Bicycle tour through the canton of Bern: on the Herzroute from Laupen to Burgdorf

Advertising: in cooperation with the Swiss Youth Hostels

Last year we went on a longer bike tour for the first time. At that time, we cycled around Lake Lucerne in the most beautiful spring weather and a few weeks later we added a second multi-day bike tour with the circumnavigation of Lake Constance. Both times we were on the road with e-bikes and were thrilled with how quickly we made progress but also how flexibly stops and extra detours to exciting sights can be built-in. Some people still only have a tired yawn left for e-bikes – but, even if it is definitely easier to pedal uphill with them, the thighs also make themselves felt at the end of the day. Our latest bike tour has confirmed this once again. And this time it wasn’t about another Swiss lake, but right across the canton of Bern.

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In collaboration with Swiss Youth Hostels, this year I present you with four budget-friendly and seasonal ideas for short breaks in Switzerland. To kick off this series, I went in search of the best winter activities in the Davos Klosters region. On this second tour, the focus is now on the panoramic hills of the canton of Bern.

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In 2 stages by bike over the most beautiful hills of the Bernese Prealps

It was clear to me that we would like to explore one or the other corner of Switzerland by bike again this year. And what could be more obvious than to tackle the “best of all possible routes” – the Heart Route (No. 99). After all, it is considered the most beautiful of all Swiss bike tours and at the same time it was developed hand in hand with the advent of e-bikes.

The Heart Route feels like it leads over pretty much every lookout hill that can be found between Lausanne and Rorschach and the gentle support comes in handy. For me, the Heart Route was the starting point for our detailed tour planning to two of the most beautiful youth hostels that can be found in the canton of Bern – the youth hostel in Leissigen on Lake Thun and the recently opened youth hostel in Burgdorf Castle. The result is a brisk three-day bike tour that offers a few meters of altitude but also plenty of wow moments!

Stage 1: from Laupen via Längenberg to Lake Thun

For a long time it looked as if our tour would literally fall into the water. The gloomy weather forecasts dampened our anticipation for the upcoming bike tour. But we had reserved the bikes as well as the accommodations and so we were – much to the astonishment of the bike station in Laupen – also of the opinion that we would go through with the project as planned. Like last year, I had reserved two e-bikes at Rent a Bike. Rent a Bike is an official heart route partner and is therefore present with a rental station at the respective stage start and finish points. In Laupen, it is located near the train station in the Gasthof Bären.

“If you had studied the weather forecasts, you could have cancelled free of charge up to 24 hours in advance,” we are greeted somewhat harshly by the landlord, who also runs the bike station. Not necessarily the welcome words I expected. After all, we studied the forecasts and made a conscious decision to go on the tour. And anyway – the sky above Laupen is grey, but dry.

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Slightly amused by the noticeable lack of euphoria for paying customers, we take delivery of our two e-bikes, mount our waterproof panniers and cycle off. Behind the pretty old town of Laupen, the first ascent is already waiting.

Past the impressive castle, the route leads up into the Great Forest. An extensive, contiguous forest area that stretches from Niederwangen to Neuenegg. There is so little going on up here that in the late morning we meet a deer grazing peacefully in a clearing. Behind Thörishaus, the Heart Route plunges into the mystical Scherligraben. Here we take it easy and recharge our batteries in the dense forest green for the upcoming feat of strength.

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Behind Niederscherli, the Heart Route climbs the Längenberg metre by metre. As a reward, there are plenty of fantastic depths and views. Even though the phenomenal Alpine panorama remains hidden behind the clouds on this day, the atmosphere is no less magical. The slogan of perseverance is valid all the way to the Tavel monument. From there, the route continues rapidly downhill via Riggisberg into the Gürbetal. From here on, it’s a home game for me. I grew up in the Gürbetal and attended secondary school in Riggisberg.

Now we are slowly getting closer to our first stage goal. But first you have to cross the moraine landscape around Amsoldingen. By the way, the shores of the three lakes are almost completely protected here and are only accessible in a few places. However, it is still worth making a short stop at Amsoldingen Castle.

