Geneva and Bern, Switzerland Flower in Summer

Geneva and Bern are Switzerland’s top cannabis-friendly travel destinations, especially in the summer months when toking for the country’s estimated half million medical cannabis patients and recreational users go outdoors during this central European country’s short warm season.

In the ’90s and up until a famous bust in 2005, a loophole in Swiss law allowed hemp farmers to grow high-THC flowers (along with fiber and seeds for industrial and artisan hemp-based products).

But sadly, long gone are the days when tourists could just stroll through Switzerland’s urban centers or tiny medieval towns to find a “hemp shop” or “smoke shop.”

In 2013, cannabis possession (under 10 grams) was famously decriminalized. However, a recent announcement from Swiss officials this spring reveals the government is gearing up for a “pilot project” in four cities (Geneva, Bern, Zurich and Basel) to legally sell small amounts of medical cannabis to authorized patients.

Geneva (or Genève) is the mostly French speaking, yet multinational urban center (The UN and The Red Cross are headquartered here) as well as the country’s financial center. Situated at the very southern tip of Lake Geneva, where the mighty Rhone River empties, Geneva becomes almost like a beach zone in summer as city is surrounded by miles of lake-front parks. With sweeping views of The Alps and The Jura Mountains in the distance, locals and tourists alike relax, play and dip in these cold lake waters during summer’s hottest days.

Bern may be the capital of Switzerland, but it feels more like a village caught in a medieval time warp. Cannabis culture is very much alive in Bern, and politicians are even considering selling cannabis flowers and THC-laced products at pharmacies.

Tourism in Bern is at its peak in the summer months as this vibrant city is a designated UNESCO Cultural World Heritage Site. Not only does Bern boast one of the world’s first moving time clocks, but also one of the longest covered shopping promenades in Europe along with hundreds of other historic buildings, fountains, museums, parks and towers.

Fun-Filled Facts

–Bern is known in summer for perhaps the most fun and most unusual water recreation in Switzerland. Locals and tourists literally jump into the icy waters of the fast-flowing Aare River, which runs right through the town, and float down in a state of summertime bliss.

–Perhaps the best jazz music festival on the planet happens every summer (July 1-16) in nearby Montreux. An hour’s drive of Geneva along a breathtakingly scenic route of 45-mile-long Lac Leman, The Montreux Jazz Festival and its stunning shoreline location attracts tens of thousands of jazz lovers and some of the world’s top jazz musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Simply Red, Jean-Michel Jarre and Patti Smith.

If You Go

Switzerland famously decriminalized cannabis in 2012, which was implemented in October 2013, and allows for anyone 18+ to carry 10 grams or less of cannabis flowers. This important “federal” law unified Switzerland’s previous patchwork of regional policies. Caught with more than 10 grams (or selling any amount), stiff fines and potential prison time is enforced. Growing and selling cannabis is also illegal at the moment although Swiss farmers and cannabis advocates are battling against the pro-pharma system.

Time to Go: Summer

Weather: Light sweater weather with occasional showers

Budget: $$$$$