4 Unique Autumn Activities To Do In Switzerland

As I have gotten older, I find myself wanting to dive into all experiences related to a particular season. I feel like each season brings something new and has its own unique thing. In the winter, it’s Advent season. Christmas is in the air and it’s the best time to travel for winter sun. In the spring, everything is blooming and it’s the perfect time to start gardening. Summertime is the opportunity to say yes. Spend more time outside, go to festivals and lifestyle events. Then, autumn arrives. It brings vibrant-coloured trees, its own seasonal fruits and vegetables like the other seasons. It is still warm to be outside and enjoy more nature activities before we slide into winter and hibernate.

I never took advantage of all the autumn activities that were available to me when I was younger. Luckily, I don’t have any regrets because I have the opportunity and the money to do them all as an adult. My goal this season was to indulge in all things autumn and to continue that pattern for the upcoming seasons.

One of the advantages of living in Switzerland is that each city and town still hold their unique regional ties, customs and traditions very close to the chest. Most times, it is very difficult to find out about any activity that is happening unless you live in the area or know about it. Fortunately for me and for you, I discover new methods that keeps me in the loop about pretty much everything that is happening. If it wasn’t for these methods, I most likely wouldn’t have been able to do all the activities that I wanted this autumn season.

Finding Unique Activities in Switzerland

Whenever I start to plan my calendar for the upcoming season, I always check these two websites first. I find that they list most of the unique activities in Switzerland. The first site is loisirs.ch which tends to lean more towards those with families. However, I have found quite a lot of activities on there that cater to anyone. Through this website, I was able to find some rare activities such as indoor skydiving and game rooms. All of those have been placed into my solo dates jar. It’s a great website to discover a range of activities from wellness to unique staycations spots across the country.

The second site that I use to discover regional festivals across the country is myswitzerland.com. They have definitely made it more user-friendly in the couple of years. I remember it being very difficult to navigate at one point. Most, if not all, of the autumn activities that I have listed in this post were found through the website. There is a sub-section titled ‘Events’ under the section ‘Discover’, that lists all of the events and festivals happening across the country within the next month. Having that view alongside with the map of Switzerland makes visualising the location a lot easier for planning purposes than just reading the names.

The last method that I use to discover even more unique events is to pay attention to the billboards outside and the posters on metro. Surprisingly, the ads on Instagram have some hidden gems in them too. All of the symphony orchestra concerts and musicals that I go to, I find them on Instagram. Then, I verify them via Google.

Unique Chestnut Festival in Fully

I don’t even eat chestnuts regularly. The only thing I remember about them from my childhood was playing conker matches with them in primary school. In 2019, I found myself headed to Fully in the Valais to attend a chestnut festival. La Fête de la Châtaigne takes place annually on the second weekend of October. The village transforms itself into marketplace and food court with chestnut inspired products, stalls, music, and various attractions. I don’t remember much from my first visit but I did try my first chestnut! It’s definitely a great festival to explore more of the regional customs in the Valais.

Jucker Farm in Seegräben

Jucker Farm is a Swiss agrotourism company, agriculture producer and distributor that is based in Eastern Switzerland in Seegräben. Each year from September to November, this farm and their secondary farm Bächlihof Jona near Rapperswil, hold the biggest pumpkin festival in Switzerland. After five years of wanting to go, I went to the Seegräben location last month as a day trip. In addition to trying pumpkin-inspired foods, they also have a pumpkin exhibition based on a theme. This year’s theme was Big Cinema. I recently learnt that the theme is split between both farms. If you are planning to go next year, I would suggest spending a weekend in Zurich to see the whole exhibition.

Unique Gourmet Walks

This was a rare and great find. I had missed out on Caves Ouvertes in 2021 and I was searching for others taking place during the end of the summer. Then, I stumbled on the activity known as a balade gourmande (gourmet walk). It is a pedestrian walk of maybe 5 to 6km marked by gastronomic stations that awakens your senses. Most of them are located near vineyards and/or hiking trails. These gastronomic stations have regional dishes and wines depending on the locations that you choose. For your senses, you have the panoramic view of the vineyards, lake and mountains. Taste and smell is for the food and the wines. Hearing is for the music played and conversations throughout the walk. For touch, the small breeze of the wind and the caress of the sun.

This has become a tradition for me to kick off that transitional period between summer and autumn. The two gourmet walks that I have been to, have happened either end of August or mid-September. Most of them that happen in the French-speaking part of the country take place in September. The first one was in Mont-sur-Rolle and the second one was in Arnex-sur-Orbe.

Geneva International Film Festival

Did you know that Geneva had an international film festival? Neither did I and I stumbled on it online while I was recovering from being sick just days after the event started. The only film festivals that I had heard about in Switzerland were Locarno and Zurich, so I was equally surprised to discover that there was one in the heart of Geneva. It has become one of the major events in Europe and is Geneva’s oldest film festival. The festival happens every year over the course of ten days with a series of experiences focused on sound, image and narration.

I’m so happy that I found this event when I did because I got to meet a filmmaker that inspires and empowers me. The one and only Ava Duvernay! She is so wholesome and friendly in person. When I went early November 2024, I went to watch the screening of Middle of Nowhere with Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo and Omari Hardwick. It was an intense, emotional and sensitive movie. If you enjoy film festivals or want to immerse yourself into the arts and culture season, I’d recommend adding this to your list of autumn activities.

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I hope this post has inspired you to make autumn as magical as possible by discovering new events and activities happening around you. I hope to share more activities that I find each season so you can add them to your Switzerland itinerary if you decide to visit. Thank you for reading and share this with a friend that might be interested. Make sure to hit that subscribe button to join the community and never miss out on a post. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more powerlifting and wellness content.

Until next time,

Folakemi