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Swiss mountains in rain ? Any point going ? And 34 degrees heat wwyd?

145 replies

Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 07:50

Hugely (for us expensive holiday ) is there any point going in extreme heat 34 , no air con thunder and rain
The idea was three days in Switzerland and go up some mountains which is also v expensive.
I'm wondering whether to just call it off ,scary driving etc too hot to sleep and can't see anything up a mountain ?
We are flying into Basel so could go into France /Germany instead with better air con ? What would you do.

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Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 09:02

Muchtoomuchtodo · 14/07/2026 08:59

Yes it’ll probably rain (a bit) - the forecast will be unreliable this far ahead though
Yes, it might be warm (it’s summer) but it cools down at night
Yes, the roads aren’t straight - you do want to visit the mountains, right?!

You seem to have talked yourself out of enjoying this holiday already. If you can cancel it without forfeiting any money and rebook something that you’re more comfortable with I would do that. But get on with it as there’ll be fewer and fewer options the longer you leave it

Hi what I meant about scary driving was driving on foreign motorways ie unfamilar signs and motorways In a hire car ie never know what you will get in thunderstoms, last year we drove from Stuttgart to baden Baden in severe weather and it was terrifying. Luckily we were given a free upgrade hire car that was higher up so we cleared the flash floods!

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Randomchat · 14/07/2026 09:03

We could pivot to cheaper France and get nicer hotel with better air con

Do this then. You obviously want to.

Octavia64 · 14/07/2026 09:05

I was in Switzerland a couple of weeks ago in the 34 heat.

there’s a lot of rivers and lakes to cool off in,

the higher up you go the cooler it is.

weather is very different from valley to valley.

obviously you don’t have to go but it genuinely is a lovely place.

OwnHappiness · 14/07/2026 09:06

Read about how anti aircon France is. But sound like you want to go to France instead so do that

Bringmoresnacksplease · 14/07/2026 09:08

I get the feeling that your heart’s not in it as there’s too many negatives. Cancel or pivot would be best I feel.

wojono · 14/07/2026 09:09

Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 08:57

@ChiasMarineras at the moment this this week looks like solid rain all day every day and thunder storms ,the following week looks v similar.
We have had extreme weather Havant we across Europe so it's not normal weather at the moment.

Where exactly are you going?
Which weather forecast are you using? The weather is often very localized so what might be true for one valley is not true for the next.
Google Bergfex + Wetter + place in the mountains you are going to for an accurate weather forecast.
That said, it's far too early to have an accurate forecast of the weather next week. Also when it says thunderstorms these often only start in the late afternoon so as long as you are back from hiking by then it should be fine.
It will be much cooler up a mountain than down in the valley - again check the mountain weather forecast on Bergfex.

applebee33 · 14/07/2026 09:12

I’m guessing you don’t want to go, no one is agreeing with you and your getting cross because you wanted to show the dh this thread of how ye should go to France . I get your girl, I’d rather sip aperol spritz in the sun too 😂🤫

Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 09:13

@wojono that's brilliant thank you !
At the moment I'm looking at BBC and accu weather.
It just feels like the worst of all worlds unbearable hot and rain

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Pointyleaf · 14/07/2026 09:14

Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 08:57

@ChiasMarineras at the moment this this week looks like solid rain all day every day and thunder storms ,the following week looks v similar.
We have had extreme weather Havant we across Europe so it's not normal weather at the moment.

No it's not. There's rain forecast everyday but not solid set in for the day rain. Sunshine and showers, which is the best way to see any mountains in summer. "Good" weather makes it too hot to hike.

But you don't want to go and are already begrudging the cost so go somewhere else.

Fwiw, when I hiked the Tour de Mont Blanc, the price of a coffee in a mountian hut doubled when we walked from Italy into Switzerland.

raspberryrisotto · 14/07/2026 09:14

Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 08:28

Motorways and mountain roads in torrential rain etc .
We had a wash out holiday two years ago and it was awful my life became about radiators and drying stuff.

The Swiss are fully prepared for weather, and the roads can take it. We also deal with winter conditions! It’s not the uk… promise.

Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 09:15

OwnHappiness · 14/07/2026 09:06

Read about how anti aircon France is. But sound like you want to go to France instead so do that

Some hotels have it though and they are much cheaper and nicer than where we are in Lucerne and it's proper air con.

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Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 09:16
  • we aren't hiking just doing the cable cars.
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LIZS · 14/07/2026 09:16

We went one year from the Swiss alps to France and it was way hotter and less tolerable in Annecy than it had been in Geneva or the mountains. Having said that we still did all the activities and trips we had hoped for. If you get caught in a storm , pull over and wait for it to pass.

