Zurich · Month comparison

November vs September

September ranks #1 overall vs November at #11. The undersold sweet spot — warm enough for the lake, dry enough for the alps, prices drop from August.

Zurich Limmat in November high-fog grey light

November

#11 of 12 months

Strong option

High-fog season at its worst — but Christmas markets soft-open in the last week.

  • ↑Last week brings Wienachtsdorf and Christkindlimarkt soft-openings (around 23 Nov)
  • ↑Hotel rates at their second-lowest of the year — last cheap window before December
Lake Zurich and Alps in clear September light

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
FactorNovemberSeptember
Weather score
4
9
Value score
6
5
Crowd score
9
5
Events score
5
7
Atmosphere
6
10
Avg high temp8°C20°C
Monthly rain75mm80mm
Daily sunshine2hrs7hrs

November trade-offs

  • ↓Persistent Hochnebel — sunshine averages just 2 hours a day
  • ↓8°C high with damp cold — heavier than the temperature reads

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
See all 12 months for Zurich →November in detail →September in detail →
Scores compare months within Zurich. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →