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Where to go in October / Switzerland in October / Eastern Switzerland & Graubünden / October

Switzerland · Mountains

Eastern Switzerland & Graubünden
in October.

Illustration of Landwasser Viaduct near Filisur from the forested hillside viewpoint
Landwasser Viaduct, GraubündenDestination view, not month-specific.

Is October a good time?

Temperature unit

Mild days.
Fewer overnight stays than September.

October averages 60°F afternoons, with about 10 rain days. Later October is typically cooler.

Afternoons
60°F
Rain days
10
Visitor demand
43%of February peak

Historical Ostschweiz regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers St. Moritz, Davos and St. Gallen; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.0/10 · scores & priorities

This weather score measures sightseeing comfort. Snow and ski conditions need a separate check.

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#5 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather6.5/10Good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
CostExpensivefor Europe; Switzerland-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your October

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 60°F (16°C): light layers; nights around 42°F (6°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 10 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 11 hours of daylight.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 11 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:38Sunset 18:3742°F60°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:38 and sets about 18:37 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 42°F (6°C); afternoons reach about 60°F (16°C). Expect rain on about 10 days in a typical October.

Typical afternoon
60°F (16°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Octobers
Night low
42°F (6°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
10h 59m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late October?

Early October is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 64°F on the 1st, versus 56°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency falls from 38% to 33% between those dates.

Early October 1 October

64°F

Typical afternoon high

38% historical wet-day frequency

Mid October 15 October

60°F

Typical afternoon high

31% historical wet-day frequency

Late October 31 October

56°F

Typical afternoon high

33% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Daily calendar & holiday datesOctober 2026 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

October 2026 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
164°263°363°463°
562°662°762°861°961°1061°1161°
1261°1361°1461°1560°1660°1760°1860°
1960°2060°2160°2259°2359°2459°2559°
2658°2758°2857°2957°3056°3156°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons cool from about 63°F (17°C) in the first week to 57°F (14°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 30–38%.

Some schools here are off between 1 and 31 October 2026 (autumn holidays); the dates differ across the region. Elsewhere in October 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 45%, Germany 33%, Netherlands 39%, Belgium 15%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. October averages 43% of February's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than September.

Overnight stays across Ostschweiz do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

About usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Switzerland as a whole
Well above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 171 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

Year-to-year variation

How much does October vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 56°F (13°C) and 66°F (19°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 60°F (16°C). Rain days ranged from 6 to 15; half the years had 8–12.

Rain days in each October

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 8 rain days820112012: 8 rain days82013: 12 rain days122014: 10 rain days102015: 10 rain days102016: 10 rain days102017: 10 rain days102018: 6 rain days62019: 15 rain days152020: 15 rain days152021: 7 rain days72022: 11 rain days112023: 11 rain days112024: 13 rain days132025: 10 rain days102025
Rain days
10
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 14 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
3 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no October in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
16 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded OctoberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201158°F8
201259°F8
201360°F12
201462°F10
201557°F10
201656°F10
201760°F10
201861°F6
201962°F15
202056°F15
202158°F7
202266°F11
202365°F11
202462°F13
202557°F10

Checked against 25 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

September, October
or November?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs February peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsSepOctNov
Afternoons68°F60°F49°F
Rain days101010
Overnight demand56%43%17%

September: Warmer afternoons than October. More overnight demand. September guide →

November: Cooler afternoons than October. Less overnight demand. November guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with October Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. October stays as your reference.

June to September have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than October, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

October or September?

Overnight stays are 56% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest about usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the September guide →
October compared with another month
Typical conditionsOctoberSeptember
Afternoons60°F68°F
Nights42°F49°F
Rain days1010
Visitor seasonModerate seasonModerate season
Overall / 106.06.3
Month rank#5#4
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January3.9#1140°F26°F123.9Busy season
February3.7#1244°F27°F84.6Peak season
March5.0#952°F32°F105.7Busy season
April6.4#359°F38°F106.5Low season
May6.5#165°F46°F146.8Low season
June6.4#274°F54°F137.8Moderate season
July5.8#776°F56°F148.1Busy season
August5.7#876°F55°F128.0Peak season
September6.3#468°F49°F107.8Moderate season
October6.0#560°F42°F106.5Moderate season
November5.9#649°F34°F104.9Low season
December4.6#1042°F28°F144.2Moderate season

Near here

Nearby places in October

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better October weather than Eastern Switzerland & Graubünden

Eastern Switzerland & Graubünden's weather ranks 23 of 28 mountain regions this month. These mountain regions outside Switzerland have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Eastern Switzerland & Graubünden.

All of Switzerland in October · Everywhere in October

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's moderate season, 43% of the busiest month and 24% below its average month. That means about 25,000 overnight visitors on a typical October night across the region, 79% of them from Switzerland itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 2,800 more: 11 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)68
How our weather was checked25 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 2°F (0.9°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day20
Busiest month hereFebruary · 47
Visitors as share of people present2.0%
Rank among Europe's regions this month76th percentile
Domestic share of nights79%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights11
Visitor share if every platform night were extra2.2%
National hotel-price seasonSwitzerland historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (−2% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used1.3 million
Statistical regionCH05 · Ostschweiz

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.