April in Switzerland
If you are visiting Switzerland in April, it’s a good time to visit cities and villages, cruise lakes, and hike at lower elevations while we wait for the snow to melt.
If you want to visit the alps, it’s still mostly covered in snow, with some ski resorts staying open through the end of April. Then they close for several weeks until summer hiking season starts in June.
But many mountain viewpoints will be open, so you can enjoy the views even if you can’t hike.
Below are resources to help you’ll choose activities suitable to the spring season.
Need help planning? Book a travel consult.
Here are our favorite activities for spring Switzerland while you are waiting for the snow to melt, including hiking along rivers and lakes, walking through flower fields, admiring waterfalls, riding on boats, and touring charming villages.
What to do in spring in Switzerland (March - June) for tourists and locals, including where to see flowers, which mountains are open, where to hike, and rainy day suggestions.
The best mountain viewpoints to visit in April in Switzerland in popular destinations like Grindelwald, Zermatt, Lucerne, and Zurich.
April Events 2026
4-6 April – Easter weekend
11 April – Basel cheese festival
19 April – SlowUp Ticino bike event
20 April – Sechseläuten parade & Böögg burning in Zürich
24 April to 3 May – BEA spring festival in Bern
25 April to 30 May – Schaffhausen Gourmet Festival
26 April – SlowUp Murtensee bike event
April Destinations
What to do in April and May in Interlaken, Jungfrau Region and Bernese Oberland: hikes, waterfalls, viewpoints, lakes, rivers, and gorges.
- Bernese Oberland
- Bernese Oberland & Bern
Spring hikes and activities in the Lucerne region, including mountain tops, lake cruises, low elevation hikes and scenic drives.
- Lucerne Region
Hikes and other activities for spring in Zürich, Appenzell, Heidiland and Toggenburg regions.
- Eastern Switzerland
April Hiking
Our favorite spring flower hikes in Switzerland for April to June, to see cherry blossoms, crocus, narcissus, dandelions and wildflowers.
- Switzerland
Spring nature walks near Zürich that are possible in April while the snow is still melting on higher elevations.
- Zürich Region
The best hikes for spring in Switzerland (April to June), when most mountain resorts and trails are still covered in snow.
April Flowers
Large park with many acres of flowers, mostly rhododendrons and azaleas, the largest collection in Switzerland. It has stroller-friendly paths to wander and a family barbecue area. Best in May.
- Zürich Region
The best places in Zürich city to enjoy the spring flowers and a calendar of when they appear so you won’t miss any of your favorites.
- Eastern Switzerland
See thousands of tulips and other flowers at Mainau Island, an enormous park just over the German border. Plus a great playground and nice picnic areas with lake views.
- Germany
- Easy
- 1.5 h
- 4 k
- 120m
- 120m
Visit hundreds of cherry trees blooming in mid April on this easy spring hike near Basel in northern Switzerland.
- Northwest Switzerland
- Aargau - Solothurn
- Easy
- 2 h
- 4 k
- 80m
- 80m
Enjoy apple blossom flowers on this spring hike in eastern Switzerland with activities for children as you walk thru the apple orchards.
- Eastern Switzerland
- Thurgau
April Bike Tours
- Easy
- 3 h
- 25 k
- 170m
- 170m
Lovely spring bike ride along blossoming apple orchards and bright yellow fields. The route includes the Alnau Apfelweg theme trail, which can be done on bike or by foot.
- Eastern Switzerland
- Thurgau
Switzerland has many long rivers, some with wide multi-use paths used by bikes and pedestrians, other with hiking trails. Here are a few of our favorites.
Lovely bike ride along the Rhine river north of Zurich, riding through the Stein am Rhein village and past the Rhine Falls.
- Eastern Switzerland
April Events
What to do on Easter weekend in April in Switzerland, including mountain viewpoints, hikes, boat rides, and other amusements.
- Switzerland
Where to find the Zürich fountains filled with roses in the week leading up to Easter, with map, directions, where to park and where to eat.
- Eastern Switzerland, Zurich Region
- Zürich City
Learn about the spring festival in Zurich with parade of trade guilds, fair rides, and traditional burning of the Böögg snowman to predict summer weather.
- Zürich City
Spring Break Ideas
Cycling routes from our family’s spring break trip to the Netherlands, in which we rode bikes around tulip fields, along waterways with windmills and through coastal dunes.
- Netherlands
While we wait for the snow to melt in Switzerland, here are some of our favorite places to travel around Europe during spring break.
After the long winter, our family is anxious for sun and sand. So we often spend spring break on European beaches, even if the temperatures are still cool for swimming. We always have a good time and love being on the beaches off season, away from the crowds.
Since hiking season doesn’t start in Switzerland until about mid-June, we often spend our spring breaks hiking elsewhere in Europe, often along coastlines. Here are some of our favorite spring hiking trips we’ve done as a family.
If you’re staying local during spring break, there are plenty of fun family activities to fill up your schedule. When we do a spring staycation, we like trying new activities to add some excitement to the holiday. Here are some favorites from previous spring breaks in Zurich.
- Eastern Switzerland
- Zürich Region
