Cycling Aare Classic Towns - Switzerland

On this route you will ride your bike along the Aare and Rhine rivers from Interlaken on Lake Thun to Lake Constance. The backdrop of the Jungfrau, Mönch and Eiger mountains, the capital city of Bern, will take your breath away, as will the Rheinfall waterfall and the southern flair of Lake Constance.

Trip Highlights:

• Discover the old city of Bern, a world heritage site
• Visit the Omega museum in Biel
• The many fresco-painted houses in Stein am Rhein
• Enjoy your stay Solothurn, the most beautiful baroque city in Switzerland
• Total distance: 295 km, 183 mi. 

Day 1 Individual arrival in Interlaken
The town between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun is a popular starting point for trips to the Aare-ravine and the mountain world of the Berner Oberland.

Day 2 Interlaken - Bern
Distance: approx. 35 km, 22 mi. The day begins with a boat trip on Lake Thun, before you cycle on to Bern. Goethe thought Bern was the most beautiful city in Switzerland. The old town is a world heritage site.

Day 3 Bern - Biel
Distance: approx. 50 km, 31 mi. Cycling along the Aare river and Lake Wohlen you will come to the bilingual town of Biel/Bienne. The Swiss watch-making industry made the town famous. In the Omega museum you can learn all about the industry.

Day 4 Biel - Solothurn
Distance: approx. 30 km, 19 mi. Today’s stage is only short so that you have enough time to enjoy the old town or the Lake. Solothurn is also a Canton capital city and is considered the most beautiful baroque city in Switzerland.

Day 5 Solothurn - Aarau
Distance: approx. 60 km, 37 mi. The Aare river, which by this stage is powerful flow of water, marks the landscape. Villages and meadows line the way to Aarau, which still bears influences from the 16th century and was once the capital city of the Helvetic Republic.

Day 6 Aarau - Schaffhausen
Distance: approx. 65 km, 40 mi A short train trip will bring you to Brugg, then you will continue on by bicycle to Koblenz, where the Aare and Rhine meet (at this point the Aare is the bigger of the two). You will then continue up the Rhine until you come to the Rheinfall waterfall, which you will view on a boat trip and the beautiful town of Schaffhausen. 

Day 7 Schaffhausen - Constance
Distance: approx. 55 km, 34 mi Today you will cycle to Stein am Rhein with its many fresco-painted houses and from here on along the shores of Lake Constance towards Constance. The old episcopal town was during the Middle Ages the setting for the only council ever to be convened north of the Alps. 

Day 8 Individual Return Home or Extension of Trip
Your cycling tour comes to an end after breakfast. There are good train connections to ensure you arrive home safely.

Included:

• 7 nights with breakfast in family-run medium class hotels (for an image selection, please see Flickr)
  
• Boat trip from Interlaken - Thun incl. bicycle
• Train journey from Aarau - Brugg incl. bicycle
• Boat trip to the Rhinefall rocks
• Entrance to the Rosgartenmuseum Constance incl. 1 coffee
• Luggage transport from hotel to hotel till Constance, unlimited number of pieces of luggage, each piece must however weigh under 20 kg
• Telephone assistance, just a phone call away 
• Detailed maps and road book in English

Not included:

• Flights and public transportation
• Travel insurance
• Admissions and entrance fees of any kind 
• Bike rental
• Personal expenses such as lunch, snacks, wine tasting, drinks, phone calls, tips etc.
• Any items not mentioned in the program 

Optional services (to be booked in advance):

• Additional night(s) at any of the accommodations along the way or in any other destination in Switzerland
• Airport or train station arrival and/or departure transfers 
• Single supplement
• Bike rental 7- and 21-gear $Cdn 93.- or E-bike $Cdn 180.-

Additional information:
The route is mainly along its own special cycle path or quiet regional roads. There are very few hills and the few that do exist are not very steep.

How to get there:
 Best arrival and departure airports are Zurich or Geneva. 

 From Zurich its about 2.5 hrs by train to Interlaken and from Geneva 15 minutes more. Bern-Belp airport has regional and swiss airlines and is 70 minutes by train from Interlaken. From Constance you can take the train back to Zurich.

Tip: For online rail connections and reservations visit Rail Europe.