My wife and I will be in Lauterbrunnen mid-May. Want to know how we should dress. Is it cold there? We planned to be going up the mountains, so should we be geared up with Northface jackets and such? We are also touring Lucerne and Vevey, so we may need to bring warm to freezing weather clothes huh?!

Please make temperature references in Farenheit thanks!

Me too. I started this thread a while back. I'm bringing some warm clothes for higher elevations (gloves & hats) and lots of layers.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34745421

It is almost impossible to predict Swiss weather, and even more so in May and even more so in a valley town like Lauterbrunnen. If you look at weatherbase.com you will see that the average temp for May is 21 F, that is BELOW freezing. I have been in May several times (against my will and better judgement but with visiting friends) and have not found Lauterbrunnen to be actually freezing. It has however, been quite cool (mid 40s F), rainy and foggy every time I have gone there in May, which was 2002, 2004 and 2005. This really is NOT a good time to be in the mountain areas, but if you have no choice, bring a lined raincoat, hat, gloves, waterproof shoes, an umbrella and layers to take on and off depending on the day. You could of course luck out a get very warm and sunny days, it does happen (I am sure people will post of this experience). You need to be prepared for all kinds of weather. Of course the minute you get up into the higher elevations for sightseeing, temps will drop so bring warm clothing. Remember that for every 1,000 feet in elevation, temps will drop by about 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit. There will definately be a good bit of snow up in the mountains, so heavier gear would not be amiss, although you probably won't spend a lot of time up there, as opportunities for walking will be limited in May, it is too early for sping walking and too late for winter walking. (The elevation given for Lauterbrunnen on weatherbase.com does not appear to be correct, as that would be higher than the top of the Jungfrau.)

You will find Vevey and the Lake Geneva area more temperate, still a bit brown, but much more enjoyable, IMO.

We cancelled our planned stay in the BO area in 2004 because of the kind of weather Cicerone described. We ended up going to Locarno in the Ticino area and having much warmer weather, though we did have some rain.

If you do go to Locarno, the train trip from Vevey, via Brig and Domodossola is very scenic. The last leg in particular, from Domodossola to Locarno via the Centovalli train, is wonderful--especially if you sit on the right side. Bring a camera!