10 Days Riding Challenge Tour across Switzerland

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240 giờ

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The Challenge Tour takes you clear across Switzerland, from west to east. You'll see the most important regions of the country in 10 days of riding.

The route follows the train network, so you're never far from the train in case of problems or simply if you'd like to have a shorter day.

Thông tin khác

Public transportation options are available nearby

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness

Chính sách hủy

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

Bao gồm

Bikes, Hotels, Breakfasts, Navigation, Luggage transfers, train tickets

Cần Quan Tâm

Ngày 1

Orientation and bicycle fitting.

Lưu Trú

Hotel Cornavin, 4-star hotel a 2-minute walk from our shop.

Geneva

If your orientation is on a Thursday or a Saturday, please consider doing one of our club rides. More information on club rides can be found at bikech.ch

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Ngày 2

Geneva -> Chexbres; 85 km & 634 meters

Lake Geneva

We’re off ! You will follow small country roads and vineyard paths before stopping for a picnic lunch in the lakeside town of Rolle. Get back on your bike, but relax: You’re on the Swiss riviera and many of the villages along the route will be hosting festivals, concerts and sporting events. Make sure to take your time and get a taste of the local color. We will also pass through the larger city of Lausanne. Consider exploring the lakefront or stop at the Olympic Museum…we pass right in front ! Later in the day we climb through winding roads of the Lavaux wine region. We'll stop at a local cave to taste the regional white wines and then it’s off to our hotel in the small town of Chexbres where you’ll sit and contemplate Lake Geneva and the grape vines below.

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Ngày 3

Chexbres -> Gstaad; 70 km and 1,115 meters

Gstaad

Feeling adventurous ? If so, take the steep back roads to our first coffee stop in Chatel St. Denis, otherwise join the rest of us on the more direct route. There is a lot of flexibility on our itinerary if you choose to stray. Once at our coffee spot, grab a slice of dense chocolate cake: we’ve got another 50 kilometers to work up an appetite. Lunch is in the medieval village of Gruyère. Take a tour of the castle or visit the cheese museum before getting back in the saddle to discover the magnificent valleys and giant chalets of the region beyond. Gstaad’s car-free streets are perfect for admiring the surrounding Bernese alps. You’ll come to understand why a long list of celebrities, from Grace Kelly to Tina Turner have made Gstaad their summer home.

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Ngày 4

Gstaad -> Wengen; 70 km & 375 meters

Wengen

After a short but steep climb out of town and a very long descent into Zweisimmen, you will explore pastures and streams on densely packed gravel paths. We’ll be stopping to pet the cows and admire the towering family chalets. Take plenty of pictures: these traffic-free valleys are seldom seen by tourists. You’ll spend the later part of the day riding the shores of Lake Thun before reaching Interlaken. Once there, we’ll leave our bikes behind and take a 45 minute cogwheel train ride 4,265 feet up to the alpine town of Wengen. There are no cars allowed in town. Indeed, to preserve the beautfy of the region, the whole area has been designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO. Tomorrow we’ll explore the hiking trails, but now it’s time to relax.

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Ngày 5

Wengen Hike

Wengen

Wake up in an alpine paradise. Open the windows and listen: no cars or horns in this traffic-free town. Come downstairs and eat a hearty breakfast, you’ll soon be on the world’s most beautiful hiking trails. No bikes, but you will be working your legs in different ways. You’ll dangle them from gondola lifts, run with the grazing alpine herds and your knees will bend to pick the wild edelweiss that fill the pastures.

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Ngày 6

Wengen -> Lucerne; 93 km & 750 meters

Lucerne

Riders will begin by riding the length of Lake Brienz and then through the flatlands outside of Meiringen before tackling the Brunig Pass. Those doing the Brunig will climb 400 meters in 5 kilometers and will get splendid views of the valley they’ve just ridden through. If the weather is bad or some riders are not up to the climb, alternative itineraries using the boat from Interlaken and trains can be worked out. In any event, all riders will meet on the lake at Lungern for lunch. The afternoon’s paths are flat and picturesque and will take us through the bustling medieval village of Sarnen. Quench your thirst with a tall beer in the market square; you’ve got another 30 kilometers. Once on Lake Lucerne, we’ll follow the lakeside bike paths through villages, past private docks and rich neighborhoods until we reach Lucerne itself. Our hotel overlooks the lake in the city center.

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Ngày 7

Lucerne -> Rapperswil; 100 km & 880 meters (Possible to shorten route with train)

Rapperswil

Today we follow four lakes and go through four cantons. Our ride begins outside of Lucerne on hard dirt paths along the River Reuss until reaching Zug: Switzerland’s smallest (but richest) canton. We’ll picnic on the lake and tour Zug’s medieval old town before climbing out and into the Rothernthurm high marshlands, one of Switzerland’s best-known nature preserves. We’ll bike past peat-covered cabins and through wet rolling fields before reaching the imposing Einsiedeln monastery. If your legs hold up, you’ll soon be high in the clouds with spectacular views on all sides. As always, narrow and well-maintained bike paths will allow you to venture where few tourists have gone before ! Take a long coast into Rapperswil and settle into your hotel in the town’s center. You’ have some choices to make: explore the cobblestone city center, take a lakeside promenade, the monastery perched over the city, stroll through the reputed rose gardens, enjoy a circus museum, zoo, wine bars or nap.

