Switzerland holidays

1 destination in Switzerland, with real fares from London Heathrow. See Zurich below, or plan dates in the trip search.

Highlights

Switzerland's trip starts with Zurich, a compact lakefront city where a famously punctual rail network puts the Alps within a day trip.

Why go

A walkable old town and lakefront that pack museums, chocolate shops and lake swimming into a genuinely compact centre.
Switzerland's rail network is the real draw beyond the city itself: fast, frequent trains reach the Alps, other Swiss cities and neighbouring countries directly from Zurich.
A confident food and café culture, with the lake itself a normal place to swim from right in the city centre in summer.

Worth knowing

Zurich is the only Swiss destination on this site for now — Geneva, the French- and Italian-speaking regions and the high Alps aren't covered yet.
Switzerland is genuinely expensive, food, drink and accommodation all included.
Zurich itself is a lakefront and old-town city rather than a mountain base — the Alps are a rail trip away, not a walk.

Zurich
City · Switzerland
€73 from London Heathrow1h 45m, direct

Fares are one-way prices from London Heathrow, per traveller, checked regularly against Travelpayouts — indicative, not live quotes. See the packages page for real return windows with dates.

When to go

Spring: Mild through April and May as snow retreats from lower ground, with the lakefront reopening well before the higher Alps do.
Summer: Warm and busy, with lake swimming from the city's own bathing spots and long days for rail trips into the mountains.
Autumn: Crisp and clear through September and October, often a good window for Alpine trips before the first snow closes higher routes.
Winter: Cold and sometimes snowy, and this is when the rail network's other job comes into its own: same-day trips to ski resorts are genuinely practical from Zurich, without needing to base yourself in the mountains.

Weather across Switzerland

Monthly highs and rainfall averaged across Switzerland’s 1 published destination — one place inside that set can run warmer or cooler than this. Gold months are the best weather fit by our formula.

Best overall: June · July · August · September
Hottest: August · 26°C
Wettest: November · 134mm

January, averaged across these destinations: daily high 5°C, 76mm rainfall.
February, averaged across these destinations: daily high 8°C, 57mm rainfall.
March, averaged across these destinations: daily high 12°C, 87mm rainfall.
April, averaged across these destinations: daily high 13°C, 126mm rainfall.
May, averaged across these destinations: daily high 19°C, 124mm rainfall.
June, averaged across these destinations: daily high 24°C, 111mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
July, averaged across these destinations: daily high 26°C, 113mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
August, averaged across these destinations: daily high 26°C, 106mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
September, averaged across these destinations: daily high 20°C, 110mm rainfall. Good month for weather.
October, averaged across these destinations: daily high 17°C, 95mm rainfall.
November, averaged across these destinations: daily high 9°C, 134mm rainfall.
December, averaged across these destinations: daily high 5°C, 124mm rainfall.

What it costs

An inexpensive restaurant meal runs around €27. A budget hotel room is typically around €128/night, €217 mid-range. These are Switzerland-wide estimates, not live listing prices.

Getting around

Zurich Airport has a direct SBB train straight into Zurich Hauptbahnhof, taking around 15 minutes with departures every 10 minutes. From the Hauptbahnhof, Switzerland's rail network reaches most of the rest of the country directly, and Zurich's own trams and buses cover the compact city centre without needing a car.