By Norman D. Ford
Cycling Switzerland's National Bike Routes, from the high Alps to mountain lakes, rivers and medieval towns with painted houses.
Looking down bike route towards Grindelwald from cafe atop Grosse Scheidegg Pass
It was months since my knee surgery but when I mentioned bike touring in Switzerland to my orthopedist, he immediately said, "No pedaling up long hills."
Switzerland Without Hills? It scarcely seemed possible to bike through this mountainous land without long uphill climbs. Yet Switzerland offers several unique strategies that help to make it possible.
To begin with, I simply cycled around Switzerland on four connecting long-distance bike paths that were largely flat and level. Mostly car-free and 80 percent paved, these were four of Switzerlands nine National Bike Routes.
For example, I rode half way around the country on Route 9, the Lakes Route, which runs beside a series of lakes and rivers on a mostly level route through spectacular mountain ranges. Then I switched to Route 5, the Mittelland Bike Path, that bordered more lakes and the beautiful Aare River. In between, short stints on Routes 2 and 8 were also flat and easy.
True, there was an occasional long climb. But I never had to pedal far uphill. Nearly every long upgrade can be by-passed by putting your bike on a train or Post bus and letting it take you up hill.
World's Best Train Service
In Switzerland, almost all towns are linked by frequent passenger trains, with hourly service in both directions on almost all routes, and just about all trains carry bikes. In many cases, rail lines parallel bike paths and you're rarely more than ten kilometers from a station. Lake steamers also provide regular passenger and bike transport around the larger lakes.
To make it all easier, Swiss Rail publishes a free booklet called "Velo Et Train" in French, or "Velo und Zug" in German, which lists 83 places along Switzerland's bike paths where you can hop a train, bus or boat to avoid a long uphill climb, or a busy, congested area or perhaps a few kilometers where a bike path has yet to be completed.
At Meiringen, for instance, I was able to hang my bike on the back of a Post bus and enjoy a scenic ride to the top of the famous Grosse Scheidegg Pass, 2,000 meters high and surrounded by giant peaks and glaciers. After a cup of hot chocolate in a cafe atop the pass, I coasted effortlessly down the other side, an exciting two hour bike ride on a smooth-paved road with almost no traffic that took me through an alpine wonderland to the picturesque resort of Grindelwald.
Touring Without Panniers
Another way to make cycling easier is to stay two or more nights at each stopover town {instead of cycling on each day to a new town and staying there just one night). Whenever I was able to do this, I would cycle out each day and explore the surrounding country, leaving my heavy luggage panniers in the hotel. Each night, I returned to the same town and hotel. Called Base Touring, this concept is growing in popularity in Europe. It allows older people with knee or similar problems to continue bicycle touring into their late seventies, or beyond.
It also cuts in half: the number of hotels you must stay at or make reservations at; the number of times you must pack and unpack; and the time it takes to find your hotel after arriving at each town. And should you wish, you can even eliminate having to cycle from one base town to the next by putting your bike on a train.
Putting these strategies to work, I cycled for days around the shores of beautiful mountain lakes and through the heart of the Swiss Alps. I stayed at mountain ski resorts and at towns with 13th century castles and medieval sections full of narrow, crooked streets and historic painted houses, all preserved in car-free zones.
I pedaled through cool mountain valleys while the music of cowbells drifted from the slopes above. I also rode through scores of farmyards and glimpsed some of the smokeless industrial sections of this affluent, modern nation.
In Switzerland, people of all ages ride bicycles everywhere, for shopping, commuting and recreation. There are no drive-in businesses or restaurants, no loose dogs and no pick-up trucks or obscene-sized trailers or RVs, and parking is a problem everywhere. Most cars are smaller than those in America and motorists are incredibly polite to cyclists. Not once during my tour did a driver honk.
Almost everyone a tourist contacts speaks English and people everywhere are friendly, warm and helpful.
Getting There
After flying in late August from Texas to Frankfurt by Lufthansa, I traveled the following day by train to Konstanz, a lakeside town in south Germany just two kilometers from Switzerland. Here I picked up my bike which I had left in storage after cycling from Vienna a few months earlier (see "Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland, 2003" on home page menu).
As usual, I planned the entire trip myself and booked all hotels in advance by email (which often rates a discount of 10%). And though I cycled alone, I met and talked with many cyclists along the way, almost all Swiss, Dutch, German or Austrian but almost none from U.S.A.
Again, this was one of the safest and most pleasant trips I've taken. So for anyone who might like to explore Switzerland as I did, I've described it so that it's easy to follow my route.
In the report below, I identify in red type and with **** all parts of the trip which rank among the most scenic and unique bike travel experiences in Europe. I also name the hotel at which I stayed at each town (Abbreviations: H = Hotel or Gasthof; RD = Recommended; BB = Best Buy. Example: "H. Gasthof Alpenrose, RD, BB" means "Hotel Gasthof Alpenrose, Recommended and a Best Buy.") Most accommodations were quite good though single rooms tend to be small and cramped.
Other abbreviations are "SNBR" meaning "Swiss National Bike Route", followed by the Route number, e.g. SNBR 5; and "CHF" meaning Swiss francs. You'll find more information on hotels, weather, rail travel and other practical guidance later in this report.
A DAY-BY-DAY LOG OF THE TOUR
DAY 1. Konstanz: day ride to Minau and Reichenau Islands, 50 kms. I had allowed an extra day in Konstanz in case of any problems with the bike. But there were none. So I took a warm-up ride on local bike paths to two causeway-linked islands in Lake Constance: Minau, a botanical garden isle of tropical blooms, and Reichenau Island, a huge plant nursery where Germany's winter vegetables are grown. Since Minau is open only to pedestrians, I did not go in but was able to ride completely around Reichenau Island on paved bike paths. Then I took another bike path back to Konstanz and my hotel. (H. Gasthof Centro, RD, BB., located at the bahnhof in the heart of Konstanz' historic Altstadt.)
En route, I passed several hundred cyclists, most out for a day ride. One reason I stay in larger towns is because I'm a self-caterer, buying all my food in supermarkets and eating raw- vegetarian style in my hotel room This is not only healthier but costs half as much as eating in restaurants--but is obviously not for everyone. The supermarket in Konstanz is in the basement of Woolworths, near the hotel.
DAY 2: Konstanz, Germany to Bad Ragaz, Switzerland by bike 10 kms plus rail. I had intended to cycle from Konstanz to Bad Ragaz, a trip on SNBR 2 around the shore of huge Lake Constance, with an overnight en route at one of the popular lakeshore resorts. But all rooms were booked full. So instead, I cycled from my hotel in Konstanz down Kreutzlingen Strasse and across the Swiss border to Kreutzlingen bahnhof. Here I put my bike on the hourly local train to Rorschach then continued by another local train to Bad Ragaz, a trip of 2.5 hours. I spent the rest of the day exploring Bad Ragaz by bike, visiting the hot springs spa and cycling beside the Rhine. As in every town on the tour, I first headed for the local Tourist Office to pick up a street map plus any free or nominally-priced maps of local bike paths. Besides the 9 National Bike Routes, Switzerland is webbed by Regional Bike Routes, most signed and numbered, plus scores of unsigned local bike paths. (H. Pension Roessli, RD, BB.)
DAY 3: Bad Ragaz to Rapperswil by bike, 75 kms. From Bad Ragaz, a short spur bike path leads to nearby Vilter and Mels villages where you pick up SNBR 9, the Lakes Route. Almost completely paved, this flat but scenic bike path hugs the shore of the Walensee Lake with the sheer rock wall of the Churfirsten Mountain towering above the opposite shore.
For several hours I cycled beside the Walensee, passing through orchards and picturesque villages. Then came the town of Weesen, squeezed between sheer rock walls. Here, Routes 4 and 9 shared the same bike path for a few kilometers. While Route 4 then headed for the hills, Route 9 headed for the flat shore of the long, spindly Zurichsee. On past more farms and villages with church steeples that had pitched roofs, Route 9 led through an industrial suburb and into the historic heart of Rapperswil. Cycling the bike paths provides many insights into European culture that most tourists miss. For example, today I passed scores of boys and girls riding their bikes home from school for midday lunch, then back to school for the afternoon session. No school lunches here and no kids with cars! In Europe, teenagers don't work at part-time jobs during the school year and the minimum driving age is 18. The result: European kids seem better educated while teen-age boys have no car to shack-up in and get their girl friend pregnant.
With its 13th century church and hilltop castle close to my hotel, and its row of lakeshore resort hotels, Rapperswil is an interesting if pricey place to stay. (H. Jakob, OK.)
DAY 4: Rapperswil to Einsiedeln, 40 kms by bike, plus rail. Splashed across today's route on the Veloland Schweiz map was the number 83. In the "Velo et Train" booklet, listing 83 warned of a stiff climb of 660 metres (elevation gain) in a mere 16 kilometers, part of it on a 20 percent grade. While most of the Lakes Route stays on level lakeside trails, there is often a significant difference in altitude between one lake and the next. And the Sihlsee Lake at Einsiedeln is 580 metres above the Zurichsee at Rapperswil. Hence the Velo et Train booklet advises cyclists to by-pass this climb by taking the train.
So from Rapperswil I cycled across the Zurichsee on a causeway to Pfaffikon bahnhof. Here, I put my bike on the hourly Verlospan Express and in 22 minutes was whisked up through the mountains to the bahnhof at Biberbrugg. Here, again, I switched to a local train for the six minute ride to Einsiedeln which by- passed yet another climb up a bike path painted on the shoulder of a busy highway.
All this took less than two hours and by 11.00 I was pedaling up the main street of Einsiedeln to the great square in front of the massive monastery and church. Known as the Lourdes of Switzerland, Einsiedeln is one of the largest pilgrimage centers in Europe. My sixth floor hotel room overlooked the monastery and all the activity, including the twin bell towers that chimed each quarter hour (twice) and greeted each dawn with a carillon concert.
It was just a 100-meter walk to the door of the great ****Pilgrimage Church and its wildly baroque interior with ornate floor-to-ceiling frescoes.
At the Tourist Office close by, I picked up a free bike map "Bike Fuehrer Region Einsiedeln" which describes ten loop bike rides you can make in the area. One of these was exploring SNRP 9 back towards Rapperswil but stopping short at the long, steep descent.
Starting out across a narrow, kilometer-long bridge that spans the Sihlsee, Route 9 led north around the lakeshore and continued on a narrow, paved rural road through a stunning landscape of green hills dotted with hamlets of traditional chalet-style houses. Fronting almost every chalet was a large garden crammed with oversized green vegetables and with trees groaning with apples, plums and peaches. The Swiss may eat a high-fat diet but they also eat far more fruits and vegetables than Americans and get far more exercise, including walking up and down stairs many times each day.
Farmers were cutting hay with small motorized mowers which they walked behind and I saw several cutting hay on steep slopes with scythes. I also saw several using cell phones and many houses had a TV disk. Though every family had a car, most people used bikes for local trips.
Beyond the hamlet of Egg, Route 9 crossed a covered wooden bridge and started up a 20 percent grade. That was it for today and I returned to Einsiedeln a different way, well satisfied with my introduction to SNRB 9. (H. Sonne, OK and reasonable as is the H. Rot-Hut next door, but limited bike storage.)
DAY 5: Einsiedeln to Engelberg, 36 kms by bike, plus rail. All stopovers thus far had been one-night stands but with the weekend approaching, I needed to stop for 2-3 nights at a base town that offered day ride opportunities. The best bet seemed to be Engelberg, a mountain resort a short side trip off SNRB 9 by train. Since most Swiss supermarkets close at 13.00 (1 p.m.) on Saturdays and don't reopen till Monday morning, self-caterers such as myself must shop (on Friday night or Saturday morning) to have food for the weekend--something those who eat in restaurants don't have to consider.
