Season guide · Geneva · Switzerland
Geneva in autumn
September–November: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: That1RandomHuman, CC BY 4.0
Quick answer
Settled September, the grape harvest and autumn colour, then greyer days and the bise wind. Expect highs up to 21°C (70°F) and lows around 3°C (37°F), with about 28 rainy days across September–November. September is among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- September–November
- Temperatures
- 3°C (37°F) to 21°C (70°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 28
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in autumn
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 21°C (70°F) | 11°C (52°F) | 8 | 12.5 h | 3/5 |
| October | 15°C (59°F) | 7°C (45°F) | 10 | 10.8 h | 3/5 |
| November | 9°C (48°F) | 3°C (37°F) | 10 | 9.4 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 15°C (59°F) against a yearly 15°C (59°F), and 28 of the year's roughly 109 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
What's on in autumn
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- September: Jeûne genevois — local public holiday when bakeries sell plum tarts (Thursday after the first Sunday of September)
- November: Geneva International Film Festival (usually early November)
Good choices for autumn
Museum · Old Town
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
Geneva's largest museum covers archaeology, applied arts and fine art from antiquity to the 20th century.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Meyrin
CERN Science Gateway
Reserve a free guided tour or lab workshop online if you want more than the exhibitions.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Nations
Musée Ariana
The Swiss museum of ceramics and glass occupies an Italianate building completed in 1884 beside the UN, with collections spanning centuries of European and Asian porcelain, pottery and glass under a domed central hall.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Eaux-Vives
Natural History Museum
Start with the ground-floor dioramas of Swiss animals, which young children enjoy most.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Neighbourhood · Old Town
Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four
The Old Town's lanes lead to Place du Bourg-de-Four, the city's oldest square, on the site of a Roman forum.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Day trips in autumn
- Lavaux vineyards (About 50 minutes by train) — UNESCO-listed terraced vineyards rise steeply above the lake between Lausanne and Montreux.
- Annecy (About 1 hour by bus) — Across the French border, Annecy's old town has canals, flower-hung bridges and the island prison of the Palais de l'Isle, beside a clear Alpine lake popular for swimming and cycling.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is autumn a good time to visit Geneva?
Yes: September is among the best months. Settled September, the grape harvest and autumn colour, then greyer days and the bise wind.
+What is the weather like in Geneva in autumn?
Highs of up to 21°C (70°F) and lows around 3°C (37°F), with about 28 rainy days over the season.