cycling
01. Dezember, 12:00 Uhr
I use bikes for everything from shopping to multi-day tours. I dabble across the whole spectrum of riding but am not a hardcore roadie, or super-talented downhill rider.
**--- Basics ---**
* Biking year round is standard all over Switzerland for daily tasks and recreation be it city/road/mountain. It is not on a level like in The Netherlands or Copenhagen, but go to a town and you will see bikes everywhere (parents often transport their kids via e-bikes with a trailer).
* Legally it is very relaxed, I have never seen or heard of anyone getting into trouble. A helmet is recommended but optional. Technically lights are required after dark, but many people seem to not bother (I have lost count of how many fast moving black shadows I have only just avoided hitting). [E-bikes are a little bit more complex and worth reading up on if you plan to use them, especially the fast (25-45kmph) E-bikes.]( https://www.ch.ch/en/cycling-switzerland/)
* There is plenty of support (bike paths and suggested routes are common in and between towns and cities), but not often what you would call proper infrastructure. More often than not a bike lane is just the side of the road with some yellow paint around it, or it pushes you to the backstreets. Better than some places, not as good as the Netherlands.
* Security is generally as good as it is going to be. A weak combi lock is fine for cheap city bikes (I have outright forgotten to lock mine a number of times). I still take care with my nicer bikes, but compared to bike security in my native UK this is a different world.
* Proper bike storage in hotels isn’t common. Typically bike storage can be arranged but usually means putting your bike in the garage next to their car.
* One of the best things about Switzerland is how open it is. Generally speaking unless there is a very clear “private - no entry” sign blocking a path, then you can use it. Even if you just explore a small area you will have seemingly endless forest and field paths which you can use .
* Respect for cyclists is very generally high. I have never had a problem with traffic (but this might not be the case in bigger city centres during rush hour), it isn’t uncommon for a driver to yield to me even when they have right-of-way. It is even the custom that if someone is walking their dog that they will hold it still until you are past them. The respect of course goes both ways: don’t tear through a crowded town centre or other such stupid things.
* E-bikes are very popular, and only becoming more popular. This can really catch you out if you are not used to it. Be aware that the little old lady in the distance who you saw out of the corner of your eye a few seconds ago might suddenly shoot past you at 45kmph. Likewise you will find people on E-mountain bikes all over the landscape these days.
---
**--- Swiss Mobility ---**
One of the main resources is the [Swiss Mobility](https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/summer.html). This is the system that you will see the red bicycle and mountain bike signs for around the country.
It is well worth getting their App which is very useful when combined with GPS. Route planning and map segment downloads are possible with the 35 CHF a year Plus version - I find this to be well worth it for planning out hiking and cycling routes (but I live here). Alternatively the Swisstopo app can also show the cycling + MTB routes and lets you download as much of the map as you want for offline use free of charge (but I find it much clunkier to use and slower).
* It has dedicated sections for [cycling (veloland)]( https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/cycling-in-switzerland.html) and [mountain bikes]( https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/mountainbiking-in-switzerland.html).
* With routes criss-crossing the country that are easy to jump on and off as you like. These routes do a good job of keeping you away from busy roads, they are generally well signed which makes it very easy to get around. They are however usually more focused on scenic/safe touring than efficiency.
* The routes shown on Swiss Mobility are not the full extent of the signed cycling network. The Swiss Mobility tends to be longer range touring, whilst many short distance local connections are not mapped anywhere to my knowledge (despite also being signed using the red signposts). This is obviously a bit frustrating if the only way to know if there is a nice signed and separated bike lane (rather than a wiggly detour up the side of a hill) is to know the area or deep trawl on google streetview.
* The map shows the road surface of suggested routes: paved (solid line), gravel (dashed), single trail (dots). It is worth reading the description for each segment and checking through the map, as some of these contain some surprisingly rough sections. Also just because the surface is paved does not mean it will be smooth – many paved sections are pothole filled farm roads that are a few years overdue for a resurface.
* Sometimes they feel like a work of genius taking you along scenic and well thought out routes you would never have found otherwise, other times they take you on a disorientating labyrinth through suburbs and industrial areas in what seems to be an obsession with avoiding any road that might have a car on it.