Today's bike ride opened with a fast six-kilometer descent on a bike path painted on the highway down to Biberbrugg. SNRP 9 then continued up a quiet paved road for 3 km to Oberageri hamlet before branching off down a paved rural road for ten kilometers to the small town of Rothenturm. The ride down this wide valley was well-signed and dotted with alpine villages and farms and by 11.00, I had reached Rothenturm bahnhof.
Here I caught the hourly Verlospan Express for Luzern, an exhiliarating ride around the mountain-rimmed shores of the Zugersee and Luzernersee, and all close to the route of SNRB 9. From Luzern bahnhof, a rack-equipped train took me on around the shores of the Luzernersee (and within sight of SNBR 9) to Stans, then with rack engaged, up steep mountain slopes to Engelberg.
I spent the rest of today, Friday, buying food for the weekend and exploring Engelberg and its Benedictine monastery. Engelberg lies in a mountain-rimmed bowl at 1,050 meters, rimmed by jagged glacier-clad peaks, each over 3,000 meters high.
As in the other mountain resorts I stayed at, lower off- season rates applied and the 3-star Bellevue-Terminus Hotel offered large, bathless single rooms (WC and shower across the hall) and with TV(CNN) at 33 CHF without breakfast (approximately $25 U.S.) and the least expensive room on the trip. (H. Bellevue-Terminus, RD. BB with bike storage.)
Bike Path to the Surenenpass climbs out of Engelberg
DAY 6. Engelberg: day ride to Stafeli and return, 25 kms. Today, I biked and partly walked up the mountain road that climbs from Engelberg towards the high Surenenpass.
****Surenenpass Road. No, I didn't reach the col itself, nor did many of the other bikers out today, most on fat-tired mountain bikes. Much of the best scenery exists lower down where this wildly scenic ride begins. It starts from Engelberg with a gradual 7 kilometer ascent up a paved road into a steep, narrow glacier-carved valley. Mighty peaks tower above the road on both sides with glaciers plunging almost to the road.
Then the paving ends and I continued on up beside a foaming river on a dirt road barely wide enough for cars. At the Alpenrose Restaurant, 12 kilometers out, the easy upgrade ended and most cyclists, myself included, had to walk part way and push our bikes. Besides cyclists, there were hikers and a few intrepid souls on skateboards with 20-inch wheels.
With my smaller 26 x 1.5 inch tires, I got as far as the hamlet of Stafeli where, like others, I sat on a rock and ate a brown bag lunch. Back in Einsielden after a fast downhill run, it was time to pack for the next day's ride to Giswil, yet another day of lakeshore cycling on SNBR 9. (H. Bellevue- Terminus.)
DAY 7: Engelberg to Giswil, 40 kms by bike, plus rail. Though the map shows a bike path from Engelberg down to the town of Stans, the first ten kilometers consists of riding on the highway. So I took the train to Stans. Here I began pedaling west on SNRB 4, the Alpine Panorama Route.
Cycling on around the Alpnachersee Lake, there was barely room for the highway to squeeze in between the cliffs and lakeshore, let alone a bike path. Yet for six kilometers here, the intrepid Swiss had built a steel-framed bikepath out and over the lake beside the highway--just one more example of the willingness of countries like Switzerland, Germany and Austria to spend millions on infrastructure to encourage bicycle travel and in the process to reduce dependence on oil and the perils of global warming.
Once around the Alpnachersee, SNRB 4 joined SNRB 9 and both ran together though often on different bike paths. At Alpnach town, I recommend forking left on Route 9. Though partly unpaved, Route 9 travels quiet country roads close under the cliffs beside the Wichelsee (yet another of the many lakes on the Lakes Route).
Both 4 and 9 then rejoin to wind through the historic blocks of Sarnen's Altstadt. Leaving Sarnen, they shared the same paved country road all the way to Giswil, a scenic ride that winds high above the Sarnersee, then descends through a forest.
Usually, I don't move on to a new hotel on Sundays (supermarkets and Tourist Offices are closed, meaning street maps are unavailable for locating one's hotel). Today I had brought sufficient edibles for an evening meal, only to find a Turkish (Muslim) snack bar open next to my hotel where I quickly purchased two huge veggie burgers. (H. Bahnhof, RD, BB, large quiet room with mountain view, WC, shower, TV (CNN), bike storage and breakfast all for CHF 55.
DAY 8: Giswil to Grindelwald, 15 kms by bike, plus train. This would be an eventful day so I started early. From the village of Giswil, Route 9 begins a climb of 580 meters (el gain) up the Brunig Pass on a busy truck-thronged highway with no shoulders or painted bike path for nearly 5 kilometers. No wonder listing 79 in "Velo et Train" advises by-passing the Brunig Pass by taking the train to Meiringen, the next town. Which I did.
Outside Meiringen bahnhof I hooked my bike to the back of a Post bus for the one hour ride to the summit of the famous Grosse Scheidigg Pass, almost 2,000 meters high and surrounded by mighty peaks and glaciers. While the climb from Meiringen, up a series of switchbacks below jagged icebound peaks, had been exciting enough, the view down the other side towards Gindelwald is one of the most dramatic panoramas in the Alps.
****Grosse Scheidegg Pass. Immediately below the pass, the narrow paved road drops steeply down a series of multi-imposed hairpin bends towards a line-up of colossal peaks: the towering Wetterhorn and Schreckhorn, then the perpendicular wall of the Eiger--one of the world's great rock climbs--and on beyond to the Moench and the Jungfrau, and all the other glacier-draped peaks of the Bernese Oberland, heart of the Alps.
But it was cold standing on top admiring the view, 3 degrees Celcius in fact (38 degrees F). So I headed into the cafe atop the pass and sipped a hot chocolate while I piled on all the clothes I had, including raingear. Then, suitably attired, I began the steep descent by bike down the stacked switchbacks. Despite the constant braking, this was one of the best rides in Switzerland.
