Alpine Tour Across Switzerland

Sometimes you do get what you pay for. The two tours by Bike Switzerland (http://www.bikeswitzerland.com/) we did in 2023 (the Challenge) and 2024 (the Alpine) 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. We did not plan to do two trips to the same country, we still haven’t been to Italy, but we were really glad events turned as they did and we were able to see a totally different part of Switzerland the second adventure. I would say it would be like visiting the east coast vs the West coast in the USA. Same country but totally different. Switzerland is not the USA, kind of the whole point of traveling to another country. With four official languages, German, French, Italian, and Romansh:  I was worried about communications. It seems most people spoke some English 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. We did splurge a bit on the wine, the wines that were bottled in that area are highly recommended. The roads were in general quiet and well paved. We did walk across a cow field once, some gravel, some two lane roads that I would called a bike path in the USA but it was not boring….. We used a 50/34 11/28 gear combination with 32mm Continental tires. One day we had a 3 hour climb but it never got over 10 percent. We did have short steeper sections but nothing we had to walk. 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. 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. 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, the first one we were alone 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. 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. One thing I think is important if self guided. Learn RIDEWITHGPS and how to download the file to a Wahoo element. 99% of the time it is a piece of cake to follow the map and if rainy and the element is hard to see, Wahoo 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 again 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. Also 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. 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. Many people ask what is my favorite trip??? “Easy, the next one or why bother.” That being said, I really enjoyed going back to Switzerland for a second time. Any questions email me at govosburgh@me.com Hope this helps make up you mind and enjoy. PS forgot to mention some hotels are on lakes and my wife liked to swim a few morning and nights, so bring a bathing suit.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this amazing cycling tour. John, with Bike Switzerland, quickly responded to our many inquiries both pre-booking and pre-travel and provided a wealth of information before, during, and after the tour. He connected us with another couple, and the four of us enjoyed great camaraderie, tackling the challenging routes together (the ascents were well worth the fun descents), stopping for cappuccinos and local delicacies in small villages, taking photos of the beautiful scenery, and looking forward each day to arriving at a unique and comfortable hotel with great food and great views. Although the weather was hot, we enjoyed swims in pristine lakes and cooling our legs in rivers after several of the rides. The bikes we rented from Bike Switzerland were great too! Words cannot describe the beauty and splendor of this route, but I'll try: breath-taking, majestic, heavenly, spectacular!

Two of us did the Independent Alpine Tour on a tandem for 6 days, which was perfect for us. We could take our time and make side trips from the route. John with Bike Switzerland is very organized and helpful, quickly answered all our preplanning questions and was available via texting while on the trip. The Alpine Tour was challenging with lots of climbing and great views, thrilling descents. Because we were on a tandem, the climbs were well spent in conversation and counting wildflowers! The descents were switchbacks and fast straight runs; the disc brakes were well used. John arranged for wonderful hotels which accommodated the bike in safe locations. Our luggage arrived at the hotels before we did. The dinners and breakfasts kept us going throughout the day. The orientation before the start of the ride was informative, glad we had such expertise to give guidance. We highly recommend Bike Switzerland and plan to do another trip with them again!