* There are some questionable sections. The absolute worst bit of official bike path that I have done so far is the section from Interlaken to Leissigen where the bike path is the hard shoulder on a busy road with fast traffic (granted there isn’t much space to work with, but it still seems like a crazy choice). Navigating through central Lausanne was a confusing mix of changing lanes and being put on and off the pavement.
* Signage is generally good. Though I tend to use a GPS still to be aware of what is coming up - sometimes you get very little warning of sudden turning and it is much better to admire the scenery than constantly be watching for signs. It is also not unknown for signs to be swallowed by bushes or hidden behind a tractor.
* I tend to use the Swiss Mobility routes as a basis in areas I don’t know, and either mix them up with diversions I learn from experience or sometimes study the route and plan some diversions based on what seems reasonable.
* Serious road cyclists will not want to use these routes because of the variable surface material and very roundabout routing.
* You can buy maps “Velokarte” from Hallwag Kümmerly & Frey that have the major cycling and mountain bike routes from Swiss Mobility highlighted ([for example](https://www.freytagberndt.com/shop/9783259024102-emmental/)). These also have useful information like gradients and how suitable roads are. They also include red/green dots to warn you of “dangerous” spots, which mostly seems to be anytime the route grudgingly decides that you have to cross a road which might actually have a few cars on it. The quality and scale is good and I have a few of these covering areas I spent lots of time in.
---
**--- Mountain biking: ---**
* Mountain biking is not as developed as you might expect in most of Switzerland given the obvious endowment of mountains and established tourism. Maybe the success of the latter with other activities has reduced the need to focus on mountain biking. However, it has been increasing in popularity, and with reduced snow in recent years it is very likely that more and more ski resorts will look to MTB tourism in the summer.
* The laws about where exactly you can ride (especially regarding single trails) is a little confusing and region dependent (like all things in Switzerland). Sometimes there is a sign up making it very clear that bikes are not allowed on a certain path. Appenzell Innerhoden banned mountain biking on footpaths unless they are clearly marked as bike routes, Graubünden on the other hand is working hard on MTB tourism and so is very bike friendly and you can ride on any path there. Most of the country is somewhere in between. If you interpret the law (which is from 1958) to a very extreme degree then you can barely go anywhere, but in practice this is never applied and you will see people riding everywhere. You should be ok going wherever you like, so long as you respect other people who are on the paths. [This]( https://www.englishforum.ch/2411164-post56.html) and [this]( https://www.bfu.ch/de/rechtsfragen/wo-darf-ich-mit-meinem-mountainbike-mtb-fahren) might help with some more information. The country is still working out what to do with the massive rise in popularity of MTB in recent years (especially with Ebikes increasing where people can get to) so the situation might well change.
* Local tourist boards will advertise routes, and Ski resorts especially will promote them. Though this varies by place, some spots like Lenzerheide, Verbier and Zermatt go hard on promoting MTB and have dedicated separate routes for hikers and bikers, others like the popular Jungfrau region have very little for mountain bikers beyond gravel roads.
* MTB-only trails do exist, but are very limited in number and mostly just around pro-MTB ski resorts during the summer. So most mountain biking is done on standard footpaths. Even in quiet places, always be prepared to brake to avoid slamming into a group of pensioners or a family walking their dog. If you try and do a very popular route (eg: along the Aletsch glacier or over Napf) you might find you are spending most of the time trying to avoid hikers rather than anything enjoyable. Riding with respect and care is the most important thing.
* Likewise outside of ski resorts you will find very little in the way of proper bike park type well groomed trails. Mostly it will be whatever the footpath is, which could be easy and flowy or could be a steep and loose rocky nightmare.
* Ski resorts (or anywhere with a cable car) will often offer a day-pass for bikes.
Finding routes:
* The [SchweizMobil mountain bike section](https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/mountainbiking-in-switzerland.html) is quite varied in quality and style. Initially it seemed to just be fairly tame gravel and asphalt tours, but the number of routes is constantly increasing. In Graubünden and Valais there are quite a number of tours with serious technical trails listed. The Grabünden routes especially have made me question whether the person who developed them was a masochist who loves mountain biking, or a sadist who hates mountain bikers.