Soon I was down in the trees and out of the wind and able to stop and admire the views of the glistening icefields reaching back through the valleys into a wilderness of rock and ice at the top of the world.
It was a breathtaking ride down yet there were few other cyclists, and barely a dozen cars an hour went by. All had to stop and pull off the road whenever we heard the hunting horn blare of an approaching post bus, which enjoyed right of way. Nor were there any houses or cafes until the terrace restaurant of the Wetterhorn Hotel came into view. Here cyclists appeared who had ridden up from Grindelwald to climb a wooden staircase for a close-up look at the Oberer Glacier and its ice grottoes.
On again, down a two-lane road with a few more cars and cyclists, I coasted into the largish resort of Grindelwald. Touristed it may be but Grindelwald occupies one of the most spectacular locations in the Alps and certainly warrants a stopover of two nights or longer. The Tourist Office has free panoramic cycling maps of the area called "Bike and Fun im Berner Oberland, Jungfrau Region" while the bank at the Japanese Tourist Office offers the best exchange rates I found in Switzerland. (H. Sonnenberg, RD or Jungfrau Lodge, RD; both reasonable.)
DAY 9. Grindelwald: day ride to Lauterbrunnen Valley and back, 45 kms by bike, plus rail. Another of Switzerland's most spectacular bike rides, today's trip began with a downhill run on Regional Route 6.1 to Zweilutschinnen followed by a gradual uphill climb on another bike path into Lauterbrunnen. I then biked on through Lauterbrunnen Valley, famed for the waterfalls that spill down its perpendicular sides.
The ride started with a fast downhill run on a paved road to the village of Grund where I picked up Regional Bike Route 6.1. It's signed all the way but many signs are small with only a bike icon and one-third of the turns were marked only by hikers' yellow "wanderweg" signposts. But not to worry. Cycling beside a foaming river, white with melted glacial water, on a partly unpaved bike path between towering alpine peaks,and on a sunny autumn morning was joy indeed. There were several steep downhills. But after 90 minutes I stopped at a lebensmittel (small grocery) where twenty other cyclists were enjoying a mid- morning snack.
****Lauterbrunnen Valley. Just beyond, at Zweilutschinnen bahnhof, I forked left on an unpaved car-free road that climbs gradually for six kilometers into the town of Lauterbrunnen. This small town is gateway to not only Lauterbrunnen Valley but also to the car-free villages of Wengen and Murren high on the mountainsides above.
From Lauterbrunnen, a newly-widened paved road led between sheer walls of rock while pencil-thin waterfalls poured down in clouds of spray. Then looming constantly above the valley on the east, I pedaled past a row of the most majestic peaks in Switzerland: the snow-clad Eiger, Moench, Jungfrau, Breithorn, Gletscherhorn and countless others, reaching away to the Blumlisalp above Kandersteg (my next overnight stop).
Finally, the road dead-ended at Stechelberg hamlet, jumping- off place for the cable car to Murren and site of an extensive car park. There's a hotel here for lunch or, as many hikers and cyclists were doing, I ate a brown bag lunch on a rock beside a mountain stream. With time to spare, you could visit Trummelbach Falls--located in the valley--where you can walk back into the mountain beside an underground river.
Returning, it was all downhill to Zweilutschinnen where, like many other bikers, I boarded the hourly train back up to Grindelwald (for a second night at the superbly located Hotel Sonnenberg).
DAY 10: Grindelwald to Kandersteg, 25 kms by bike, plus rail. Starting out by bike, I cycled back down to Zweilutschinnen by the same bike path as yesterday, then continued on down Route 6.1 through a steep, rugged gorge with bare rock peaks towering almost overhead. Emerging from the gorge, the mostly-paved bike path crosses a flat plain to the city of Interlaken. Without having to ride on a busy street, the bike path signs led direct to Interlaken Ost bahnhof.
Due to an unfinished section of bike path on Route 9 to Spiez, and a stiff climb of 550 meters (el gain) from Spiez to Kandersteg, the rest of the trip was to be by train. I hopped a local RE train to Spiez but from here to Kandersteg I had to ride a sleek Inter-City express (bike reservation needed). While the train gained altitude by snaking around a huge S-bend in a tunnel, a Swiss couple told me not to miss the ride back down to Spiez on Regional Bike Route 64.
At 1,176 meters, in a mountain bowl below the snow-capped Blumlisalp and Doldenhorn peaks, Kandersteg lies in the heart of the Bernese Oberland, another of my side trips into the high Alps. Free at the Tourist Office was a panoramic map of area bike routes well worth framing. (H. Zur Poste, OK for its bathless singles without TV, phone or breakfast for CHF 40.)
DAY 11: Kandersteg day rides, 20 kms. I had hoped to take the bike on a bus up a dramatically-steep road and through two tunnels to the mountain Shangri-La of Gasterntal. But at the Tourist Office I learned that the small bus didn't carry bikes and traffic through the two unlighted tunnels was limited to cars. So I had to be satisfied with cycling, first, on a paved road to the Gemmipass cable car station (which also takes mountain bikers up for the ride to the col).
En route, I stopped in to visit the Scout Chalet where, at age 16, I had spent a two-weeks vacation, an experience which transformed me into a lifelong mountain hiker and environmentalist. After lunch, eaten as usual on a rock by a stream, I half-walked the bike up the 5-kilometer dirt road to the Oeschinensee, a deep blue lake in a huge cirque at the base of the Blumlisalp. Riding back down was no problem on my 26 x 1.5 tires. (H. Zur Poste).
DAY 12: Kandersteg to Spiez, 40 kms by bike. Well-marked all the way with red signs, Regional Bike Route 64 heads down from Kandersteg to Frutigen, Spiez, Thun and Bern. After a single flat kilometer on a paved road, 64 plunges down a steep, unpaved trail scattered with loose gravel. Some cyclists were walking both up and down. But anyone with a little mountain biking experience can ride down safely.
