Zurich · Month comparison

September vs August

September ranks #1 overall vs August at #10. The undersold sweet spot — warm enough for the lake, dry enough for the alps, prices drop from August.

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
Street Parade crowds along Lake Zurich shoreline

August

#10 of 12 months

Strong option

Street Parade (2nd Saturday) brings 800,000 people — the largest techno festival on earth.

  • ↑Street Parade — 800,000 ravers around the lake, the city's defining single event
  • ↑Swiss National Day fireworks (1 Aug) over the lake — proper alpine spectacle
FactorSeptemberAugust
Weather score
9
8
Value score
5
2
Crowd score
5
2
Events score
7
10
Atmosphere
10
8
Avg high temp20°C24°C
Monthly rain80mm105mm
Daily sunshine7hrs8hrs

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

August trade-offs

  • ↓Hotel rates at absolute peak Street Parade weekend — CHF 600+ for 4-star
  • ↓Heavy rain still possible — last 105mm month before September relief
See all 12 months for Zurich →September in detail →August in detail →
Scores compare months within Zurich. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →