The most beautiful bike tours in Switzerland – these are my top 7

Switzerland is a cycling country – I know that at least since our first multi-day bike tour around Lake Lucerne, which we undertook in spring 2019. At that time, I was able to see how well Switzerland can be discovered on two wheels.

In the meantime, we tackle new bike tours every year: from crisp, hilly bike routes over the foothills of the Alps to leisurely, flat bike tours along waters, which are also suitable for families or (yet) not so experienced cyclists.

In this blog post, I’ll give you an overview of the – in my opinion – most beautiful bike tours we have completed in recent years. There is usually a detailed blog post for the individual routes, where the individual daily stages as well as the route guidance are described.

Before we start, a short preliminary remark: You will notice that most of the bike routes presented are multi-day tours. But that doesn’t mean you have to take two to three days at a time. You can also complete individual stages by bike or e-bike. Thanks to trains and ships, you can often get back to the starting point without any problems.

1. La Route Verte: multi-day bike tour through the green landscape of the Jura

The Route Verte, a joint project of the six nature parks of the Jura Arc, leads over seven daily stages from Schaffhausen through the nature parks to Geneva. In total, the cycle route stretches over 470 kilometres.

We didn’t have the time (and maybe the stamina) for the entire Route Verte last spring. That’s why we took on the most beautiful three stages and cycled from Balsthal to Couvet (stages 3 to 5).

In three days we covered 175 kilometers and climbed over 3000 meters (cumulative) with our e-bikes. The tour took us over passes and through valleys such as the Val de Travers past charming villages and towns such as Delémont, Montfaucon or Couvet.

My conclusion: a wonderful tour in the “heart” of the Jura. It’s just a pity that we haven’t been able to complete stages 1 and 2 as well as stages 6 and 7 (yet). You can find the detailed report, the maps of the stages and practical tips in the blog article “La Route Verte: 3 stages of the new e-bike tour in check”. More information about the entire Route Verte can be found on the dedicated website.

 

2. Lucerne KulTour: three-day bike tour through Lucerne’s rural regions

The second tip takes us to the “KulTour” in the Lucerne region: a hilly, multi-day cycle route from Escholzmatt to Lenzburg.

And when I write hilly, I mean hilly. The entire route covers 168 kilometres and 3,700 metres of elevation gain. We divided the KulTour into three stages and were very happy to have additional power in the form of our e-bikes.

What inspired me so much about this bike route are the countless highlights along the route. From the opportunity to dig for gold, to unique accommodations such as wooden igloos, to the castles and palaces of the Seetal. The views from the various hills are also delightful.

By the way, the KulTour is a loop of the heart. Heart loop? Exactly. These are signposted cycling routes throughout Switzerland that are tailored to e-bikes. You can read more about the heart route and the heart loops on the official website. You can find the details and helpful tips about the KulTour through Lucerne’s rural regions in my blog article “Heart loop Napf & Seetal: the highlights of the Lucerne KulTour at a glance“.

 

3. Bike tour tip in Central Switzerland: Around Lake Lucerne by bike in 4 days

Lake and bike tour are somehow close. This is understandable, as these cycle routes are rather flat and offer fantastic views of the lake. This is also the case with the bike tour around Lake Lucerne – although “flat” at 1,700 metres in altitude is the wrong term for this bike tour.

Thanks to e-bikes, however, the inclines are no problem. We divided the 160-kilometer route into four stages:

• Day 1: Vitznau – Amsteg – Vitznau
• Day 2: Vitznau – Flüeli-Ranft
• Day 3: Flüeli-Ranft – Lucerne
• Day 4: Lucerne – Vitznau

The route plan is a bit deceiving. For example, on day 1 you don’t cycle back from Amsteg to Vitznau, but by boat (from Bauen). On the second day, a short boat trip from Vitznau to Beckenried takes us, where the actual second stage begins.

The tour around the lake leads over asphalt and natural surface along water and green landscapes past beautiful panoramas and well-known highlights. These include views of Rigi, Pilatus and Stanserhorn or worthwhile stops such as the Glasi Hergiswil or the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne.
Where it’s worth stopping over, where it’s best to spend the night, and more practical tips can be found in my blog post “Around Lake Lucerne in 4 days“.