Farms, forests and meadows drifted past as the trail descended into Kanderground village. Here, the grade eased and the trail was paved almost all the way to Spiez. On down the wide Kander Valley, the red 64 signs eventually led to Frutigen bahnhof. This was a reminder that most bike routes pass in front of, or close to rail stations, and there are red bike directional signs outside nearly all stations.
The larger town of Frutigen, with its Tourist Office, cafes and bike shop, is up a short hill. From the bahnhof, however, the 64 signs lead east across the Kander Valley then head north up a short hill to Reichenbach, a hillside village of massive chalets where men were stacking logs against the houses for winter fuel. One man told me that each floor of some chalets consist of a two-bedroom rental apartment, called a "flat", and that--despite their aflluence--many Swiss rent rather than own their own home.
On again, I met a sixty-ish Swiss cycling couple puzzled by signs directing cyclists through Heustrich village. Like me, they were heading north to Spiez but the 64 signs took us around a U- turn and began heading south. My experience so far suggested that we continue to follow these signs, even though it seemed in the wrong direction. Soon, though, the trail dived under a railway bridge and made another U-turn back north. Like many Swiss, the couple spoke English and we rode together to the outskirts of Spiez. Here, at Wemiss village, 64 joins SNRB 8 and 9 and all share a common bike path through Spiez to the bahnhof and Tourist Office.
From the Tourist Office, a breath-stopping panorama of Spiez unfolds, the streets dropping in tiers to the mountain-rimmed Thunersee Lake far below. Close to the bahnhof were the Migros and Coop supermarkets, both big, brand new stores more like American supermarkets but still requiring customers to weigh produce and charging a franc to rent a cart. (H. Des Alpes, OK, bike storage.)
DAY 13: Spiez to Thun via Oey, 40 kms by bike. Since it is only 16 kms from Spiez to Thun, I added a sidetrip on Route 9 to the village of Oey and back. From Spiez bahnhof, SNRB 9 led by the same route as yesterday back to Wemiss, a village of 17th and 18th century houses clustered below a hilltop castle. Route 9 then meandered along narrow country roads and past several lumber mills. At Oey, a one street village, I missed the turn for SNRB 9 and found myself leaving town on the main road. By now, though, it was time to turn around and head for Thun. So I returned to Wemiss where I bade farewell to SNRB 9. which I had followed halfway across Switzerland from Bad Ragaz on Day 3.
The map shows two bike routes to Thun, one via 64, the other by SNRB 8, the River Aare Route. Since I spotted a sign for 64 first, I took it and cycled on quiet paved roads through a forest of huge trees. At Amsoldingen village, 64 meets SNRB 8. And both lead into Thun on a series of quiet backroads that took me almost to the Tourist Office and bahnhof.
With a street map from the Tourist Office, I cycled across the Aare Bridge into Thun's Altstadt, full of ancient buildings and picturesque alleys. Overlooking it all from a hill above is Schloss Thun, a 12th-century castle with a conical tower at each corner. Most hotels here are pricey. (H. Emmental, no singles, traffic noise, almost zero bike storage.)
DAY 14. Thun: day rides on SNBR 4 and 8, 75 kms. Today's goal was to sample cycling on, first SNBR 4, the hilly Alpine Panorama Route; and second, on SNBR 8, the River Aare Route. I began by cycling back to Ansoldingen village, then heading west on SNBR 4 and Regional Route 7--which share the same backroads route past dorfs (villages) and farms--to the small town of Wattenwill. Many cyclists were out today but most stopped and turned around at Wattenwil. The reason: a sign on SNRB 4 warning of a steep climb of 275 meters (el gain) in the next 5 kilometers. Other riders, however, continued up Route 7 towards Bern.
Instead, I headed back to Ansoldingen and cut across to join SNBR 8 which also heads for Bern along the River Aare. Riding on quiet rural roads, mostly flat and paved, I came within sight of Munsingen town before turning round and heading back to Thun.
Here in Switzerland, where cycling is a passion, scores of bikers were out riding today. Although cycling in Switzerland is ten times safer than road biking in America, only about half the riders wore helmets, mostly I suspect for the "in" look. Most country homes are built in traditional chalet style--often embowered in geraniums and other flowers--and surrounded by a vegetable garden. One never sees a run-down house or any sign of poverty. (H. Emmental.)
DAY 15: Thun to Yverdon-les-bains, by bike 10 kms, plus rail. To reach Yverdon, the next stopover town, by bike meant climbing up the hill I saw yesterday at Wattenwil (plus probably many others and an overnight at Fribourg). Instead, I went by rail, changing at Biel to a fast IR train (bike reservation required).
On arrival, I discovered today was a bank holiday and the Tourist Office and all shops were closed. By studying a street map in the gare (ici, tous-le-monde parlent francais) I located my hotel, just a few minutes away by bike in the vieille ville (historic quarter). With its narrow, cobblestoned streets and ancient fort, much of the area seemed straight out of 17th century France and there were outdoor cafes everywhere. Curiously, my hotel was run by a team from Sri Lanka. They directed me to a small epicerie at a filling station nearby which was open and here I bought sufficient bread, meusli, fruits and vegetables to last till tomorrow.
The rest of the day I spent exploring Yverdon and the vieille ville by bike. For a town with a thermal therapeutic center, there are remarkably few hotels and few best buys. (H. Ecusson Vaudois, OK, small bathless singles, bike storage.)
DAY 16: Yverdon to Estavayer by bike, 25 kms. Before leaving Yverdon, I visited the Tourist Office and picked up a free area bike route map called "Getting Away From It All on Two Wheels." One of the trips recommended was the flat ride on SNBR 5 around the south end of huge Lake Neuchatel to Estavayer, a charming medieval hilltop town full of towers, turrets, spires, moats, drawbridges and a labyrinth of ancient streets and houses. After a monotonous ten kilometer ride beside a highway to a yacht harbor at Yvernand, Route 5 unfolds through an intricate network of connecting rural roads to the main entry gate into Estavayer.
You can easily spend two hours exploring this 13th-century castle town and its St. Laurant church. It's also possible to continue on to Neuchatel, tomorrow's stopover, by lake steamer daily except Mondays. (H. Du Pont, OK.)
DAY 17: Estavayer to Neuchatel by bike, 80 kms. Leaving Estavayer, Route 5 travels close to Lake Neuchatel on a series of connecting rural roads that lead past or through the villages of Chevron, Portalban and Cudrefin, none of which has any listed accommodation.
The Mittelland Route is flat and paved most of the way but turns inland occasionally to climb a low hill. However, the going is fairly slow so I suggest an early start. After cycling some 65 kms from Estavayer, I came to a junction with a spur bike path leading left for 15 kilometers to Neuchatel. Although Neuchatel is not actually on Route 5, this spur trail is signed with Route 5 markers. Mostly paved, it stays close to the lakeshore past a series of resorts and modern industries. About 12 kms from Neuchatel, Route 5 passes a truckers' roadhouse with restaurant, rooms and nightclub and cyclists are also welcome.
After 8 hours of steady pedaling, Route 5 ended in front of Neuchatel Tourist Office. Inside, the friendly folk gave me a "plan de ville" marked with the location of my hotel, a supermarket and the gare. My hotel was in the center of an extensive vieille ville clustered around a hilltop castle and church. (H. Cafe Aubier, OK, run in conjunction with an art colony.)
DAY 18: Neuchatel to Olten, 40 kms by bike, plus rail. There wasn't sufficient time left to cycle all the way on Route 5. So I put the bike aboard the hourly IR train to Olten, a sizeable town astride the River Aare and both SNBR 5 and 8. Here again, I located the Tourist Office on a large street map displayed at the bahnhof (yes, we're back in German-speaking Switzerland). It was just a short ride along the river, with a stunning view of Olsten's Altstadt across the Aare, followed by pedaling in semi- darkness over a historic covered wooden bridge, all on car-free bike routes.
My hotel was next to the Altstadt beside a twin-steepled church while SNBR 5/8 passed within 200 meters at the covered bridge. After lunch, I cycled southwest on Routes 5/8 along the River Aare to Aarburg. Emerging from the trees, it was quite a surprise to see a huge church and castle complex sprawled across an entire mountain ridge above the village streets. It's privately owned so you can't go in.
On through woods and meadows, Routes 5/8 wound along partly unpaved bike paths to the villages of Boningen and Wolfwil. One roadside barn was piled high with big reddish pumpkins on sale for Oktoberfest. As always when riding back (to Olten) by the same route, the scenery appears entirely different--with fresh views, and photo opportunities, of Schloss Aarburg. (H. Astoria, RD, inexpensive bathless singles, TV (CNN), bike storage.)
DAY 18. Olten: day ride to Aarau and back, 45 kms. From the covered bridge, Routes 5/8 head northeast on small roads beside the Aare. One needs eagle eyes to spot the small bike signs that mark the turns. Occasional intersections had no signs at all and cyclists had to pedal down one road or the other for 200 meters before finding another sign. All this takes time and can add an extra half hour or more to travel time each day.
Bells chimed out constantly from village churches and a massive hilltop church loomed above Niederoseen dorf. Just before Aarau, SNRB 3 from Basel joined the bike path and I actually pedaled into Aarau on Route 3.
Several major industrial centers lie along the Mittelland Route and many towns are off the beaten tourist track. Yet nearly all have a picturesque Altstadt and Aarau's is a gem. Built around a massive white church on a hill beside the river, the circular Old Town is a labyrinth of ancient streets lined by centuries-old houses. Again, the ride back to Olten was by the same route, yet it all looked quite different, including an enormious nuclear power plant beside the bike path. (H. Astoria).
DAY 19: Olten to Wil, 40 kms by bike, plus rail. For the last time, I rode the hourly IR train from Olten bahnhof to the town of Wil. It was just a 5 minute bike ride up a long pedestrian mall to my hotel on the edge of the Altstadt. Wil has a superb circular Old Town built on a hill with tall houses forming the city wall.
There was still time to sample a ride on SNRB 5 which runs through Wil about 500 meters south of the bahnhof. Heading northeast out of town, Route 5 drops down a steep hill on an unpaved road, then runs through a forest beside a wide canal. En route, I met several horsedrawn carriages and a small one-person carriage pulled by two powerful white dogs. Without panniers, I could make better time and after 20 kilometers, I returned to Wil the same way.
Back at the bahnhof, I noticed a red bike sign pointing to Stein-am-Rhein, tomorrow's overnight stop, 40 kilometers distant by a Regional Bike Path. Unfortunately, I had already bought a rail ticket part way there. But I recommend anyone following my route to consider cycling all the way to Stein. (H. Gasthof Zum Ochsen, RD, 54 CHF without breakfast for bathless singles, TV(CNN), bike storage.).
DAY 20: Wil to Stein-am-Rhein, 35 kms by bike, plus rail. Starting early, it took under an hour to go by two connecting local trains to Kreutzlingen bahnhof, and another hour to continue by two-car turbo train to Schaffhausen.
****Schaffhausen. It was still only 10.30 a.m., and I had ample time to cycle slowly through Schaffhausen's extensive Altstadt, famed for its guildhall and narrow streets of burgher houses with carved and painted oriol balconies and windows. I even had time for a fast run through the hilltop castle.
Then it was time to pedal on down SNBR 2, beside the swiftly- flowing Rhein to the Rhein Falls.
****Rhein Falls. Europe's largest waterfall thunders down in a roaring white cascade six kilometers below Schaffhausen. Cyclists and walkers were everywhere. Many stopped for an overlook at the falls from Schloss Lindau. Several viewpoints on both banks, including a rail bridge with bike path, provide grandstand views.
Since it was still only 14.00 (2 p.m.) I cycled back on Route 2 through Schaffhausen and headed upstream on the north bank of the Rhein. The long covered wooden bridge to Diessenhofen slipped by and soon I saw ahead the roofs and spires of medieval Stein-am-Rhein.
****Stein-am-Rhein. I cycled through a warchtower gate into a truly breathtaking Marktplaz. Stein's richly decorated Old Town is filled with 15th century houses, most with an intricately painted facade. Walkers and cyclists roamed the narrow, cobblestoned streets. My hotel was two kilometers out, close to the German frontier. (H. Genstein, RD for its reasonable price, bike storage.)
DAY 21: Stein-am-Rhein to Konstanz, Germany, 32 kms by bike. Today's ride on SNBR 2 led out of Stein's main watchtower gate and over a bridge across the Rhein to a wide, mostly-paved bike path on the south bank. This is one of Switzerland's most popular bike paths and I passed at least 200 cyclists, many aged 65 or over and clearly on a multi-day tour.
After cycling beside the Rhein through several village resorts, the bike path headed straight across flat farm fields for Konstanz. Once through E.U. immigration (no one examined my passport), I was soon pedaling through the Old Town of Konstanz to the bahnhof where, you may recall, was the Tourist Office, the Gasthof Centro and the large Radial bike rental shop.
Here I left my bike in storage until spring 2004, when--all being well--I hope to begin another bike tour down the Rhein and Moselle. So after 21 days of biking through a cross-section of Switzerland's history, scenery and culture, my fall tour of 2003 ended. The following day I returned to Frankfurt by train and I flew the next day back to U.S.A.
SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE
Three facts about Switzerland most cyclists soon discover are: When traveling via the bike paths, allow more time than you normally would; Switzerland is more expensive than neighboring E.U. countries; One way to cut costs is to make reservations at older hotels which still have a few bathless rooms (usually singles) meaning they have a washbasin but the WC and douche are out in the hall.
Maps And Information Sources
La Suisse a Velo. Click on Switzerland's official bike touring website at www.suisse-a-velo.ch . Here you'll find an outline map of the nation's 9 National Bike Routes and a free list of bike-friendly accommodations along each one, in both directions, which you can print off. (While helpful, these partner accommodations are not necessarily the least expensive.) You can also order the following from this website:
Veloland Schweiz Synoptic Map of all 9 signposted SNBRs and the main Regional Bike Routes, 1:500,000. Shows all 83 "Velo et Train" by-pass locations. Essential, CHF 20.
La Suisse a Velo Guidebook-Maps, in French or German, to each of the 9 SNBRs. Heavy to carry. Not essential but maps are useful. Routes 2 and 9 would be most helpful. CHF 25 each.
Velo Et Train booklet listing 83 places on bike routes where you could by-pass hills etc by train. Order on Suisse a Velo's email. It can also be ordered on the email contact form of Swiss Rail (SBB) at www.cff.ch/velo .
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Kimmerly+Frey Regional Bike Maps, 1:60,000. Sectional maps showing both National and Regional Bike Routes. But each map covers a relatively small area and costs CHF 26-30 each. Available from www.swisstravelcenter.ch . or widely available in Switzerland. Note: other Swiss maps may also be available at Swiss Travel Center.
Radkarte Bodensee 1:60,000, Zumstein Radkarte #9, map of bike trails in and around the Bodensee (Lake Constance), including SNBR 2 plus street maps of all larger Bondensee towns in Germany and Switzerland. Available at all Bodensee Tourist Offices for around 6 Euros.
Randonnees a Velo & VTT, 1:300,000, bike trails in Jura, Mittelland and Bernese Oberland, free at most Tourist Offices in region. Most Tourist Offices also have a free map of local bike routes.
Michelin Road Maps, Switzerland 1:200,000, #216, 217, 218. Cover all of Central and North Switzerland. Not essential but lightweight and helpful in planning. Available from map shops listed under "Other Helpful Touring Websites" on home page menu, or perhaps from Swiss Travel Center.
Hotels and Accommodation
The website for Gasthof Centro in Konstanz is www.gaestehauscentro.de.
In Switzerland, websites for most towns look like www.rapperswil.ch or www.badragaz.ch. Click on "tourismus" or "hotels" or "hebergements" for the Tourist Office and its hotel list (not always available). This lists all local hotels, pensions etc with rates and website and on-line booking forms. Tourist Office listings are apt to show more inexpensive places to stay than the nationwide Swiss Hotel Guide.
However, the Swiss Hotel Guide does list nearly all the larger hotels, pensions etc., and indicates a central location, plus website and email for on-line booking. The book itself is too heavy to carry on a bike, costs about CHF 24 and can be purchased by contacting http://www.myswitzerland.com and clicking on the "Order Brochures" button on left side of home page.
MySwitzerland also offers On-Line booking at most Swiss Hotel Guide establishments but to make it work, you must first locate which region the town is in (on a website map). Also available on this website is a list of websites for each Tourist Office in Switzerland. To locate it, click on "Regions, Destinations" on left side of home page. Don't overlook also the listings of bike-friendly hotels, pensions, hostels, campgrounds etc along the SNBRs posted on the Suisse a Velo site listed under Maps.
Booking in advance On-Line or by email often gets you a better rate than if you just walk in. I prefer to book through email query as follows rather than through booking engines. You can often get a good deal by sending an email query to several hotels like this.
"Arriving 15-06-03, leaving 17-06-03, one person, two nights, looking for hotel near centre, room without WC-douche OK, have velo. What can you offer?"
In Europe, 15-06-03 means June 15th. Usually, you'll get a reply in English making you an offer. If asked to send a credit card number to confirm the booking, send the first 8 digits in one email and the remaining digits in another. I try to avoid chain hotels, even if they claim to be "budget" or "mini" or "velo" hotels. Also very small hotels with only a few rooms are apt to be booked early and the reception may not be open until late in the day.