While the heart route branches off after the Zwieselberg in the direction of Thun, we take on a few additional kilometers on this first day. We follow the cycle path signs over the Kander in the direction of Spiez. There we cycle along the shores of Lake Thun towards Interlaken until the fishing village of Leissigen appears in front of us.

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Box seat at Leissigen Youth Hostel

Almost 75 kilometres and 1,350 metres of altitude difference after our start in Laupen, we reach our stage destination – and we do so with dry feet. The rain has kept itself in check and accompanied us on the way only with a few drops here and there. Leissigen Youth Hostel is located in a historic building in an exclusive location. In the pretty chalet where the inventor of the Ovaltine – Albert Wander – once spent his summer holidays, you can now spend the night at a reasonable price. The furnishings of all rooms are simple and there are no rooms with integrated, private shower/WC, but the view is first-class – and the spacious surroundings also include an in-house pebble beach.

After a short refreshing swim in Lake Thun (you can find the proof in my story highlight on Instagram) we enjoy a fine freshly cooked curry in the homely ambience. And while I look back completely satisfied on an all-round great day and think “the weather forecast could only get better”, a ray of sunshine dazzles me out of nowhere.

When we arrived, the team of the Jugi Leissigen had regretted that we did not get to see the unique sunsets (while Leissigen is a shadow hole in winter, you can enjoy a maximum amount of sunshine here in summer), at the end of the day we are offered an unparalleled sunset spectacle. I admit it, at this point at the latest I fell head over heels in love with this unique youth hostel in an enviable location!

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Stage 2: up and down through the Emmental

The second day of our bike tour through the canton of Bern starts much friendlier than the first. After breakfast, we pack our belongings back into the bike bags, mount them on the e-bikes and cycle along the shores of Lake Thun back to Spiez. In order not to pedal the same route twice, there would be the possibility to cycle via Interlaken and Beatenberg (Route 61) to Sigriswil and then turn back onto the Heart Route. But since we integrate a family visit in Thun into today’s stage, we follow the signposted cycle path in the opposite direction.

Thun welcomes us with sunshine and awakens the hope that we will survive this day dry. But as we all know, you shouldn’t praise the day before the evening. The Heart Route leads from Thun via the so-called “King’s Stage” in 67 kilometres and 1,800 metres in altitude to Langnau and from there with a further 39 kilometres and 1,000 metres of altitude difference to Burgdorf. Even with e-bikes, it’s an ambitious goal to combine these two stages and complete them in one day. But that’s exactly what we intend to do, whereby we forego the loop to Sigriswil (although this is one of the scenic parts of the route when the weather is nice) and instead choose the Direttissima to Schwarzenegg.

Soon we find ourselves in the middle of the idyllic Emmental hills. In a cheerful up and down it goes via Röthenbach to Signau. There are plenty of resting benches beautifully placed under stately lime trees, but the view of the dark cloud front driving us forward. On the Adlisberg, it’s all fun. Although it is not far to the train station Walkringen, we reach it soaking wet. Fortunately, you can take your bikes with you on this route without a reservation and so we spontaneously take the train to cover the remaining 15 kilometers until the second stage stop.

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Stage stop Burgdorf

When we arrive at the second stage stop, the rain front has cleared and we are almost dry again – thanks to summer temperatures. Today we spend the night in the building that dominates Burgdorf from afar. The approximately 800-year-old walls of the castle complex, which is enthroned on imposing rocks high above the city, could tell many a story about the pretty small town. And this spring, another chapter has been added. During our last visit to Burgdorf in spring 2019, Burgdorf Castle was still a major construction site. One year later, the transformation from the former cantonal administration building including a regional prison to the new Burgdorf meeting place with museum, youth hostel, restaurant and wedding room has been completed. While there was already a museum in Burgdorf Castle, it has now been integrated into the overall complex.

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The entrance to the museum and the restaurant is also the lobby area of the youth hostel. This shared area delights at first glance with its beautiful wooden floors, open galleries, casual seating elements and many suggestions with discovery tours in and around Burgdorf Castle in the form of beautifully prepared brochures.

