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All of the summer months are great to visit! There’s fun to be had all through the summer. Some times are better if you have specific activities in mind.
May
May is a real ‘between seasons’ month. The winter has finished, but summer season has not quite begun. This is a month where you can get great deals on your accommodation and the village is a little quieter. Going hand in hand you will find that only some of the mountain lifts are open, most of the mountain restaurants are closed and even many of the restaurants and shops in town are closed.
June
June is underrated. The main lifts are open (Sunnegga and Blauherd opens in the middle of the month), the trails are clear of snow, mountain restaurants also open from the middle of the month and the village is starting to get buzzy without the high summer crowds.
The mountain meadows are now covered in wild flowers and on a hot sunny day brave hikers can take a dip to cool off in the meltwater mountain lakes.
June weather is generally glorious…. warm days and cool long evenings.
July
July is when Zermatt is at its most alive in summer. The full lift system is running, mountain restaurants are open, and the days are long. Zermatt is full of all sorts of visitors… seasoned hikers, mountain bikers, families, tour groups coming in for day trips and more.
The hiking is at its best: wildflowers, warm temperatures at altitude, and long sunny afternoons.
The weather is generally gorgeous with hot days and cool evenings. Sometimes the heat builds enough that you’ll have an evening thunderstorm, a welcome break in the humidity.
August
The first half of August is still summer high season. School holidays across Europe, mean Zermatt is busy and there is a vibrant atmosphere in the village and on the mountain. Some of the easy to access points on the mountain (Gornergrat, Riffelsee, Leisee and Klein Matterhorn) can be croweded… but you really don’t need to venture far to find a hiking trail all to yourself.
From mid-August, the crowds start to die down. The mountain starts to feel more like late summer than peak season.
September
The first half of August is still summer high season. School holidays across Europe, mean Zermatt is busy and there is a vibrant atmosphere in the village and on the mountain. Some of the easy to access points on the mountain (Gornergrat, Riffelsee, Leisee and Klein Matterhorn) can be croweded… but you really don’t need to venture far to find a hiking trail all to yourself.
From mid-August, the crowds start to die down. The mountain starts to feel more like late summer than peak season.
October
October is probably Zermatt’s quietest month. Town is quieter again with many hotels and restaurants closed, a short break before the winter season begins. The Sunnegga area is also closed, but Gornergrat and Klein Matterhorn remain open for hiking and sightseeing. Many of the mountain restaurants are also closed in October.
Keen skiers start appearing in October… hoping to get some early season turns in and getting excited for winter. The Furggsattel chairlift (at Trockener Steg) is the first lift beyond the summer ski area to open and thats usually around the second week in October, if conditions allow.
Town isn’t busy but you can feel the excitement building for winter and the chat will be all about skiing and what kind of a season lies ahead.