 

4. The cycle route across the canton of Bern: over the beautiful hills of the Bernese Prealps in three days

The title already gives it away: this bike tour also involves one or the other hill. If you’re not used to long days in the saddle and a lot of altitude, you’d better go for an e-bike here.

The route from Laupen via Lake Thun (day 1) through the Emmental to Willisau (day 2) is the Heart Route No. 99. The entire Route 99 leads in 13 stages from Lausanne to Romanshorn.

We completed four of these stages in two days on our bike tour and were thrilled. Even if it took a lot of muscle power despite electronic support. No wonder with the more than 4700 meters of altitude that have to be mastered over 233 kilometers.

But what makes this tour special: With every hill you climb, the reward immediately follows in the form of phenomenal views. In addition, there are numerous motivational injections along the route – be it pretty villages, beautiful natural roads or great accommodations such as the casual youth hostel in Burgdorf Castle.

You can find the details on route planning, even more insights and valuable tips in the blog post “Bicycle tour through the canton of Bern: on the heart route from Laupen to Burgdorf“.

 

5. Voyage of discovery on two wheels – flat bike tour in Seeland

The first five bike tours in Switzerland on this list were rather hilly and rather difficult to master without an e-bike (or strong Wädli in combination with a trained lung). But now it’s getting flatter – we promise.

The fifth bike route tip takes us to Seeland with start and finish in Herzogenbuchsee. The tour covers 166 kilometres with a total of 1,090 metres of elevation gain. The mostly flat bike tour can thus also be mastered by less trained people without an e-bike.

On the 1st stage we drive over the gentle hilly landscape of the Oberaargau into the Seeland to our accommodation, the monastery hotel on St. Peter’s Island. On the second day we follow the Aare in the direction of Solothurn, from where we take a short stage back to Herzogenbuchsee on the third day.

Because we wanted to have enough time for the stopovers/sightseeing, we rode the approximately 166 kilometers by e-bike. It was absolutely worth it. A number of highlights await you along the flat cycle route: from beautiful villages such as Büren an der Aare to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of pile dwellings at Lake Burgäschi to the cities of Biel and Solothurn. You can find all the details about the bike tour through the Seeland in the blog article “Herzogenbuchsee – Bielersee return in 3 days”.

 

6. Flat bike tour around Lake Constance: 260 kilometres, three countries, countless highlights

Moving on to the next flat route and the second circumnavigation of the lake on the list. The title sums up this tip very well: the route leads over 260 kilometers across three countries past countless highlights.

We have booked an offer from the Private Selection Hotels. So the tour around the lake became a bike tour for us with practical luggage transport from hotel to hotel. In addition, we were able to rent the e-bikes directly on site (at the hotels).

Overall, the cycle route around Lake Constance can be divided into four stages:

• Stage 1: from Lipperswil via the island of Reichenau to Radolfzell
• Stage 2: from Radolfzell to Bad Schachen
• Stage 3: from Bad Schachen to Bad Horn
• Stage 4: from Bad Horn back to Thurgau

The most important tip for the multi-day bike tour around Lake Constance: Plan enough time for stopovers. Be it for a dip in the cool water at one of the many idyllic bathing spots, for cultural discoveries or simply to enjoy the beautiful landscape. You can find more insights into our bike tour around Lake Constance as well as practical tips in the blog post “Around Lake Constance in 5 days: our bike tour along the Lake Constance Cycle Path”.

7. One-day bike tour for the whole family: the Five Castles Tour in the Rhine Valley

While the first 6 tips include multi-day bike tours, there is a tip for a one-day tour at the end: the Five Castles Tour in the Rhine Valley.

The bike tour, a 42-kilometre-long loop, leads past five castles steeped in history, which were built within sight of each other. These are Werdenberg Castle, Wartau Castle, Sargans Castle, Gutenberg Castle and Vaduz Castle.

The beautiful landscape in which the castles are located makes the 42 kilometers go by in no time. The almost exclusively flat terrain also makes this route the ideal cycling route for families. Only if you want to drive up to the individual castles, there are a few meters of altitude.

You can read more about the Five Castles Tour in my blog post about a weekend in Liechtenstein or on the SwitzerlandMobility website.

Maybe this compilation could motivate you to a spontaneous bike trip. And at this point, of course, I’m wondering what your favorite bike tours in Switzerland are?