* It is worth checking out the trail maps you can get from [ride.ch](https://www.ride.ch/de/trails), these come with suggested tours too. The online map (part of the 65 CHF per year subscription which includes more suggested routes and being sent their magazine) gives you access to the whole country and is much easier to figure out where the trails are than the printed maps. The consistency in the difficulty can vary somewhat: I have seen red ‘challenging’ single trails that are flat but with a few slight bumps, and others that are narrow and steep rocky paths of death.
* User generated trails can be found on various websites like [Trailforks]( https://www.trailforks.com/), Kamoot, [Strava heatmaps](https://www.strava.com/heatmap#12.93/7.55676/47.26281/hot/ride), [MTB project](https://www.mtbproject.com/), outdoor active, mapmyride etc: . Coverage and quality is going to be rather hit and miss.
* Or if you google the place and MTB you might get lucky and find someone who has made a dedicated blog for the area in question (like [Spoony]( https://blog.spoony.ch/) or [Phil]( http://nebelmeer79.blogspot.com/) around Solothurn).
* Open maps like Maps.me and [openstreetmap.ch](https://www.openstreetmap.ch/) can be very useful for finding little trails for mountain biking that don’t appear on the official maps. However, it can be hard to know what is doable: a trail might be perfect single trail or an overgrown forest road that hasn’t been used in years.
* To really get to know the trails in an area then you will need to explore yourself. There are lots of DIY routes carved out by locals in the forests – but quite how legal these are varies by area, and ethically you might want to think about what they do to nature.
---
**--- Taking a bike on public transport ---**
[The SBB has guidelines on how to take bikes on trains]( https://www.sbb.ch/en/timetable/travel-advice/bicycles.html) and there are also maps showing which lines you can take bikes on and where you can rent bikes - [PDF warning](https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/infrastruktur/trafimage/karten/karte-veloselbstverlad-und-mietvelo-en.pdf.sbbdownload.pdf).
This was already popular pre-Covid, but since the Covid bike boom it has been highly in demand and is often far beyond what is a fairly limited capacity on most trains/buses. I highly recommend travelling with a bike on trains at quieter times or using the SBB’s bike shipping service. Hopefully this will be improved in the future. Some of it I can imagine will be easier such as dedicated bike buses around resorts, but the intercity trains are going to be a problem until the stock is eventually replaced.
**Send it ahead**
* If you have time to plan then you can use the [SBB’s bike shipping service]( https://www.sbb.ch/en/timetable/travel-advice/bicycles/bicycle-shipping-in-switzerland.html) to have your bike sent ahead to collect 2 days later at another station for 20 CHF (30 CHF for ebikes). I have done this a few times and not had any problems, it is much easier and more relaxed than trying to make multiple connections and dash through busy stations with a bike.
**Train**
* There is the option for a special bike day ticket (14CHF), but for a short trip which would cost less than that you can just buy a half-price ticket to cover the bikes . Both can be bought quickly through the ticket machines or on your phone with the SBB app. [I have an extra ‘bike’ profile in my SBB app so I can quickly buy myself and my bike a ticket for short hops.](https://imgur.com/quvZnTg.jpg)
* Some routes also require a bike reservation (2CHF), check the terms of any train you catch (look for a symbol showing a bike inside a box in the train information). This is especially the case for inter-city trains from March-October.
* You can avoid paying at all if you take the front wheel off of your bike and put it all in a bike-bag. At this point the bike counts as luggage.
* The bike storage section varies by train type. There will be a bike symbol on the relevant door (though in more open regional trains you can squeeze on in other sections). On the crampt inter-city trains the bike section often gets abused as a general dumping space for prams or luggage (in fairness there isn’t really anywhere else to put them). To my knowledge only the Rhaetian Railway in Graubünden has whole cars dedicated to bikes.
* This can be quite a frustrating experience and sometimes feel like a game of chance. Among other problems I have encountered are: luggage piled up in the bike area, bikes stored in an IC train without reservation when one is required, the door of the wagon with my reserved spot being broken (thankfully it was early in the day and the other end of the train had space when I dashed down there). Even if it does all work, the hooks in the tight Intercity trains are not suitable for MTB tires.
**Bus**
* Buses going up to mountain passes or villages often have a bike rack on the back or might be able to put bikes in the luggage storage area under the bus. Again spots are very limited and reservation is often mandatory from May-October. Typically buses require that you make a bike reservation by 4pm on the previous day.
* In a pinch you can use a city bus if it isn’t busy. This has saved me a 10km walk a few times when I got a flat without a spare.
