New data from MeteoSuisse has revealed which Swiss cities and cantons get the most sunshine. Though the weather in Switzerland proved a mixed bag in 2024, one town was still treated to over 2.000 hours of nothing but blue skies.

Warm temperatures did not translate into sunshine in Switzerland

In the report, MeteoSuisse noted that weather conditions in Switzerland in 2024 waxed and waned with the seasons. While it was the third hottest year on record, this warmth did not translate into a heap of sunshine. 

For instance, the spring was very dark, with some weather stations reporting the fewest hours of sunshine since records began. June and July were equally grey, but were followed by record-breaking sunshine in August.

Ticino bathes in over 2.000 hours of sun in 2024

In 2024, Locarno, Cimetta and Lugano in Canton Ticino enjoyed the most sunshine. The three Italian-Swiss cities bathed in between 2.019 and 2.062 hours of sunshine across the year, the equivalent of 86 full days of blue skies.

By contrast, the Glarus village of Elm was the least sunny place in Switzerland last year. The town only got 1.035 hours of sunshine, almost half of what was reported in Ticino. Vals (Valais) and Mottec (Graubünden) completed the bottom three, with less than 1.100 hours of sun each.

Which large Swiss city caught the most rays?

In terms of the largest Swiss cities, Geneva was the sunniest in 2024 with 1.693 hours. Pully - the closest measuring station to Lausanne - took second place (1.690 hours), followed by Bern (1.542), Basel (1.539), St. Gallen (1.511) and Zurich (1.508). Lucerne placed bottom, sporting only 1.370 hours of sunshine.

MeteoSuisse noted that there are many different reasons for one place having more sun than another. These include whether the town is cast in shadow by a mountain, whether the town lies to the north or south side of the Alps, and how prone the region is to cloud formation and rain. For example, the town of Oberterzen in Canton St. Gallen doesn't see sunshine for two and a half months every year because of the shadow cast by neighbouring peaks.