All cycling routes

Everything seems to crowd into the long urban ribbon at the foot of the Jura: Aare and traffic, towns and people, factories and warehouses. Unspectacular and ordinary - but the rural, unhurried Mittelland is always near and nature not far away.

Rustic Hotel Weisshorn sits on an outcrop high above Val d’Anniviers. The mountain inn marks the end of the tour with a backdrop of the most impressive peaks in the Valais.

From the heights, a round tower guards Martigny on its bend in the Rhone. At the valley’s narrowest point, St-Maurice guards golden church treasures. High mountains and lowlands, Lac Léman hidden behind reeds and defiant Schloss Chillon on the water.

Panoramic section with overwhelming views of the Thunersee and 4000m summits. Up and down through fields of flowers, Justistal peaceful and almost Alpine. Along the sun terrace of Beatenberg down to Unterseen, bordering on the Alpine tourism town of Interlaken.

Interlaken, a trendy meeting point, descended on by masses of Asian tourists and protected by the majestic Eiger, Mönch & Jungfrau. Clear, silent and deep, the Brienzersee, encircled by steep slopes, the Giessbach plunging into the depths (waterfalls).

From the monastery Eschenbach the route leads to the «Johanniterkommende Hohenrain» and then up to castle Horben. After the mountain route with views on the lake Hallwil, the castles Hallwyl and Hilfikon can be admired before getting to Lenzburg via the Aabach river.

The Mont Tendre Bike route is the ideal way to discover everything the Vallée de Joux has to offer. This circular route takes you through the foothills of Mont Tendre, the highest peak of the Swiss Jura, (1,680m), and returns along the south bank of Lac de Joux.

Baldeggersee represents an idyllic nature reserve with 300 plant species. Lake Hallwil, the smallest Swiss lake with public boat service and place to bathe. The route follows the Aabach to Lenzburg, with castle of the same name, which is considered one of Switzerland's most beautiful.

From the uniformly geometric layout of La Chaux-de-Fonds up to the Freiberge: a lush landscape with sweeping pastureland, huge umbrella pines and isolated farmhouses. Over the Mont Soleil, past windmills and solar panels to Tramelan.

«Gögelland» refers to the area between Ottenberg and Obersee, the slopes of the lake ridge above Kreuzlingen. The most important aspect of this short path is that it makes it possible to join the paths along the lake and in Thurtal to create round trips.

The Gantrisch landscape reserve provides the delightful context for this loop featuring the Gurnigel, a pass popular with local cyclists.

Reed meadows and marsh clover at the Pfäffikersee lake then a harmonious glacial landscape with hilly drumlins and marshy hollows. After the Stadttobel in Rüti, a panoramic climb on an ancient pilgrims’ path to the Rikenpass, watershed to Toggenburg.

The young Rhone, known in the Goms Valley as the «Rotten», flows through an authentic natural and cultivated landscape. Pretty villages with beautiful baroque churches, stone pine forests, insect-rich flower meadows and a tangy resin aroma accompany cyclists through the sunny high valley.

From Davos, Europe’s highest town, the loop covers a distance of 117km and 2780m of climbing. The Albula, the ascent to which starts 30km further on, is arguably Switzerland’s prettiest pass.

A wonderful and sporty trail through the Neuchâtel Mountains: the best way to discover the musts and typical points of view of the area. A chance to admire the beautiful Lake Moron, the Saut-du-Doubs waterfall and Lake Brenets.

Uphill and down dale in rolling Appenzell, where it’s said that «every second house is a tavern». Friendly farming country with its own character, a finely structured landscape at the foot of the Säntis, marked by a quaint dialect and a dry wit.

The hounding by the Russian general continues, an Alpine thrust fault in the rock faces of Sernftal a world-acclaimed geological wonder, the mountain quarried for slate to make blackboards and in the ridge, the Martinsloch, an astronomical solar spectacular.

Säntis and the Churfirsten adorn the horizon. The Thur is now a babbling mountain stream, a pre-Alpine idyll. The tourist resort of Wildhaus nestles in a high valley, soon views sink into the wide Rheintal, wheels spin and the air gets noticeably warmer.

Great Alpine route set in wonderful countryside. The tour takes you via the panoramic path Prätschli - Ochsenalp to Tschiertschen. From there you continue via Molinis back to Arosa.

City tours are not for mountain bikers – my foot! If the route is properly prepared, it can even be a highlight – as it happened in Lugano with the Lugano Bike route, combining Monte Bar and Monte Tamaro.

From wheat country to wine country, the climb continues to the Tête de Ran (1329 m), panorama from Lac Lèman to the Glarner Alps. Then down to the Jura high valley to La Chaux-de-Fonds, with its 19th century geometric layout.

From Wimmis to the little lake Amsoldingersee, down into the level Aaretal, in Ostermundigen the Paul-Klee Centre with thousands of the artist’s works. Towards Seeland, finally along the Nidau-Büren canal to Biel, the bilingual Seeland metropolis.

Culture, nature, history. This circular trip offers a fusion of all three elements. Starting from the Old Town of Schaffhausen and continuing along the Rhine to the convent church, Kloster Rheinau, whilst passing the magnificent Rhine Falls on the way.

A sporty high-level pedal from Thun to Interlaken with breathtaking views of the mountain world, up to the glacier village of Grindelwald and on over Grosse Scheidegg, always in close contact with majestic world-famous peaks.

Discover Lake Neuchâtel on this tour featuring 107km of cycling on segregated cycle paths with no ups or downs worth mentioning.

Impressive tour overcoming a large difference in altitude from Trin up to the Alp Mora and to the famous glacier mill of the Val Maliens.

This section leads through Germany and France all of the way. See «International routes» for further information.

The bike tour over the Kunkels Pass is a real classic and connects the spa town of Bad Ragaz in St. Gallen with Tamins in Grisons. At the same time, you completely circle the well-known Calanda Mountain.

Two things distinguish the Umbrail pass: at alt. 2501m, it boasts Switzerland’s highest metalled road. It is also the third route to the famous Stelvio pass, high point of the Giro d’Italia, which every cyclist dreams of tackling at least once in their life.

From Payerne following the slow-flowing Broye, through wide rolling countryside, the granary of western Switzerland. To the west of the Venoge, carefully-tended vineyards lace a pleasing pattern in the landscape, a refreshing white wine thrives in La Côte.

A journey of discovery on the western side of the Blenio Valley. Across the wide Nara basin with seemingly endless panoramic views of the Malvaglia Valley. Technically challenging descent through a number of villages, including Selvapiana. Continue via the ruins of Serravalle Castle.