Chillon: In my opinion, one of the most beautiful medieval castles in Switzerland. It’s located on the shores of Lake Geneva near Montreux.
Harder Kulm: Located near the beautiful town of Interlaken between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. It gives you a perfect view of the town and two lakes.
Swiss National Park: Offers pristine nature, wildlife spotting, and hiking trails. It’s located in the Engadin Valley.
Nature In August
I know many of you want to see Switzerland when everything is lush green.
In August, mostly all of the trees are going to carry the leaves, and the hills are going to be green even up in the Alps because it’s summer.
However, it is not always lush green because sometimes you’ll have drought in June and July, which means some of the grass fields are going to dry out and turn yellowish.
If the drought is severe, then some of the trees are already going to lose their leaves earlier, and it looks like autumn in certain places.
Swimming
August is a great month for swimming in Switzerland.
There are many places where you can swim. For example, in the rivers, the lakes, swimming pools, and especially my favorite up in the Alps.
The water in the lakes is going to be warm. It’s usually around 19℃ to 23℃, and the same for the rivers.
What’s really important to bear in mind is that the lakes are going to be steady, so this is definitely easy for people who are not good swimmers.
But if you go to the rivers, you will have a stream, and I only recommend you swim there if you’re a really good swimmer.
Also, up in the Swiss Alps, the lake’s water is very clear, but the beauty of the water can be deceiving because the water is very cold in many places.
It’s around 11℃ to 15℃, and you have to enter the water really slowly; otherwise, you’ll collapse. In my opinion, great places to swim in the Alps are Valais and Ticino.
Also, if you’re a canyoning enthusiast, then I suggest checking out Ticino because it’s a fantastic region for canyoning worldwide.
Snow
Some of you want to see snow in summer.
Well, this is possible, but you will have to bear in mind most of the snow has already melted during April and May.
So, you’ll have to go up to higher altitudes where you may able to see snow. If you want to do that, then I recommend Mittel Allalin, Saas-Fee.
There, you’ll have a lot of snow. Also, you can go to the Jungfraujoch, Matterhorn and Schilthorn.
These places usually still have a lot of snow. But the snow is different; it’s going to be more softer unlike in winter when it’s hard.
If you want to visit Switzerland during the season when everything is going to be covered in white, then August is not the right month to travel.
Hiking In August
Because there’s not much snow left in August, it’s a great month for hiking.
Most of the hiking trails are going to be open, giving you a wide choice of trails that you can go to.
Now, what’s very important is you should only hike when it’s sunny because when it’s rainy, it might be slippery, or when there’s a lot of fog, the visibility might be bad.
Overall, it’s a great month for hiking. You can even go to higher altitudes as, like I said, there’s not much snow left.
This is something that is not possible in June and early July.
Cultural Events In August
In August, Switzerland offers a vibrant array of cultural events and activities that showcase its rich heritage, traditions, and modern-day creativity.
Some of them are:
Swiss National Day
Switzerland’s National Day is celebrated on August 1st. The day is filled with festivities.
Everything is closed on this day, but you can see and enjoy a lot of activities.
You can see fireworks displays in cities and towns across the country, parades, concerts, and public speeches.
If you like to enjoy the day more festivities, then I suggest going to the rural areas to celebrate with the locals.
It’s more unique to celebrate in the villages because it’s going to be more traditional, and I recommend you try it out.
A traditional way to celebrate the day in the villages is bonfires at night, which is quite interesting.
Locarno Film Festival
The Locarno Film Festival takes place in early August in Locarno. It is one of the oldest film festivals.
The festival is renowned for showcasing independent and international films, which include:
Open-air screenings in Piazza Grande
Meetings with directors, actors, and filmmakers
Film competitions and awards
Their official website
Geneva Festival
The Geneva Festival (Fêtes de Genève) is one of the largest summer events in Switzerland. It is held in August.
You can enjoy music concerts featuring various genres, street performances, and art installations. The food stalls offer local and international cuisines.
My favorite thing about this festival is the grand fireworks display over Lake Geneva.
I highly recommend you visit the festival.
Pass Roads
The pass roads are all open in August because it’s summer.
There’s going to be less snow everywhere, so the roads will be in perfect condition. The pass roads take you from one valley to another.
This is only possible from late spring to the end of summer. These pass roads take you through some of the most beautiful landscapes in all of Switzerland.
Last year in August, I took the Nufenen Pass to go from Valais to Ticino, and I had a nice encounter with farmers sending back their cows.
Waterfalls
The waterfalls are going to be powerful, but they’re definitely not going to be as strong as during May and June, especially since a lot of snow melts in July.
If you want to be absolutely sure to visit the waterfall with enough power, then just go to the Trummelbach Falls or Rhine Falls.
If it rains a few days before, then you’re definitely going to have enough water.
