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Switzerland Bike Trips
A link back to the overview of all of our trips is here. |
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Two mountain chains for the price of one! First the Jura: goofy cow bells and achingly beautiful scenery, which you know from chocolate wrappers and assumed was the Alps. The Alps follow close behind: Lake Geneva lies like a gem set in the dramatic necklace of the Mont Blanc chain. A paradise with an age-old devotion to the comfort of travellers. We cross the border to France several times in our first days, and notably to hit Evian, famous spa town, and source of all that pink-labeled water. The Rhône valley is a giant fruit basket: orchards bracketed by vines bracketed by Europe’s highest peaks. We cross into German-speaking Switzerland, and come to Zermatt, at the base of the Matterhorn. Zermatt offers a great variety of back-to-nature stuff like caves, hikes, skiing, and plastic models of the Matterhorn. The remarkable Swiss social (and other) organization will marvel, vying for attention with the dramatic backdrop, mountain cuisine, unexpected wines, and international nightlife. |
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Biking Transcontinental (5 weeks) |
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Day of the Week
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Description
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Typical distances, in km
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Saturday
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LAC DE JOUX We assemble in a little village on the shores of the beautiful Lac de Joux on Saturday evening. Detailed information is offered on the page describing our Access Package. Since people arrive from many directions and at many hours, this is one of our trip’s “independent nights,” but the hotel’s restaurant is warm and cozy if you make it in in time.... For entertainment, walk down to the shores of the lake to watch the fish jump. Think “card game.” Half Baggage |
0 - 25 k
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Sunday
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The FRENCH JURA We collect our wheels and, following as many rivers and valleys as possible, head over the border into France. You will quickly meet your first hill: a genuine Jura ridge, which you cross. These lines of buckled mountains gave their name to a geological era (and to a movie about dinosaurs). Their odd form will make it obvious just why (regarding the geology, not the dinosaurs). The roads are quiet, the views stunning, the lakes picturesque and very cold, and even the snack foods taste wonderful. Lunch in France (yum!), then head back to Switzerland for the night. Your bike ride has brought you down a long hill: climb back up through a fragrant pine forest, or let a train haul you up. Enjoy the healthy gastronomy in the evening – perhaps a fondue for din-din, or maybe a local trout. Half Baggage |
50 k
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Monday
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From the JURA to the ALPS Today we go waaay up, then waaaaaay down. First, ride down the Lac du Joux. If this tires you out, refuel in lakeside Le Pont, at the far end. Now 200 meters up to the top of the col, where you are rewarded with a dramatic view of Lake Geneva to the south. On a clear day, the entire Mont Blanc chain is laid out before you. Then it’s all downhill along quiet country roads, past dairy farms and peaceful villages, to the shore. Lake Geneva has hosted visitors for 500 years, and the local expertise in the matter is immediately obvious. Lakefront promenades planted with bougainvillia, pretty terraces with views of the mountains, lake perch and white wine.... Check out Lausanne on your way through. Then an international ferry carries us across the lake back into France, and to the spa town of Evian. Kick back and relax: it's what they do best here. The spa, the casino, and as much mineral water as you can drink are all possible distractions. |
50 - 60 k
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Tuesday
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LAKE GENEVA Spend today pack-free, on a loop ride from Evian. Geneva, Montreux, back to the Jura, Lausanne - all are worthy destinations. Use combinations of your bike, the lake boats, and the train to work in as much as possible. Or just relax in Evian. Play on the water slide, sail on the lake, or maybe get in a round of mini golf. Rough life, eh? |
0 - 75 k
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Wednesday
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The RHÔNE VALLEY Now east along the shore of Lake Geneva, to the head of the lake where the Rhône River flows in. Back across the French-Swiss border for the umpteenth time. Turn south following the river and watch as the mountains come to greet you. With the wind at our backs, we slide between the steep walls of the narrowing valley. Incredibly steep terraced vineyards line the hills. Visit the salt mine at Bex, pause for grape juice at St.-Maurice. Evening sees us in Martigny, at the foot of the St.-Bernard pass, surrounded by the birthplace of Switzerland's finest wines. Martigny is also home to the Fondation Pierre Gianadda, one of the world's great art museums (and which bizarrely doubles as an old car museum). Wander through the sculpture garden, admiring works of Calder, Chagall, Miró, Rodin... interspersed with the occasional Buick. |
65 k
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Thursday
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The UPPER RHÔNE & the VISPA Zermatt, our final destination, is 100 k away and 1 k+ higher in altitude. No problem. Forget your worries with a tasting at the Morand distillery, which makes fine brandies from the fruits of the orchards which surround us. Again with the wind at our backs, we charge (or wieve) up the flat floor of the Rhône valley. Car-free bike paths through apricot orchards and disguised military installations. Fresh grape juice from the station café at Riddes, a subterranean lake full of school children in St.-Léonard, castles in Sion, fondue in Leuk. Language changes from French to German. At Visp we turn right toward the mountains and begin to worry. In 80 k we’ve climbed 100 meters. That leaves a k to climb in the next 20. “‘Train.’ Can you say that? I like the way you say that.” A cog railway pulls us up a dramatic valley to Zermatt. Walk around town and get used to the special pace of this alpine resort village. Half Baggage |
80 k
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Friday
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The MATTERHORN A free day in the mountains. No packs, no bikes. There is, however, high altitude skiing, hot chocolate, glorious hikes among glacial lakes, alpine air or a vicious mini-golf tournament, the losers of which are sacrificed in a tribal ritual involving boiling cheese. Optional. Not even one single k. Half Baggage |
0 k
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Saturday
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The SIMPLON PASS Spend a last morning breathing in the mountain air. Souvenir shopping for Swiss hats, chocolate, and cuckoo clocks. Pick up a pocket knife as a gift for your favorite TSA agent. Snap some quick photos of the Matterhorn before it slips behind its robe of clouds. Then, back down the mountain. Whether under your own power (start with a serious brake check) or by grace of the railroad (make sure all the cog teeth are in place) depends on your trip, morning activity, foolhardiness, and (obviously) the tooth fairy. Regardless, it is 40 k downhill to Brig. Enjoy every centimeter. TRAVEL DAY. For those now leaving our care, the trip disbands in Brig. Our “Access Packages” presume that you spend Saturday night in the area, either here or over the border in Italy, for a flight on Sunday from Geneva, Milan or Zurich. Those whose trips continue to Italy (“Biking Transcontinental” or “Alpine Lakes,” for example) cycle on from Brig. The valiant (and nutty) try to tackle the Simplon Pass. The rest of us take advantage of one of the wonders of modern engineering: the Simplon Tunnel, bored through Monte Leone. Our bikes safely stowed on a train, we burrow into Italy. Then cycle on downhill through the Ossola Valley to Domodossola. This is where we pick up our Italian Lakes itinerary, in time for a Barbera-licious dinner. Half Baggage |
40 k
60 k if continuing to Italy... |
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Sunday
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WHATEVER’S NEXT A flight, for example... |
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departure dates