Picnic and hiking season in Switzerland

Switzerland is famous for its beautiful scenery

Families and friends get together for excursions and usually bring a picnic or food to BBQ on their hike. However, there are a few things to take into consideration before you start out on your hike.

There are designated picnic and BBQ spots throughout Switzerland, usually indicated by signs

It is advisable to use these spots because they are chosen with the best interest in mind: the scenery is usually overwhelmingly beautiful and the BBQ spots provide wood for your campfire. These spots are also looked after regularly and restocked with firewood. Collecting wood in forests can bring imbalance to the forests life cycle. Insects, plants and fungi live in and on tree barks and branches and depend on them for survival.

If you want to pick a non designated spot for your picnic, try and find a place near a river bank or lake. The grass doesn't grow very tall there and you can cool off your tired feet in the refreshing water. Not to mention you can cool your drinks in the water too.

We advise you to NOT pick a spot where the grass or field grows tall

These are usually cultivated meadows and the grass is used for hay production. You can find more information on where and where not to picnic online on each cantons website. There are certain periods of the year when grazing areas and grasslands are not allowed to be entered.

Speaking of self-education: before you collect seeds or pick flowers, make sure you know that this is not a protected species.

If you hike with your dog, make sure you collect his faeces. Cows and goats are roaming around and could get ill eating it. The same applies to your waste. Make sure you do not leave any waste around so the animals won't eat it and also to not spoil the environment.

Keeping all this in mind, we encourage you to go out and discover Switzerland in all its beauty.