---
**---Events---**
* [Slow Up]( https://www.slowup.ch/national/de.html). A series of events around the country where a section of road is closed to traffic for the day and cyclists are free to go around at their own speed. Usually a very festive atmosphere with lots of food/drink stands. Free, simply turn up.
* [Ride the Alps](https://www.ochsnersport.ch/de/shop/cp/events/Ride%20the%20Alps/ridethealps-nufenen.html). A series of events where an Alpine pass road is blocked to traffic and cyclists can enjoy it in peace for a few hours. Registration and a small fee (20CHF) are required.
* [Solothurn bike days]( https://bikedays.ch/ ). A national bike event taking place in early/mid May. Exhibitions, bike testing competitions with racing/jumping tricks/BMX. Entry is free to 20CHF depending on when and what you want.
---
**---Getting a bike---**
Rental
* [Schweiz Rollt]( http://www.schweizrollt.ch/) offers free rental in certain cities/areas (Geneva, Valais, Zürich, La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle, and Neuchâtel) from May to October for a limited time period (and then often very cheap afterwards). ID required.
* [You can rent bikes at train stations via the SBB]( https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/auto-velo/rent-a-bike-high-season.html). The advantage being that you can return it to another station for a 10CHF charge.
* Otherwise rental will often be offered by other stores, especially in tourist areas. If you are staying in a tourist area/resort you might get a discount on local bike rental with your visitor card.
Buying
* A number of stations have a bike service station that provides cheap bike repairs and often sell cheap second hand bikes.
* For 2nd hand bikes you can keep an eye out for bike markets, or possibly more useful are the online market places [Ricardo.ch]( https://www.ricardo.ch/de/c/radsport-41950/) and [Velomarkt.ch]( https://www.velomarkt.ch/).
---
**Misc**
* Any work you have done at a bike shop will be with Swiss working wage costs. So try not to need repairs here.
* It isn’t uncommon to see spare-tube vending machines outside bike shops, very useful when the shops close early here.
* For anyone wanting a challenge [the steepest pass road is actually not in the Alps but in the Jura](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_P%C3%A4sse_in_der_Schweiz). The Balmberg pass only gains 365m of elevation, but it is squeezed into 2.5km - with gradients of up to 25% and an average gradient of 17% over the steepest 1.7km. [I decided to spend a good chunk of 2021 burning off home office energy by attacking that and the nasty old road](https://www.reddit.com/r/ali_on_switzerland/comments/n17xp1/my_2021_challenge_biking_the_balmberg_pass/).
---
**--- Some of my Favourite routes: ---**
I will aim to update this over time, but these will do for a start.
**General:**
* Possibly my favourite region is the Emmental/Entlebuch. Endless quiet roads in lonely valleys filled with giant farmhouses and alpine views. The trick is planning a route which sticks on the ridges to avoid horrific amounts of climbing.
**Touring/gravel**
* [Over the Furka Pass.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ali_on_switzerland/comments/pvvrzy/bike_over_the_furkapass_from_andermatt_to_fiesch/) The most varied and impressive views of the passes I have been over so far.
* Oberaar panoramastrasse. A short but stunning deadend road going off the Grimsel Pass with very little traffic [(or none if you sneak on before it officially opens to public road traffic)](https://old.reddit.com/r/ali_on_switzerland/comments/ofeuis/cycling_through_a_big_chunk_of_switzerland/).
* Valley and gorge hopping in the Jura on routes like [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/ali_on_switzerland/comments/nrlhjd/biking_through_the_jura_to_delemont_and_passwang/) and [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/ali_on_switzerland/comments/m5q4gf/biking_through_3_gorges_and_over_4_passes_in_the/).
**MTB**
* [Suvretta loop.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ali_on_switzerland/comments/plrwhm/mtb_the_suvretta_loop_and_downhill_from_the/)
* [Route 90, Davos to Bergün](https://www.reddit.com/r/ali_on_switzerland/comments/p6uge1/mtb_route_90_from_davos_to_berg%C3%BCn_both_the_best/). An absolute bastard of a route, but an utterly incredible experience.
* [Bachalpsee bike.](https://www.reddit.com/r/ali_on_switzerland/comments/piis9o/mtb_bachalpsee_bike_loop_from_grindelwald/)
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