Zurich · Month comparison
February vs September
September ranks #1 overall vs February at #9. The undersold sweet spot — warm enough for the lake, dry enough for the alps, prices drop from August.
February
#9 of 12 months
Strong option
Sechseläuten parade rehearsals begin and the Fasnacht carnival weekends fill Niederdorf.
- ↑Fasnacht weekend (early Feb) — masked parades through Niederdorf, less famous than Basel's
- ↑Best alpine ski day-trip month — Engelberg, Davos, Andermatt all <2hrs by train
September
#1 of 12 months
Best match
The undersold sweet spot — warm enough for the lake, dry enough for the alps, prices drop from August.
- ↑20°C and lake still at 20°C through early September — last realistic swim window
- ↑Knabenschiessen folk festival (2nd weekend) on Albisgüetli — fairground and shooting tradition
| Factor | February | September |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 5 | 9 |
| Value score | 5 | 5 |
| Crowd score | 9 | 5 |
| Events score | 6 | 7 |
| Atmosphere | 7 | 10 |
| Avg high temp | 5°C | 20°C |
| Monthly rain | 60mm | 80mm |
| Daily sunshine | 4hrs | 7hrs |
February trade-offs
- ↓5°C high with persistent low cloud — lakeside walks atmospheric rather than enjoyable
- ↓Many summer-cafe and lakeside spots still closed; restaurants on winter hours
September trade-offs
- ↓Daylight contracting — by month end down to 12 hours
- ↓Lake temperature drops fast in the last week — pack a wetsuit if swimming end-Sep
Scores compare months within Zurich. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →