Zurich weather by month & the best time to visit
Switzerland · city break · oceanic / maritime climate
The best time to visit Zurich is September — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 65/100), with June and July close behind. Zurich averages about 1,912 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 19°C / 66°F and roughly 103 mm of rain in September.
When is the best time to visit Zurich?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Zurich is September, then June and July. The dullest month is January (0/100, 94 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Zurich?
Zurich gets a moderate 1,912 hours of sunshine a year. 65 Sunshine Score points separate September (65) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #5 of 5 destinations in Switzerland for annual sunshine, below the national median of 2,055 hours. The year's 1,311 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 3° / 37°F | -3° / 27°F | 94 mm | 1 |
| February | 0 | 5° / 41°F | -3° / 27°F | 73 mm | 1 |
| March | 12 | 10° / 50°F | 1° / 34°F | 91 mm | 3 |
| April | 43 | 15° / 59°F | 5° / 41°F | 91 mm | 4 |
| May | 59 | 19° / 66°F | 9° / 48°F | 141 mm | 5 |
| June | 64 | 23° / 73°F | 14° / 57°F | 139 mm | 6 |
| July | 63 | 24° / 75°F | 15° / 59°F | 144 mm | 6 |
| August | 63 | 24° / 75°F | 15° / 59°F | 146 mm | 5 |
| September | 65 | 19° / 66°F | 11° / 52°F | 103 mm | 4 |
| October | 42 | 15° / 59°F | 7° / 45°F | 100 mm | 2 |
| November | 6 | 9° / 48°F | 2° / 36°F | 87 mm | 1 |
| December | 0 | 4° / 39°F | -2° / 28°F | 102 mm | 1 |
Nearest destinations
Head-to-head
How Zurich compares month by month: Zurich vs Basel · Zurich vs Bern · Zurich vs Friedrichshafen · all comparisons
Zurich: questions and answers
What kind of destination is Zurich?
Zurich is a city break in Switzerland at 420 m elevation with a oceanic / maritime climate.
How many hours of sunshine does Zurich get a year?
Zurich gets about 1,912 hours of sunshine a year, at its best around September.
When is the best time to visit Zurich?
The sunniest time to visit Zurich is September, when the Sunshine Score peaks at 65/100 (with June and July close behind). Expect daytime highs around 19°C / 66°F.
What is the least sunny month in Zurich?
January is the least sunny month in Zurich, scoring 0/100 with about 94 mm of rain.
How strong is the sun in Zurich?
The typical midday UV index in Zurich peaks around 6 (high) in June, easing to about 1 (low) in January. Month-by-month midday UV values are in the UV column of the table on this page.
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