North-South Route
Overview
Intro
The Vierwaldstättersee is one of Switzerland’s largest and most beautiful lakes. Its many arms link the Mittelland and Alps. When the fierce föhn wind blows, the lake reveals its wilder side!
Closure, Axenstrasse
Since summer 2023, bicycles and motorised bicycles have been banned on the Axenstrasse between Brunnen and Sisikon. Instead, a free shuttle bus is offered for people with bicycles, motorised bicycles and similar vehicles. For more information, click on the link or the PDF. A reduced winter timetable is currently in operation. The section between Brunnen and Flüelen is best travelled by train or boat.
Description
Built in about 1300, the Chapel Bridge is Lucerne's icon – Europe's oldest preserved wooden bridge. With a total length of 204 meters, it is only slightly shorter than the wooden bridge at Bad Säckingen (Germany), making it the continent's second-longest covered wooden bridge. You will enjoy a superb panorama as you pedal along the lake, with many stately churches on view.
A welcome change: the boat crossing from Beckenried to Gersau, the oldest spa resort on Lake Lucerne. You'll admire stunning views of the Vitznauerstock (a.k.a. Gersauerstock) and Mount Rigi, the "Queen of Mountains". All the ships and pretty palm trees are somewhat reminiscent of the Riviera or Ticino. Enjoy the journey to Brunnen, a popular summer resort with its venerable Belle Epoque hotels. The "Stadt Luzern" ferryboat roars across the water - also a way to get around the closed Axenstrasse. The section between Brunnen and Sisikon is closed to cyclists until further notice. A bicycle shuttle service is offered as a replacement. More detailed information can be found below.
From Sisikon, the Axenstrasse is again an experience. The Tell's chapel and the Tell's slab (Tellsplatte) near Aussertellen await, which you reach after Sisikon. It's worth taking the steep walk of about 10 minutes down to the lake. No wonder that this appealing scenery inspired Tell to make such strenuous efforts to rout the Habsburgs. Soon, a viewing platform appears with a magnificent panorama – an entrancing vista of the lake and the mountains: Gitschen (2,511 m.a.s.l.), Uri Rotstock (2,928), Oberbauenstock (2,117) and even more peaks. But the iconic Uri bull stares fiercely down from the rock walls. Meanwhile, cyclists ride down to Flüeli: to the Reuss Delta and Lake Uri, the southernmost arm of Lake Lucerne.
An enjoyable tour includes the careful planning of the same. Please inform yourself in advance at the local information center about the route and weather conditions. Depending on the season and weather conditions, this route may be blocked or interrupted
Start location |
Luzern
|
---|---|
Destination |
Flüelen
|
Ascent |
360 m
|
Descent |
360 m
|
Distance |
45 km
|
Distance on tarred ways |
45 km
|
Physical requirements |
Medium
|
Theme |
Along Water
|
More information | https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/veloland/etappe3.03... |