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Ngày 8

Rapperswil -> Feldkirch; 100 kilometers & 340 meters (possible to shorten route with train)

Feldkirch

We’ll be following nicely groomed, car-free bike paths along Lake Zurich for the first 20 kilometers. You’ll see the alps of Glarus to your south and the Appenzell highlands to the north, but all of your riding today is flat. After the lake, it’s another twenty kilometers before reaching the long Walensee lake and its 1500 meter cliffs. The ride soon becomes surreal as we head into a long series of bike tunnels where giant windows give us stunning views of the lake and its high calcium cliffs. Take a swim in Switzerland ’s cleanest lake and then dry off for a picnic. We eventually meet up with the Rhine and follow it northward. We’ll cross over into Liechtenstein and finally into Austria where we’ll spend the night in the medieval city of Feldkirch. Spend the evening exploring the city’s narow shopping streets before tucking into a hearty Austrian meal at a refurbished hunting lodge that sits above the city.

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Ngày 9

Feldkirch -> Romanshorn ; 60 km & 80 meters

Romanshorn

Our last day of riding follows rivers and lowlands. You’ll pedal past farms, through fields and along canals until lunchtime in Widnau. You’ve then got a choice: make your hardest climb yet to the village of Heiden overlooking Lake Constance. Or take the low road to the lake and our final stop in Romanshorn. This is our easiest day, so use your time and energy to explore the unique villages and shops along the way. Or get into Romanshorn early to enjoy a lakeside stroll and swim.

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Ngày 10

Return to Geneva

Geneva

Say goodbye to your bike. After a late breakfast it’s all-aboard ! We’ll interrupt our five-hour train trip back to Geneva with a stop-over in the Swiss capital of Berne. You’ll be on your own for lunch, sightseeing and shopping. Your last evening in Switzerland will be spent back where it all started: on the shores of lake Geneva. If the weather is good, we’ll catch the last of the long summer rays with a tall drink and good food at the lakefront or back in the bike shop’s neighborhood.

