What part of Switzerland do they speak French?

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Mr Who

The other persons haven't replied to your answer yet. So, please, here it is: It's the Western cantons (=states) of Switzerland where French is spoken. Some well known towns there are Geneva, Lausanne, Fribourg. Check here to get a graphical impression of the language situation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Switzerland (if the link doesn't open which it just did a moment ago, toggle "Linguistic geography of Switzerland" in Wiki's search window).

You'll see there, too, that Zurich (although my home town, don't miss it out should you be in the country - it has just recently be awarded the title "city with the highest living quality in the world") is definitely not French speaking. Oops.. Zurich is in the yellow part of the Wiki-map and not marked there. Sorry.

As for the weather:

Switzerland definitely experiences seasons -- winter can bring a fair amount of snow while summer can be sunny and sultry but the weather is rarely extreme. Temperaures in summer can climb to the 30sÂ°C (90sÂ°F) or even mid 30sÂ°C (mid 90sÂ°F). The Italian region, which includes popular destinations like Locarno, Lugano, and Bellinzona, can be more mediterranean (as evidenced by the palm trees and colorful birds that you'll see). The French region is a bit more temperate while the areas in the north tend to be about 10 degrees Fahrenheit cooler in general. Early summer (June) or fall is probably the best time to experience Switzerland, as the weather is comfortable and there arenâ€™t as many tourists as there are during the summer (or the winter in the ski regions). September can be quite rainy, but October offers sunny weather with temperatures on their 20sÂ°C (70sÂ°F), which is perfect for hiking in the Alps even in high altitude.

Depending on when and where you go, the weather in Switzerland can vary greatly due to drastic altitude differences. High in the Swiss mountains, the weather tends to be much cooler than expected so bring a warm jacket, extra layers, and pants even in the summer if you plan on visiting any of the major mountains. Some areas, like Les Diablerets and Zermatt, are cold enough that they are open for skiing even in the summer (though skiing Zermatt is certainly not recommended for newbies). (see http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g188045-s208/Switzerland:Weather.And.When.To.Go.html)

Servette

Summer in Switzerland is like East Coast of USA. Four seasons. Especially in the middle of Switzerland (geographically), which is flat between the Alps and the Jura.

French is spoken in Western Switzerland; Cantons (States) of Geneva, Vaud, Fribourg, Jura, Neuchatel and part of Wallis and Bern.

madonna_toller

In ZÃ¼rich they speak swiss german. The region where french is spoken is called "Suisse Romande" eg in Geneva,Lausanne, Neuchatel etc.

lananas1988

Switzerland in August will not be cold, it's actually one of the best times to go in my opinion because it's warm and sunny, usually. The main language in Zurich is German, not French, but nearly everyone speaks it of course, just not as a first language. Areas where French is the main language are places like Geneva, Montreux, Rougemont, Gruyeres, and the entire south western section of Switzerland, near France.
*The end of September in Switzerland gets chilly, and thecold starts toarrive in October. The extreme cold however usually starts in November, and lasts until March.

zafir

Zurich is the German-speaking area.

French-speaking Switzerland is the West - South West area eg Geneva, Lausanne, Leysin etc.

An easy way get an idea of the language is to look at a map of Switzerland. Towns in the German-speaking areas have Germanic names; in the Italian area, Italian names like Lugano etc.

August is mid-Summer, hard to understand how you might think this time of year could be ridiculously cold.

Goddess of Grammar

What Madonna_toller said, but let me add that it's not ridiculously cold in August in Zurich or anywhere other than the mountaintops. But it's usually not very hot anymore either.

Zurich is a bad enough place to learn German, let alone French. Most people speak English to me (my French is pretty good, my German is occasionally comprehensible but I guess painful to listen to, but I don't speak Swiss-German which would be their first choice). Geneva I think is also very full of English-speakers, Lausanne less so. Jura is the hotbed of French. It's also quite beautiful. Or the Bas-Valais, around Martigny.

swizzincali

Switzerland is a small country so you can travel a lot! :-) In August it's usually pretty warm! :-) they speak french most in the french part of switzerland, and the nice cities there to go ate lausanne, montreux, geneva! I would recommend montreux it is beautiful! Zurich they speak schwizer deutsch! :-) but you will find people everywhere in switzerland that talk english, french, german, italian! most people do talk english! :-) Have fun and enjoy your trip!

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