We are planning a trip for next year. Right now we are looking at the last week in Sept or the first week of Oct to be in Berlin for 3 days and then the Alps near Zurich for 3 days (around Engelberg possibly). What is the weather typically like at that time?

Thanks

One thing to add to the post...we are wanting to do some light hiking and take gondolas to a few peaks so we're hoping for cool sunny days and don't want snow.

I'll give it one ttt.

We were in Switzerland the last week of September this year and the weather was great -- warmer than we expected, never needing more than a sweater or light jacket in the cities. At higher elevations the temperature was cooler, near freezing, but sunny. We didn't encounter snow except, of course, the glaciers which are really ice. I don't know if this is the usual weather. Go prepared with layers, rain jacket and umbrella.

We were in Berlin the third week in OCtober 2007. The weather was cloudy and cool. We wore layers, with a wind breaker. I had a scarf and gloves and was glad I wore them when we did a four hour walking tour.

Of course it's impossible to predict weather but HISTORICALLY, the end of Sept and early Oct in those areas are cool, but not too cold and chances of heavy snow are rare. As for sun, hard to say really, in my experience living in Switzerland is that the chance of rain are always pretty good. Take a look at weatherbase.com for historical average temps and rainfall (this could of course be snowfall too). I think Berlin should be quite nice actually at that time, not warm but good touring weather with layers. The Alps are just going over to iffy weather at that time, as it is the shoulder season before winter really arrives, but the first week in October should be OK, certainly better than later in the month; you may get some clouds and fog, but should not get snow, at least not any significant amounts that will affect walking. It really will be a matter of luck more than anything. Fall is usually quite brief and usually is in September. Many mountain hotels close from about the second week in October until just before Christmas which gives you an idea of unpopularity of the area of the time, mostly due to iffy weather. The higher mountain pass roads like the Susten close as of October 1, but unless you are planning to hike at very high elevations, this generally should not affect your ability to enjoy lower elevation hikes. You could of course, be there for a heat wave, it's just a matter of luck and timing.

I agree on packing gloves and the hat, they don't take up much room but can make a big difference in staying warm.