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Tùy chọn

10 Days Riding Challenge Tour across Switzerland

Đánh giá

5.00

6 đánh giá

Tổng số đánh giá và xếp hạng từ Viator & TripAdvisor

Alpine adventuer
georgevT3662TK,
9 thg 1, 2025
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00
Sometimes you do get what you pay for. The two tours by Bike Switzerland, the Challenge (in 2023), and the Alpine (in 2024) were expensive but as a site seeing adventure bicycling orientated vacation they were awesome. The hotels, food, roads, mountains, lakes and history, top marks in all categories. Switzerland is not the USA, kind of the whole point of traveling to another country. With four official languages, German, French, Italian, and Romansh: We were worried about communications. Most people spoke some English in the hotels so we could communicate with each other, it was just amazing. The breakfasts were included in the hotel and they were as far away from the coffee and a donuts at our Super 8’s as we are from the moon. The fresh breads, meats, cheeses, fruits and juices were enough only to need a snack along the days ride and the dinners at the hotel again were never a disappointment. One hotel greeted us with a glass of wine we enjoyed sitting out on the balcony watching sun set. We did splurge a bit on the wine, the wines that are bottled in the local area are highly recommended. The roads were in general quiet and well paved. Some gravel, some bike paths, some two lane roads that I would call bike path in the USA but all were not boring….. The most crowded road was the first day along Lake Geneva. With crowded roads comes opportunities, we stop for ice cream, Harley Davidson coins for a brother in law and a couple last minute bike needs at a bike shop. Definitely the rich suburbs area of Geneva. Any trip is what you make of it and the places one stops. The rest of the trip was very peaceful. Through fields and along rivers, a trip mainly looking up at the mountains. Everything is so green and manicured. The day along the Rhine there are still WW II bunkers and then we a beer under a Palm tree next to a lake. Incredible. The biggest Mountain we went up was by train to Wengen, a most defiantly do not skip day. Really two train and a tram to the top and then we walked down to the hotel, pure 1800’s charm and class, with modern wifi. We used a 50/34 11/28 gear combination with 32mm Continental tires. We are 67 and my wife 65 and bike about 3,000 to 4,000 miles a season. I think the proper approach for a “longer, harder” day attitude is “No hurries, No worries”. So what if we took all day to get to where we were going. It was wonderful to be outside just riding our bikes. If we saw something we liked we stopped. We would buy “a lunch” in a grocery store but eat it along a lake. One day we were only 4 miles into the day but found cappuccino/bakery with a beautiful view. So what if our daily average speed was down to 10mph. Lets face it, the joy in most trips comes down to weather. We had only one really miserable rainy day, a few short showers but only one cold drenching rain on the 2023 trip. The really cool thing is, in Switzerland they have trains, clean, fast and take bikes that go to most everywhere we were going. So we called it quits at lunch, hopped a train to our next hotel and enjoyed looking out the window at the country side, dry and warm. So if the mountain is too tall or the weather is too rotten or a partner that is too tired they can take a day off and train to the next stop. People can make the trip special, we were alone on the challenge tour and met many nice people along the way. The second trip we went with another couple and I feel we made new life long friends. It is nice to have something in common and to share the days adventure with someone new. Say yes to potentially new friends if offered. Self guided vs guided. We went self guided. Mainly cost, we also brought our own bikes, again cost. It was more work and maybe we didn’t hit all the local hot spots or historical places. It is a personal and financial choice. It will be more of an adventure than following a tour guide, but it will be more work. One thing I think is important if self guided. Learn RIDEWITHGPS and how to download the GPX files to a Wahoo element. 99% of the time it is a piece of cake to follow the map and if it rainy or the Wahoo element is hard to see, Wahoo element will talk to you through Shokz bone conduction headphone. We were never off route more than 100 feet before it gave us corrections. HOWEVER, bring your phone, with the RIDEWITHGPS app because sometimes a bridge is out (once) or a road is closed (once) and a map will save the day. As well as asking the locals were the best detour is. One detour was a boat ride down the lake around the road that was closed so bring a credit card and cash just in case. One very small village we stopped for a snack did not take credit cards. One part of the trip we left Switzerland used Euros and the rest was Swiss Francs (ch). One bag means one bag. Two small bags is not the same as one big bag. You will be charged extra. Try and bring as little as possible. Its ok to wear the same jersey, or same shirt to dinner, your in a different hotel, no one will notice. Plus you have room for cool stuff to bring home. Say a new Swiss bike jersey, a very souvenir. The rooms are smaller and some did not have elevators so large luggage bag lugging is a pain. We always had a safe place to store our bikes. We did bring electric adapters for European Voltages but some rooms did not have many extra plugs. A multiple cable voltage adapters is handy. Even better with a built in night light. Sometimes a new room every night can get confusing. Another little thing that really added to the trip were the walking talking tours we bought and downloaded to our phones. If we got to a town early or had a rest day we would share a set of AirPods, walk you around while being told the history of the town and getting good recommendations on where eat or what to see along the way. Too many sights to write about. Lots of history in Switzerland, like anywhere in Europe. George and Trish
Extraordinary adventure!
Excursion57663588955,
19 thg 9, 2024
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00
My husband and I could not have been happier with the preparation, Ride with GPS, written instructions and all advance communication. The orientation upon arrival was thorough and our bikes were fitted exactly as we wanted (mirror and panniers). Bike Switzerland was so responsive when we had any questions while biking, and we found them to be so helpful. The hotels were all great, all very different, clean and great breakfasts. The routes were mostly quiet and safe. This was unmistakably the most scenic, safe, and majestic of any bike trip we have enjoyed. My husband rode a gravel bike, and I rode an electric bike, and it was ideal for both of us. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ADVENTURE. You will definitely not be disappointed!!!!
Recommend highly.
Q2471YGjohnw,
19 thg 9, 2024
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a great time on the Challenge Tour Bike Switzerland as just a couple. John was easy to work with in modifying the tour to add a couple of days to shorten the bigger mileage legs. The route was well marked, the GPS maps were excellent, the hotels were great, and scenery was spectacular. We've bike toured in many countries and this trip was one of best.
Solo across Switzerland
672daphnem,
18 thg 8, 2024
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00
I had an amazing solo ride from Geneva to Rapperswil with a train to Zurich after. I cut my trip shorter than ten days to accomodate other plans, but it was still a very complete experience. Switzerland is enchanting. Bike Switzerland staff were amazing. I never felt worried, scared or anxious and loved every day. I highly recommend Bike Switzerland.
A Dream Come True!
kathrynpU9732IN,
27 thg 10, 2023
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00
We will never forget this experience! For my husband and me, this trip was a dream twelve years in the making, and it lived up to all our expectations! The hotels were quaint and comfortable, the navigation system and the bikes worked perfectly, the views were stunning, the route was pleasant and easy to follow, the luggage transfer was seamless, the food was delicious, and the tour managers were responsive and helpful. Every moment in Switzerland looks like something on a postcard—we could hardly believe it was real! I highly recommend you take a few extra days in Wengen to enjoy the hiking and definitely don't miss Trümmelbach Falls! That's another thing ... the ability to customize your tour is priceless. We unequivocally recommend the Bike Switzerland Challenge tour!
Swiss bike challenge
joehH4125VN,
30 thg 5, 2022
- Đánh giá từ Tripadvisor
5.00
This is the third trip I’ve done with this company. Experience on all three tours was excellent. This year was the challenge tour, which I did solo. Staff were super helpful, bikes in excellent condition. Hotels, food exceeded expectations. Luggage transfers flawless, beat me to the hotel most days. Great routes with lots of riding on small roads and dedicated paths, navigation wourked great. Amazing views and countryside every day, it is Switzerland after all. Highly recommended.