When summer temperatures rise in Switzerland, you may need to adjust your hiking plans to beat the heat. Since many Swiss trails are above the tree line and exposed with no shelter or water, it can be uncomfortable and even dangerous to hike in temperatures above 26C/ 80F.
On hot days, we suggest cooling off with water sports or activities in the shade, like river gorges or forest hikes. Here are our top activities for the hottest summer days in Switzerland.
Water activities
1. Go swimming
The most obvious activity for a hot day is to go swimming. Switzerland has so many beautiful and special places to swim including alpine lakes, rivers and elaborate pools.
Many lakes and rivers have official swimming areas, aka “Badi,” where you’ll find services like diving platforms, slides, changing rooms, restaurants, etc. They often have lifeguards on busy days, but not always. Use good judgement and swim safely with a buddy.
2. Float on a river
Floating down rivers is a very popular activity in Switzerland, particularly on the mild sections of the Limmat, Aare and Rhein rivers. Although many people just float without equipment, it’s safest to use an inflatable boat rated for rivers (not pool toys). See my River Floating 101 post.
Safety first! Every year people die floating on Swiss rivers, almost always those without life jackets. Please wear your life jacket, choose safe mild rivers, use good equipment, and follow all recommend safety precautions.
See details for Limmat river in Zürich and Reuss river near Bremgarten
3. Boat cruise
If you want to save your energy, a lake cruise is a great way to enjoy fantastic views with a cool breeze and minimal effort. On hot days, make sure to board early to secure a seat in the shade. You may want to upgrade to first class for better seats and less crowds.
We particularly like cruising Lake Lucerne with so many spectacular mountain peaks on all sides. Cruising on Lake Geneva along the Lavaux terraced vineyards is also very special. If you are staying in Interlaken, both Lake Thun and Lake Brienz have amazing views.
4. Walk on a glacier
Frozen water is the coolest water activity you can do (pun intended). Even on the hottest summer day, you’ll often need a jacket when you visit a Swiss glacier. Most glaciers you can only admire from afar or on a guided trek, where you are roped together. We’ve done this at Aletsch Arena near Zermatt and Steingletscher near Interlaken, both highly recommended.
But you can easily walk on a few glaciers without a guide including Titlis, Glacier 3000, Jungfraujoch, and Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. These require riding expensive cable cars and mountain trains to reach the high elevations. But they offer fantastic views and other amusements like ice caves and summer snow sports.
5. Paddleboarding
Many Swiss lakes are perfect for paddleboarding, with calm waters and gorgeous views. You can rent paddleboards at many lake swimming areas. We particularly like Türlersee near Zürich.
Paddleboards usually cost about CHF 20/hr and include a lifevest. They will give you rules specific to that lake, usually how many meters to stay away from the shore, protected nature areas that you cannot enter and ferry traffic lanes to avoid.
If you have your own board, you have many more options. We would recommend Betlis on the Walensee shown in the picture above. Absolutely magical!
But make sure to follow the SUP rules for Switzerland, outlined on FamilySafety.ch. See Zürich SUP rules.
6. Sit-on-top Kayaking
If you don’t have good balance for SUP, you may prefer sit-on-top kayaks, which are super easy to use. During a heat wave, we skipped our planned hike and spent a blissful three hours kayaking on Lake Brienz near Interlaken. My 14 yr old had his own kayak and I rode double with my 11 yr old. See details for Interlaken Kayaking.
7. Guided river rafting
If you want a more exciting adventure on the water, you can book a river rafting trip with a guide. We loved our rafting trip on the Vorderrhein river near Flims Laax with Swiss River Adventures, an easy day trip from Zürich. This river is mild enough for families, but it does have class 3 rapids, which make it a very fun ride.
They provide an experienced river guide and all the equipment, including wetsuits and helmets. You only need to bring a swimsuit and a smile.
Learn more about rafting on the Rhein river near Flims/Laax
Activities in the shade
8. Hike in the forest
If you want to hike on hot days (temps over 26C), you should pick a trail with some shade. This can be hard to do since many popular Swiss trails are above the tree line, very exposed with no shelter. To find a forest, you’ll usually need to pick lower elevation trails, often along rivers and lakes.
We particularly like the Klöntalersee trail, which is almost all in the forest and shaded by the tall mountain above it.
See our favorite trails in forests (coming soon!).
9. Explore a cave
Temperatures drop quickly underground, providing a welcome relief from the scorching sun outside. We have visited three cave systems in Switzerland, all very beautiful and easy to visit with prepared walkways and good lighting.
- Höllgrotten caves near Zug
- St Beatus caves near Interlaken
- Grottes de Vallorbe near Yverdon les Bains in western Switzerland
10. Walk through river gorges
Similar to caves, the temperatures are much cooler in river gorges with tall stone walls blocking the sun and cold waters running by. Gorges typically have waterfalls and interesting patterns in the rock walls, formed over thousands of years.
Most gorges on my list below charge a fee to walk through on raised walkways, but a few are free. We particularly like Aare gorge near Interlaken and the Gorger Gorge in Zermatt.
11. Hike to a waterfall
Some waterfalls are hidden from the sun in shady forests or under imposing rock walls. This can be a great place for a picnic, where the light mist cools off the whole area.
We particularly like the Giessbach falls, which has many small pools and cascading falls to discover along the path. We also like the Berschner falls shown in the picture above, which are a local’s secret.
See the Best waterfalls in Switzerland
12. Rope adventure parks in forests
Many vacation regions areas have rope adventure parks hidden in the forests, a great way to take a break from the sun. We would often do a hike in the morning before the sun got intense. Then we would spend the afternoon climbing trees in the cool shade.
We particularly like the Atzmännig ropes course near Zürich and Pilatus ropes course near Lucerne.
See our favorite rope adventure parks in Switzerland
Indoor activities
13. Interactive museums
On the hottest days, staying indoors may be your best option. Some bigger, more popular museums like Technorama and some parts of the Lucerne Transportation museum are cooler inside. But note that not all museums in Switzerland are air-conditioned, so choose wisely. You may want to call the info line if you want to make sure. Art museums tend to be air conditioned to preserve the art.
14. Chocolate factories
Chocolate factories and visitor centers are cooler because otherwise the chocolate would melt. So these are a good choice for escaping the heat for a couple hours. Near Zürich, you can visit the Lindt Home of Chocolate.
15. Go to the movies (in English!)
If all else fails, sitting in a dark, cold movie theater can be a great way to escape the summer heat. In Switzerland, most big cities like Zürich, Lucerne, Bern, Basel and Geneva have movie theaters that show films in the original language, often English. Look for the code E/d/f next to the movie, which indicates the movie is shown in English with subtitles in German and French.
Usually movies are shown in the original language for at least the first week, maybe 3 weeks. But after that, they will only be available dubbed. So if there is something you are desperate to see, see it quickly after it comes out.
See movie times on Cineman.ch
2 responses
I always enjoy reading the tips you provide. Keep up the great work!
One small clarification: The Jungfraujoch can only be reached by train, not cable car.(item 4)
Thanks for the attention to detail. I’ll update the post accordingly.