While summer is certainly the season during which the Swiss alpine landscape is at its best, autumn is definitely no less! Indeed, in October, the forests are clothed in the thousand colours of autumn foliage, from red to ochre, yellow to brown, giving the landscape an extra touch of charm and a slight veil of melancholy. We love this season of the year, when summer is already behind us but it is still too early for winter sports. And the best way to savour Fall and its colours in Switzerland is to choose one of the many hiking trails and walk them at a relaxed pace on a beautiful sunny day. So here are 5 routes for you to explore the golden season!
We love... the fall colours in Switzerland!
1. Flims, from Lake Cauma to Lake Cresta
The area around Flims, in the Grisons, is a very popular hiking destination in Switzerland. The beauty and variety of the surrounding landscape and the presence of some true natural gems, such as Lake Cauma and Lake Cresta, make Flims a recommended destination at any season of the year. We visited this area in Autumn, when the red, orange and yellow of the trees is perfectly combined with the blue and turquoise of the lakes, making the landscape even more fascinating. The area is also famous for the presence of one of the most magnificent landscapes of the Alps: the beautiful Rhine Gorge, which can be discovered by yourself on foot or by bicycle through one of the many hiking or biking trails in the area.
2. Graubünden, from Falera to Laax
Together with Engadin and St. Moritz, the area of Laax and Falera is probably one of the most visited. However, many visitors are attracted here by the amazing colors of the Caumasee and Crestasee in Flims, or by the magnificence of the Rhine Gorge, and often overlook Laax and Falera, which are worth a visit for their easy access and the authentic experience they can offer to the visitors. We chose to explore these areas in Autumn, during a weekend in Flims. If the first day of our stay was entirely dedicated to the discovery of the two popular city lakes of Cauma and Cresta, the second day we didn’t miss an easy walk through the woods from the small town of Falera to Laax. An excursion that surprised us for the beauty of the landscape and for the quietness that accompanied us during the whole path.
Would you like to use our hiking map?
For a safe hike, it is important to have the support of maps and GPS. That’s why we plan and track all our hiking routes using Outdooractive, a platform for tracking outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling and more. By subscribing for free to the website you can browse the entire route database, copy our routes, edit them and create your own and of course share them with friends.
If instead you want to know why you should sign up for a PRO or PRO+ subscription and why we have already done it, we have told you about it here along with 5 other essential apps for hiking in Switzerland.
3. The Jucker Farm and the pumpkin exhibition
We want to tell you about one of the most popular and eagerly awaited events in the Zurich area: the pumpkin exhibition – Kürbisausstellung in German – at Jucker Farm. The pumpkin is certainly the star here: harvested from the local fields, the different varieties of brightly coloured pumpkins are used to prepare groceries to be sold in the shop and dishes to be served to guests in the restaurant, but also to make small objects of art and, above all, impressive sculptures that are beautifully displayed in the farm’s courtyard. The farm is located in an elevated position on the shores of Lake Pfäffikon – just outside Zurich – and is easily accessible by public transport, combined with a pleasant walk around the lake.
4. Vierwaldstätterweg, from Weggis to Küssnacht
The Vierwaldstätterweg is a hiking trail that runs along Lake Lucerne – from Brunnen to Rütli – passing through the “City of Lights”. The total length is over 115 km, normally divided into 7 stages. It is therefore perfect for a multi-day hike as well as for individual day stages. In this article, we tell you about our itinerary from Weggis to Küssnacht am Rigi, a section of the entire Vierwaldstätterweg easily reached from Lucerne, which is absolutely scenic and perfect for quietly and effortlessly savoring the autumn atmosphere, when the red, ochre and yellow of the forests makes a contrast to the blue and turquoise of the lake.
5. Lake Brienz, from Iseltwald to the Giessbach Waterfall
After Lake Lungern, Lake Brienz is certainly one of the most popular in Switzerland and among foreign tourists. Its turquoise waters and the enchanting mountain scenery that surrounds it – rich with hiking trails and historical routes to discover – make it a perfect destination for all seasons of the year. In this article we want to tell you about one of the most interesting stretches of coastline on the entire lake: the route from the small village of Iseltwald – with its charming “castle,” one of the most photographed attractions in the entire area – to the impressive Giessbach waterfall with their enchanting water features. The area is certainly at its best during Autumn, when the forests are clothed in dozens of shades of yellow, ochre and red and the waterfalls are shrouded in a light mist that on sunny days gives some unexpected rainbows.
Advertising note: this article contains affiliate links from our partners. Through affiliations, we give you the opportunity to access promotions and offers, often in advance or exclusively, for the purchase of products and services. At the same time, if you choose to buy from one of our partners, you will support our blog and help us to keep it open. Our opinions about the recommended products or our purchase advices are not influenced by the partnerships. If you want to know more about the way we handle advertising on this blog, you can visit this page.