Our room, we stay here in a family room with a double bed and a bunk bed (but there are also 13 double rooms with integrated shower/WC), is terrific. Only the duvet (which is in the same pattern and colour in all Swiss youth hostels) reminds us that we are in a youth hostel here. Each room is also dedicated to a theme of the history of the castle and makes it come alive. A really great place to spend the night – which at the same time has the most beautiful view of the sunset over Burgdorf up its sleeve.

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Get on your bike and continue to Willisau

After two busy days, the third morning greets us with lots of sunshine. Today we continue through the Emmental hilly landscape. Part of the Heart Route between Burgdorf and Affoltern is congruent with the Emmental Cheese Route, which we explored last spring. But since we are driving it in the opposite direction this time, many new perspectives await us. Burgdorf is a stage stop on several national cycle routes – including the Emmental-Entlebuch circuit, the Mittelland hill route and the heart route. And at breakfast, it becomes clear that after just a few days of operation, the youth hostel has become a popular place for cyclists to spend the night. We are by no means the only ones who are on the road with saddlebags.

With a last look at the mighty Zähringer Castle, we follow the Emme upstream to Lützelflüh. Then we go over the hills via Affoltern (where we fortify ourselves with a plate in the restaurant of the show dairy) to the extreme eastern tip of the canton of Bern in Gondiswil. The loop-rich west-east crossing has offered us many new perspectives on the Bernese Mittelland and the foothills of the Alps. Unfortunately, we were also denied the panoramic view of the Alps on the third day, but thanks to previous visits we know how magnificent this scenery looks in perfect weather conditions. From Gondiswil it is not far to the stage destination Willisau. We have thus successfully completed four stages of the Heart Route in three days (if you generously overlook the distance covered by train between Walkringen and Burgdorf) and can say with a clear conscience: imitation expressly recommended!

Cycling from Laupen to Willisau – practical tips for your bike tour through the canton of Bern

The route of our three-day bike tour across the canton of Bern can be found on the map below. For the most part, we followed the signs of Route 99 (which is excellently signposted). The total length of our tour is 233 kilometers. This involves an impressive 4,775 metres in altitude. The batteries of the e-bike are designed in such a way that they easily last for one stage. However, if you combine two stages on day 2, as we did, you should not let the performance run at “high” all the time or consciously plan a charging stop.

• We rented the e-bikes via Rent a Bike in Laupen and returned them in Willisau. The rental for a flyer costs 136 CHF for 3 days. With GA/Half-Fare travelcard, there is a 5 CHF discount on this price.
• An overnight stay at Leissigen Youth Hostel in a 2-bed room costs from 108 CHF*. The breakfast buffet is included in the price – dinner is available on request and costs CHF 18.50. Leissigen Youth Hostel is also a great stop on a hike on the Lake Thun Panorama Trail.
• At Burgdorf Youth Hostel, accommodation prices for one night in a double room with private shower/WC start at 124 CHF*. The family rooms (with 4 beds) are available from 208 CHF*. In Burgdorf, admission to the castle museum is also included in the price of accommodation
• If you stay overnight at Burgdorf Castle, you have the opportunity to enjoy a simple 3-course menu at the knights’ table for the price of CHF 18.50 or to feast on the regular evening menu of the public restaurant.
• *Everyone has the opportunity to purchase a membership and benefit from discounted accommodation rates. For more information, please visit: www.youthhostel.ch/mitgliedschaft

Would you like to take an eventful break in one of the 52 Swiss Youth Hostels? Then you’ve come to the right place. I am allowed to raffle off an overnight voucher (redeemable in all 52 hostels) worth 150 CHF. All you have to do is tell me in the following form which youth you would like to visit and leave me your e-mail address so that I can inform you about your possible prize.

The contest has ended.

Important: Only persons residing in Switzerland are eligible to participate. No correspondence will be entered into about the competition. Legal recourse is excluded. The competition runs until July 5, 2020, 11:59 p.m. The winner will be notified in writing by 12 July 2020 and the voucher will then be delivered directly by the Swiss Youth Hostels.