Dontlletmedownbruce · 14/07/2026 09:19

Reading with interest... I'm also going to the Alps in a few weeks, Austria not Switzerland. The heat worries me but I'd still rather be up a mountain than in a city or on a beach. I don't mind a bit of rain but constant rain would be awful. Why are you being so negative OP? Weather isn't reliable anywhere, just look at how awful Spain has been with wildfires etc. You never know for sure

Bulbsbulbsbulbs · 14/07/2026 09:22

Can you cancel at this short notice and get a refund? If so you obviously don't want to go so don't go!

JassyRadlett · 14/07/2026 09:27

Where exactly are you going, OP?

Right now, you're catastrophising. We've all done it - I had one years back outside Nimes where the forecast was 36+ the whole time we were there, dicey aircon and two under 5. It turned out to be an amazing holiday because we adapted ourselves.

I know the Alps pretty well so I'll take your concerns in turn:

Temperatures: It's hot at the moment, just like everywhere. But it's rare to get tropical nights in the Alps so you get relief at night.

The current medium range forecast I've seen is for cooler temps from next week - where are you getting your forecasts from? Even Geneva is looking about ten degrees cooler next week.

Remember also the humidity is likely to be lower than here.

Thunderstorms: won't be all day. Are you reading the forecasts properly about rain/chance of rain? Again, which forecast are you looking at?

Rain: the great thing about the mountains is that you can often rise above rain in the valley. So if it's pouring at a lower altitude, it may be beautifully sunny elsewhere. A dreary day in the Valais might be gorgeous as you get up towards Bern. And the distances aren't huge.

Sleeping at night: Like I said, even right down in the valley most nights the temperature will drop. But also you do have portable aircon to take the edge off.

Scary driving: I've never found driving in Switzerland to be too bad, but public transportation is excellent if you're finding it tricky.

IglesiasPiggl · 14/07/2026 09:29

Switzerland is an unusual choice if you're generally budget conscious. It's very expensive, so if you think the hotel is costly, wait till you see how much eating out is! You will be fine to go, but it sounds like you would prefer France, so make the switch if you can.

raspberryrisotto · 14/07/2026 09:30

Use MeteoSwiss as the weather app, not the BBC, but really, as PP have said, it’s too far in advance. Yes, we are experiencing hotter weather than normal, but it’s always hot anyway in the summer. We tend to stay indoors after lunch until about 4, and then go back out at this time of year. There are many beautiful natural spots to cool off and dip. It really is jaw droppingly beautiful! Mornings and evenings are cool…

You say you don’t cope with the heat, but you picked Switzerland in the summer for a reason… what was that?

prices are high, that won’t change but you find ways around it. Make your own picnics rather than buying from supermarkets etc. Pop over the border to do your food shop. It’s not a big deal.

Switzerland is equipped for its weather conditions, it is a very efficiently run country!

as others have said, your heart clearly isn’t in it and it feels that you are looking for validation to cancel, despite everyone telling you to go and enjoy yourself.

hopefully you are just having a case of nerves and you will be able to pull yourself together and enjoy what you have planned.
if not, I hope that you find a holiday that you are happy with and suits the needs of your family.

DataColour · 14/07/2026 09:33

We are flying to Basel and then on to Alsace, staying in Colmar. There's the Vosges mountains around there if you want similar in France?

Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 09:37

Bulbsbulbsbulbs · 14/07/2026 09:22

Can you cancel at this short notice and get a refund? If so you obviously don't want to go so don't go!

If it was just DH and I ,i would. It's the DC and letting them down. They are teens but still don't understand the risk or presure on adults etc
@IglesiasPiggl I know 😂its a big bday year so I thought i would stretch a little and see the mountains. Our hotel at least has free snacks and a kitchen we can use . @JassyRadlett in Lucerne not sleeping in the mountains unfortunately.
The original idea was a few nights in L then interlaken or wengen for a few nights then we go into Germany.
However our flights got moved and cancelled so we didn't have the time to stay in the mountains proper and made so with L and going up some mountains from there. .

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Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 09:40

@DataColour we are also flying into Basel ,driving to Lucerne then colmar where we are staying a night.

The hotel in Colmar seems to have proper and working air con.

Do you know that area ? Is there easy things to see in potential heat and rain there ? At least we would have the comfort of air con at night

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grababanana · 14/07/2026 09:41

Highly recommend Morzine in France if you can pivot. Easier drive, not much scary driving. Loads to do if it rains.

Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 09:41

@raspberryrisotto on Lucerne at least we are very close to a little beach so I thought the DC could cool off but again not so appealing or useful in rain !!

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DataColour · 14/07/2026 09:49

@Rainyswissmountains I've never been to this area before. The reason we're going is mainly to see the Tour de France on Saturday. Then we (me, DH, DS and DD) are cycling around the Alsace region, with day trips to Basel, Strasbourg and Mulhouse. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed it won't rain that much and even if it does it'll be a respite from the heat!

Rainyswissmountains · 14/07/2026 09:50

I would skip basel and try and see lurcerne

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