With the weather warming, the dark nights receding and the school holidays either looming large or having already arrived, families and individuals across the country will be planning their next getaway. For inspiration, Airbnb and Hotelplan have revealed the most popular places for people in Switzerland to visit for the spring and summer of 2024.

Swiss holidaymakers opting for the countryside over beaches

Writing in the report, Airbnb noted that following the enthusiasm for sun, sea and sand in 2023, people’s preferences for holidays in 2024 have shifted towards cities and the countryside. This year, “Holidays in more rural regions are particularly popular at the moment…The number of overnight stays booked in accommodation in the countryside has increased by 30 percent compared to the previous year,” the report explained.

For short breaks in the spring, the website found that any location by a lake or up a mountain is a favourite among the Swiss, especially places where the landscape is visible from the hotel. Interlaken, Canton Bern and Ascona in Ticino were the two favourites for short spring trips within Switzerland itself, alongside some Swiss ski resorts like Arosa Lenzerheide and Andermatt.

Barcelona and Sardinia remain Switzerland's favourite spring destinations

Looking further afield, the favourite spring destinations for people in Switzerland in 2024 are the Spanish cultural hub of Barcelona and the azure waters of the Italian island of Sardinia. However, Istanbul in Türkiye has seen the biggest boost in popularity this year, with Switzerland-based searches for hotels in the city increasing by 300 percent compared to 2023. With its stunning Hagia Sophia, lively Bazaars, Ottoman palaces and captivating museums, it’s easy to see why.

Trips to Turin, Milan and Genoa in Italy and Seville in Spain were also some of the top searched destinations for springtime. 

Where are people planning to visit this summer?

Already setting your sights on summer? According to the annual report from Hotel booking platform Hotelplan, the most booked holiday destinations from Switzerland last year were the United States, Canada and Thailand for long-distance destinations, and Spain, Greece and Türkiye for short-haul holidays.

Writing to the newspaper Watson, Airbnb added that fears of another scorching, heatwave-fueled summer have led people in Switzerland to look away from southern Europe and book summer holidays in cooler, more northerly destinations. As a result, Bergen, Oslo (Norway), Edinburgh (Scotland), Copenhagen (Denmark), Brittany (France), Dublin (Ireland) and Prague (Czechia) are all very popular destinations to book this summer.

However, at the same time, the hotspots of Spain like Ibiza and the Canaries also remain well-subscribed among people living in the alpine nation. What’s more, once summer ends and autumn arrives, sun-scorched Mediterranean cities also become increasingly popular.