Waymark

Switzerland travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Matterhorn
Matterhorn. Photo: Photo: chil, on Camptocamp.org Derivative work:Zacharie Grossen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1h 30mflight from London
Swiss franccurrency
No visafor UK passports
Type C, Jplugs

Alpine peaks, glacier trains and lakes like mirrors

Don't miss

  1. Matterhorn
  2. Jungfraujoch
  3. Lake Lucerne
Good forMountains & hikingAdventure

Best time to visit Switzerland from the UK

Best value: Mar–May, Sep–Oct. Dec–Mar for skiing; Jun–Sep for hiking. Busiest and priciest: Dec–Feb, Jun–Aug.

-0.8 C-1°J-0.2 C-0°F3.8 C4°M8.1 C8°A12.1 C12°M16.4 C16°J18.1 C18°J17.7 C18°A13.6 C14°S9.5 C10°O3.9 C4°N0.1 C0°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Bern, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Bern for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: May and SeptemberThe warmest of the best-value months (12–14°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Dec–Feb, Jun–AugUsually -1–18°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: NovAround 4°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, but cold, so pack layers.
  • Warmest: July (18°C) · coolest: January (-1°C)A 19°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
-0.8-0.23.88.112.116.418.117.713.69.53.90.1

Festivals and events

  • Basel Carnival Feb–Mar · Basel
  • Montreux Jazz Festival Jul · Montreux
  • Swiss National Day Aug · Nationwide

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 1h 30m
Distance
766 km
Main airport
ZRH

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Switzerland to your bucket list Search flights to ZRH

Practical info and travel guidance

Swiss francCapital: Bern
Type C, J · 230VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
112
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Tap water safeAcross the country
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area
  • HealthcareGHIC acceptedYour UK GHIC covers necessary state healthcare. Still take travel insurance.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal and broadly accepted
  • Women travellersNo specific FCDO warningTake the usual precautions.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Switzerland, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 11 August 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Switzerland before you book and again before you go.

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