midliferider
Guru
- Location
- Northampton
I would like to share my recent experience of touring in Switzerland.
Route planning: All what you need to to plan a route is given in this excellent website, Switzerland Mobility. Here is a link.
http://veloland.myswitzerland.com/en/veloland.html
I used mainly the national route 5, Mitelland Route. I extended it further at both ends. I started the tour on the German side of the lake Bodensee. Route 5 ends in Lausanne but I cycled further down to Geneva. The entire length of my route is about 575 KM.
Getting there and back: I travelled by train, from London to Friedrichshafen. If you book it with DB, bhan.com, it cost just Euro 59.99 from London to anywhere in Germany.
I took the trian from Geneva to London through Lillie Europe. That cost me £60.
Bike and equipments: I used my trusted Specialized Sirrus Elite which I have now used in 3 tours in Europe.
Accommodation: I am a credit card tourer and has never camped during cycle touring. I used Air BandB for 4 nights and youth hostels for 3 nights. Hotels are far too expensive. Even youth hostel cost nearly Euro 40 for a bed in 6 bed dormitory.
My over all experience
Routes are very clearly marked. You do not need a map. It is just unbelievable. On couple of places there were road blocks due to road work. They have put diversions not just for motor vehicles but for cycle routes as well. The entire nation cycles. Cycling is the norm. You can cycle in the middle of major cities, Lausanne, Geneva, Zurich with heavy traffic with no worries about your life.
It is prohibitively expensive. It does have an impact on your overall enjoyment. Everything is just over double the price you pay here. At youth hostel, dinner cost Euro 18.50 without a drink.
It is obviously beautiful, you just cycle through picture post card villages and towns.
I am not very good at writing reports. I just wanted to give you the basic information if you ever wish to plan a tour. If you have any question, please ask me.
Route planning: All what you need to to plan a route is given in this excellent website, Switzerland Mobility. Here is a link.
http://veloland.myswitzerland.com/en/veloland.html
I used mainly the national route 5, Mitelland Route. I extended it further at both ends. I started the tour on the German side of the lake Bodensee. Route 5 ends in Lausanne but I cycled further down to Geneva. The entire length of my route is about 575 KM.
Getting there and back: I travelled by train, from London to Friedrichshafen. If you book it with DB, bhan.com, it cost just Euro 59.99 from London to anywhere in Germany.
I took the trian from Geneva to London through Lillie Europe. That cost me £60.
Bike and equipments: I used my trusted Specialized Sirrus Elite which I have now used in 3 tours in Europe.
Accommodation: I am a credit card tourer and has never camped during cycle touring. I used Air BandB for 4 nights and youth hostels for 3 nights. Hotels are far too expensive. Even youth hostel cost nearly Euro 40 for a bed in 6 bed dormitory.
My over all experience
Routes are very clearly marked. You do not need a map. It is just unbelievable. On couple of places there were road blocks due to road work. They have put diversions not just for motor vehicles but for cycle routes as well. The entire nation cycles. Cycling is the norm. You can cycle in the middle of major cities, Lausanne, Geneva, Zurich with heavy traffic with no worries about your life.
It is prohibitively expensive. It does have an impact on your overall enjoyment. Everything is just over double the price you pay here. At youth hostel, dinner cost Euro 18.50 without a drink.
It is obviously beautiful, you just cycle through picture post card villages and towns.
I am not very good at writing reports. I just wanted to give you the basic information if you ever wish to plan a tour. If you have any question, please ask me.
