Excursion tip Emmental cheese route: beautiful e-bike tour through the Emmental

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Pedal at a brisk pace through the picturesque hilly landscape of the Emmental and at the same time learn exciting facts about the region’s most famous cultural asset; that sounds like a varied day trip, doesn’t it? This can be experienced on the “Emmental Cheese Route“. We let the app-based bike tour guide us to the most beautiful places in the Emmental and at the same time learned how Emmental cheese gets its famous holes.

The starting point of the bike tour is the pretty market town of Burgdorf. You don’t need much preparation to tackle the Emmental Cheese Route. We install the app as a virtual guide on our smartphones and reserve the e-bikes online at the Rent a Bike Station at Burgdorf train station one day before the excursion. Then all that remains for us to do is to hope that the unsettled spring weather will support our plan.

Start of the bike tour through the hilly Emmental

“Was that really a good idea?” we ask ourselves the next morning. We are still sitting in the dry on the train to Emmental, but thick raindrops are splashing against the window panes. But just in time for our arrival in Burgdorf, the cloud cover clears. The Rent a Bike Station is located right next to the train station. We pick up our two reserved e-bikes and start looking for the entrance to the bike route. The Emmental Cheese Route does not run parallel to signposted Switzerland Mobility cycle routes. Thus, increased attention is required selectively in order to catch the right turn. The GPS tracker in the app provides the necessary guidance for this. Fortunately, we can be guided by the well-signposted heart route (stage 6, Burgdorf-Willisau) for the warm-up. Only from Heimiswilerstrasse we are on our own – here the cheese route follows the main road towards Heimiswil.

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Suddenly, my smartphone makes itself felt with cowbell tinkling – oh! We almost cycled past one of the sights along the route. In Heimiswil, the cheese route passes the oldest “lion” in Switzerland. The history of the country inn can be traced back to the 14th century.

After Heimiswil, I am once again thrilled at how easy it is to cycle uphill on an e-bike. The country road winds its way along the hills up to Kaltacker. The hamlet is located on a hilltop and offers a beautiful view of the idyllic countryside.

Detour to the most beautiful viewpoint in the region

Before the next hearty ascent to the highest point of the round trip, we treat ourselves to a refreshment break in the Hirschen in Kaltacker. The restaurant is located directly on the bike route and convinces us with a harmonious combination of inviting sun terrace, down-to-earth cuisine and attentive service.

With fresh energy, we tackle the remaining meters of altitude. For the last few meters up to the “Lueg”, 100% of our own muscle power is required. We leave our bikes at the bottom of the parking lot and hike up the short, steep path to the monument. For me, the Lueg is one of the most beautiful places in the Emmental. The view over the lush green hills with interspersed farms to the Alps is the perfect postcard subject. Today, however, the snow-capped peaks of the Bernese Oberland hide behind the last stubborn clouds. Nonetheless, the panoramic view is beautiful with these bold spring colors!

Stopover at the Emmental show dairy

From the Lueg, the cheese route leads us past flowering rapeseed fields and grazing cows to Affoltern in the Emmental. Here, in the middle of the village, you will find the Emmental show dairy. After a look at the show dairy, we set off on the “King’s Road“. This multimedia circular route offers a comprehensive insight into the history and production process of Emmentaler AOP. The self-guided tour lasts just under thirty minutes and ends in front of the imposing cheese cellar with a tasting of Emmental cheese in various degrees of ripeness. By the way, my “aha moment” that day was when I tasted the recent, one-year-old “extra” Emmentaler and it tasted good. Up until that point, the relationship between the Emmental cheese and me had been given the status of “it’s complicated”.

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In the footsteps of Jeremias Gotthelf back to Burgdorf

Every day at 2 p.m. there is the opportunity to lend a hand in the show dairy. Then the cream cheese workshop takes place in the basement of the Stöckli, where everyone can make their own “fresh cheese”. But now the second stage of the bike route back towards Burgdorf is waiting for us. From Affoltern, the cheese route runs parallel to the heart route on side roads with little traffic. The app draws our attention to special buildings such as the old cheese dairy in the hamlet of Schaufenbühl as well as beautiful viewpoints such as the one high above Lützelfüh. Cheese was also an issue for the most famous citizen of the village – Albert Bitzius alias Jeremias Gotthelf. In “The Cheese Dairy in the Vehfreude” he deals with the economic significance of cheese. The novel is the main component of the current temporary exhibition at the Gotthelf Centre, which is located in the centre of the village of Lützelflüh.

The last section of the cycle path follows the natural paths along the Emme back to Burgdorf. At the end of the bike tour, we pedal uphill again, to the castle, which towers high above the old town of Burgdorf. I recommend planning time for a stroll through the old town of Burgdorf at the end of the bike tour – the charming town with its arcaded alleys is worth a detour.

Practical tips for the Emmental Cheese Route

• The Emmental Cheese Route is available as both a 1-day and a 2-day trip. The route of the one-day tour can be found on the map below. The round trip from/to Burgdorf is a good 30 kilometres long. The pure riding time is about 3 hours with the e-bike.
• The 2-day tour is 78 kilometres long and leads from Lützelflüh to Langnau in the Emmental. All details about the route and the individual attractions can be found on the following website: kaeseroute.ch
• The starting point Burgdorf can be easily reached by train from both Bern and Zurich.
• There are three Rent a Bike stations along the route. These are located in Burgdorf, Affoltern im Emmental and Langnau. At each station you also have the possibility to recharge the batteries (although a full battery is easily enough for the 1-day tour). If you don’t have your own bike helmet, you can also rent one.
• The Emmental show dairy is open daily. The King’s Road can be walked without prior appointment during opening hours (cost 15 CHF for adults).

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The Emmental Cheese Route is an app-based e-bike route around Emmental cheese. The app is free to download and can be downloaded from the App Store/Play Store. The e-bikes can be rented directly at Burgdorf train station at Rent a Bike (cost 40 CHF for half a day, 55 CHF for a whole day – with GA/Half-Fare travelcard there is a 5 CHF discount). All further information can be found here: Emmental Cheese Route.

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