Travel report: The great cycling vacation in Switzerland
From our guest Marco
Lake Constance
Day 1: Individual journey to Constance
In mid-June 2021, I took the train from my home in Switzerland to Constance on Lake Constance. I took a coronavirus test near the train station, which I needed to check into the hotel. I then walked to my hotel and dropped off my luggage. I then took the train to the Radweg-Reisen bike rental shop. I was given an e-bike there and everything to do with e-bikes was explained and set up. I then took the e-bike to the island of Mainau, where I marveled at the plants and spent the whole afternoon. In the evening, I visited the city of Constance and sat by Lake Constance in great weather.
Show more Show lessDay 2: Constance - Schaffhausen, approx. 50 km
I set off from the hotel at 08:00 and headed towards Schaffhausen. After a short time, I crossed the national border and reached Kreuzlingen. From there, I cycled partly on the main road along Lake Constance towards Stein am Rhein. I found the small old town worth a short stopover. I continued on the German side of the Rhine towards Schaffhausen. Once I arrived in Schaffhausen, I drove straight to the Rhine Falls. With the voucher I received for a boat trip to the Rhine Falls, I was able to get really close to the huge masses of water. It's a wonderful place and well worth a visit. In the evening, I strolled through Schaffhausen and spent some time by the Rhine. The Munot fortress high above Schaffhausen is a must-see for me in Schaffhausen.
Rhine Falls Schaffhausen
Day 3: Schaffhausen - Zurich, approx. 65 km
After a hearty breakfast in the stately hotel, we set off on route 2 towards Eglisau. The cycle path leads through beautiful natural landscapes and is slightly uphill in places. From Eglisau we continued in the direction of Zurich. As far as Affoltern, the whole route is on a cycle path without many cars. From Affoltern to the hotel in the center of Zurich, you have to be careful as there is a lot of traffic and intersections. I pushed the bike in some of the more dangerous places. Once I arrived at the modern and beautifully furnished hotel near the main train station, I immediately headed to Lake Zurich, through the city and later to the botanical gardens. I spent the sunny evening hours on the busy shores of Lake Zurich.
Day 4: Zurich - Pfäffikon - Einsiedeln, approx. 35 km + train ride
Today's stage led directly along the Gold Coast on Lake Zurich for the entire route. The lake was always in view and the vineyards were a constant companion along the way. The only downside was that most of the cycle path runs along the main road. However, it was always worth making a stop at the lake on the rather short cycle route to jump into the water or enjoy the view. After a longer break on the shore of Lake Zurich in Rapperswil, I crossed the Seedamm and switched from the north to the south shore in the direction of Pfäffikon SZ. With the train ticket included, I made my way up to Einsiedeln. In Einsiedeln, the huge monastery and the ski jump caught my eye. I spent the late afternoon at Lake Sihlsee.
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Einsiedeln Monastery
Lake Zurich
Day 5: Einsiedeln - Lucerne, approx. 75 km
I set off early in the morning up the Chatzenstrick. From there, I had a great view over Einsiedeln and the surrounding mountains. I headed downhill along a bumpy gravel path. I continued through a beautiful landscape towards Sattel. From there, I mostly continued along Lake Aegeri until I reached Unterägeri. Without stopping in Unterägeri, I continued through the Lorzentobel. I really liked the Lorzentobel as it is a beautiful landscape and the cycle path in the ravine was good, even though it wasn't asphalt. Leaving the ravine, the town of Zug on Lake Zug was not far away. There I enjoyed my lunch by the lake and cycled along the right bank of the lake towards Küssnacht am Rigi. The route led directly along the lake and the view was beautiful. After a quick dip in Lake Zug, I got back on my bike to arrive at my next overnight stop in Lucerne in the late afternoon. In the evening, I enjoyed the city of Lucerne and visited some beautiful places.
Day 6: Lucerne - Giswil - Brienz - Interlaken, approx. 65 km + train ride
Day 6 began in Lucerne and my destination was Interlaken. I cycled along Lake Lucerne to Stansstad. After a few photo and drink breaks at Lake Lucerne, I cycled to Sarnen. From there I continued to Giswil. There I took the train to get over the Brünig Pass. During the train ride, I was able to enjoy the wonderful view and relax. The highlight was Lake Lungern with its crystal blue water. Once I arrived in Brienz on Lake Brienz, I cycled through the village. I then headed along the southern shore to the Giessbach Falls. The path there was very steep and it takes a lot of stamina to get there. But it was well worth it to see the Giessbach Falls. I walked up quite high to get a beautiful view over Lake Brienz and to admire the waterfall from above. I continued downhill to Iseltwald. With the day's destination in sight and the lake in view, the last few kilometers passed by quickly. Once we arrived in Interlaken, we first went to the hotel and later took the bus back to the lake to round off the Saturday evening. As it was quite warm and sunny, there was a lot going on at the lake.