Most hotel rooms are smaller than in the U.S., have no air conditioning and single rooms tend to be quite small. To locate a hotel on arrival in a new town, head first for the Tourist Office and and have them mark the hotel location on a street map. Tourist Offices may be closed on weekends. Street maps may also be displayed at the rail station. On weekends, it's best to stay Saturday and Sunday nights at the same hotel.
Note that rates for rooms without private facilities (WC and douche in the hall) are often half those for rooms with private facilities. Usually available only in older hotels, some of which may be ***.
Train Travel
Taking your bike by train is rather expensive because you need one ticket for yourself and an equal-priced ticket for the bike. If the passenger fare is over CHF 15, you will be issued an all-day bike pass costing CHF 15. To avoid last minute rush, I always purchased tickets the day before. You must state the date on which you will travel. If you change this date, you can turn in the tickets and have them reissued free of charge for the new date. On faster EC and IR trains, bike reservations are needed (cost CHF 5) and train personnel may load and unload your bike. On local RE trains you put the bike on and off yourself.
Bikes may be carried in everything from a full-sized baggage car to a spacious compartment or a smaller space in which bikes must be hung from an overhead hook by the front wheel. This makes travel with tandems or recumbants difficult and there are other reasons not to bring them. You need a strong front wheel. Remove all bags and pump before boarding a train and carry them separately. Empty out waterbottles. I carry my handlebar bag in a light shopping rucksack.
Bike wagons are marked with a large bike sign but on some new trains, bike signs are so small they are difficult to see as the train pulls in. If you don't know the location of the bike wagon, stand half-way up the platform. If you don't see a bike sign as the train pulls in, chances are it is in the rear half of the train.
Trains will often make only a brief stop at small stations so I suggest trying to find out in advance which end of the train the bike wagon is, or if it is in the middle. Some trains have several bike wagons. Yet other trains have as many as 15 passenger wagons and if you can't locate the bike wagon, you may be left behind. In this case, I have just got in anywhere-- something you can get away with if you have only one bike. On long double-decker trains, it's specially difficult to spot the single bike compartment.
In western Switzerland, look for a blue "Formation de Velo" or "Formation auf Zug" display on the departure platform. This shows the make-up of all long trains with bike wagon locations marked to coincide with the A, B, C and D section signs on the platform. In eastern Switzerland, I did not see any of these "Formation" boards.
Once your bike is on the train, sit as close to it as possible. Have the name of the station before the one you get off and when the conductor inspects your ticket, ask which side you will get out on. (Almost all speak English.) Before the train reaches your station, have your bike unhooked and ready at the door facing the side you will get out. Your bags should be beside the door. Press a green button to open the door immediately the train stops and get the bike out and on the platform. Then reach back in for your bags.
Between connecting trains, changeover time to get from one platform to another may be only 5 minutes. At most stations, platforms are linked by underground ramps so you can ride your bike from one platform to the other. Thus you can often make tight connections. If not, you usually don't have to wait more than an hour.
Very small stations may no longer be manned and tickets are dispensed from a touch-activated ticket dispenser similar to an ATM machine. Instructions are in English and they also dispense bicycle passes. Caution: they will not give back more than CHF 30 in change. They also take credit cards. You can practice using the machines when no one is around. If you can't use one, buy a ticket on the train.
More people travel with bikes on weekends than weekdays and bike compartments can be full. If your bike is in a full-sized, old-fashioned baggage car, test the doors at a station en route to ensure they can be opened from inside.
Train timetables are displayed at stations with the platform number also given. You can look up train times and connections in advance on the Internet by clicking on either the Swiss Rail SBB website <www.cff.ch/index_e.htm> or, perhaps better, the Deutsche Bahn website <http://bahn.hafas.de/english.html>.
Tickets can also be purchased On-Line and seats reserved in advance. All timetables show which trains carry bikes.
Miscellaneous
For details of my bike, click on "Through the Alps of France, Switzerland and Austria, 2001" on home page menu and scroll down to "Bicycle Specifications."
This 2001 report also describes a different route across Switzerland. It could be used as an alternative to continuing from Thun via Route 5 and it is more mountainous and scenic. To use it, once you reach Thun, return to Luzern by train and continue to Andermatt. Look up Andermatt in the 2001 report and read how you can continue from here by SNRB 2 across the Oberalp Pass and on down the Rheintal to Chur and Bad Ragaz.
The 2001 report also gives much info on bike touring in Switzerland. Worth knowing is that large trucks don't usually operate on weekends. And you can ride safely on almost any secondary road in Switzerland. Most bike paths are 3 meters wide and some sections allow local cars, farm tractors and motor cycles. You need an efficient rain jacket and rain pants, waterproof gloves and warm clothes. A cape without rain pants is not adequate protection in cold weather.
While the 21-day itinerary described here was designed for the average touring cyclist, stronger riders could undoubtedly complete it in a shorter period by riding farther each day, and by cutting out some of the day rides. For example, it takes no great effort to cycle from Kandersteg to Spiez and on to Thun in a single day.
The Migros and Coop chains have supermarkets in most Swiss towns but in Western Switzerland, large, new stores that resemble American supermarkets are being opened. Nonethelss, most close at 13.00 on Saturday and don't reopen till Monday morning (or Tuesday if Monday is also a holiday) and they require you to weigh your own produce and charge one franc to rent a cart. Find out before planning your itinerary on what days supermarkets, Tourist Offices etc may be closed for public holidays. Turkish food shops are usually open on weekends and holidays, also small convenience food shops at some filling stations.
Go in spring (April 25-June 10) or fall (September 1-October 15) for lower off-season rates, to avoid crowds, find rooms more easily, and to avoid hot summer days at lower elevations (but in spring. some high passes could still be closed by snow). On average, out of every 4 days, one is sunny, one cloudy, one overcast and one rainy. During my trip, however, it rained for only a few brief periods while cycling. On cloudy days, mountain peaks and glaciers could be obscured by low clouds. Wind was seldom a problem.