Day 7: Interlaken - Thun - Bern, approx. 35 km + boat trip
As the first boat didn't leave for Thun until 12.00 noon, I had the morning to see Interlaken. As it was foggy and I had already been to the local mountain Harder Kulm - the view is fantastic when the weather is nice - I decided to take a short tour of the town before heading to Lake Thun. The view over the lake and the quiet morning hours were very relaxing and gave me energy for the second half of the trip. At 11.00 a.m. I headed back to Interlaken to the landing stage. I took my booked boat ticket and boarded the ship. I really enjoyed the 2-hour boat trip across Lake Thun. When I arrived in Thun, I cycled through the town. After a short while, I saw that the sky was getting darker and I decided to continue on to Bern. As soon as I set off, the heavy rain and some lightning started. It was the end of the world, but I liked the weather so much that I drove all the way to Bern without stopping. Until then I had been very lucky with the weather. I arrived at the hotel in Bern in the late afternoon, completely soaked. As it practically rained through to the night, I stayed in the hotel, with one brief exception.
Day 8: Bern - Biel, approx. 50 km
Today started dry again. I took my time to see the city of Bern. I cycled past the Bundeshaus, went to the Bärengraben, visited the Botanical Gardens and much more. At around 10.30 a.m. I left the city of Bern and entered a beautiful wooded area. I continued along the River Aare until I reached the Mühleberg nuclear power plant. From there, the cycle path continued to Aarberg. Once there, it wasn't far to Lake Biel, where I spent my lunch break. On the eastern side of Lake Biel, I cycled comfortably to Biel. When I arrived at the modern hotel in the heart of Biel, I was given a very warm welcome. Most of the staff in the bilingual town spoke German or made an effort to speak German. After a short stay in my hotel room, I went to see the town and went to the lake again. Towards the evening, rain was forecast again and I went back to the hotel.
Day 9: Biel - Solothurn, approx. 30 km
A shorter bike ride was on the agenda with approx. 30 kilometers. The day started with light rain, but the weather improved as the morning progressed. The cycle path led along the Aare again today. After a while, I reached a nature reserve in a wooded area. I got off my bike and visited the reserve on foot. There were various birds, other animals and plants to see. Back on the bike, I headed towards Solothurn. The Jura mountains could be admired on the left and the Aare ran to the right. I reached the town of Solothurn shortly after midday. Here, too, I went on a sightseeing tour of the most beautiful baroque town in Switzerland. Then I went to the hotel. A special room awaited me, as the room was unusually long for a hotel room. I rested here and rounded off the day.
Day 10: Solothurn - Aarau, approx. 60 km
The 9th stage took me from Solothurn via Olten to Aarau. From Solothurn, I cycled along the Aare towards Wangen an der Aare. I continued on and a few kilometers later reached the village of Aarwangen, where Aarwangen Castle is the main attraction. The castle can be seen from afar. I continued for around 17 kilometers in fine weather to the village of Aarburg. A rare natural wonder could be observed there, as part of the Aare's water flows backwards. I had now completed a good two-thirds of today's bike ride. My next stop was in the old town of Olten. I had lunch by the Aare and then made my way to Aarau. I reached the town of Aarau in the early afternoon. After a good hour and a half of sightseeing, I went to the hotel. I really liked the family-run hotel and restaurant. It's close to the city center, so I went back into town in the evening.
Day 11: Aarau - Zurich, approx. 60 km
The day started with a lot of rain. I waited at the hotel for around an hour, hoping that the weather would improve and the rain would let up. It didn't and so I just cycled through the rain. The route took me through a lot of forest paths. The canton of Aargau is known as Switzerland's moated castle, as many rivers come together here. However, I concentrated more on riding through the rain and saw little of the rivers. After a good hour, I reached Brugg. Until then, Habsburg Castle, which can be seen from afar, was the highlight of the trip. From Brugg, I left the Aare after a few days and now cycled along the Reuss to Baden. In the meantime, it had stopped raining and the sun was shining. I put on my spare clothes and was now dry for the rest of the day. The route took me along the Limmat along country lanes to Lake Chatzesee. From there, I continued through the urban jungle of Zurich until I reached the hotel. It was the same as day 3.
Day 12: Individual departure
After breakfast, I dropped the bike off at the hotel and set off on my journey home with great memories.
Show more Show lessMy summary of the cycle tour:
I really enjoyed my cycling vacation in Switzerland. Although I live in Switzerland and have already seen a few places, I was able to discover and admire many new places for me. I found the two routes from Einsiedeln to Lucerne and the following day to Interlaken the most beautiful. The whole trip takes you past bodies of water again and again and the routes are easy to manage on an e-bike anyway and not too long or too short for me. I can only recommend doing a trip like this by bike. I was very lucky with the weather and was only rained on a little. All the hotels I stayed in were very good and I had nothing to complain about. The travel documents from Radweg-Reisen were also excellent, as was the service from the bike rental company.
