Cycling the Switzerland Aare Route

A couple weeks ago I made the trip down to Switzerland to spend a long weekend cycling with my buddy Prudhvi, visiting from the U.S. Our plan was to tackle the first half of the Aare route, so named because it roughly follows the Aare River from its source in the Alps to the German border, where it merges with the Rhine (which I rode in my last post!).

When I first made this web site I didn't expect to be focused so much on running and biking. But it's my place so I make the rules! Ideally, this post encourages you to go on a little cycling adventure of your own.

Accompanying this written piece is a video of the trip. That has less words, more scenery!

Prelude: Night train to Zurich

Trains and bikes are the perfect combination. Or they would be if it were not so difficult to book tickets for them. The method of the Deutsche Bahn app I explained in my previous post seems to have disappeared, or at least does not work on the trains I could take for this journey.

I scoured all corners of the internet for a method to book a ticket on the Amsterdam-Zurich night train, to no avail. I even called the booking office, but I was quoted a ridiculous price for the ride. Seeing no alternative, I traveled 50 minutes to the NS International headquarters in Utrecht and made my case there and was finally able to fulfill my request. Yes, I took the train solely to book additional train tickets. Something something infinite train glitch.

With that ordeal sorted out, the train ride itself was smooth sailing. I stayed in a four bunk couchette room, so the experience was similar to a hostel, though with a bed a little too short for me. I met my fellow travelers and slept passably well through the night. But the most memorable issue was the strong waft of burning rubber that drifted through the cabin every time the train came to a stop. I suppose that can happen when you're working with train cars originally built in 1975.

Here's the Nightjet pulling into Utrecht Centraal

Day 1: Premature Grimselpass Attempt

I met Prudhvi at Zurich station after my on-time arrival at 8 am, and our first order of business was to reach the start of the route. Any guess how we did that?

Of course, more trains!

Leaving Oberwald station and entering directly into the rain, we began riding up the mountain to cross Grimselpass, the official starting point of the route. That would be a tremendous challenge, involving some 900 meters of climbing from the starting point. As we made slow and steady progress, we did notice a distinct lack of other people. We figured it was just the bad weather keeping everyone at home.

An hour in and having seen almost no one else, we came across a completely deserted village on the mountainside with a covered train track. Sensing something was a little off, I pulled out my phone and checked online (because of course there is 4g on the empty mountain) for a webcam of the pass. Yep, it was completely snowed in.

We are soaked but it does not matter!

It turns out the pass doesn't open until late May. Oops! No harm done, back down we went. More than an hour of upwards progress was erased in just a few minutes. But we savored those minutes! Kind of like how you might spend a whole day's effort into preparing a meal and then finish it off instantly because it tastes so good.

Tactical retreat down the mountain

Day 2: Meiringen to Mürren

Meiringen, firmly on the Aare route, has several reminders that Sherlock Holme's Reichenbach Fall was set nearby. From there, we set off toward Interlaken, going around one of the two large lakes (Brienzersee) it borders. The official route directed us toward the south side of the lake, but that side is much hillier than the north. After yesterday's experience, we decided to take the much more manageable route and stuck to the flatter side.

Bike couple pic

That did mean some of our ride was not on protected paths, but we did not feel too threatened by the Friday morning rural traffic passing us on the road.

After a little refueling stop in Interlaken, we proceeded out of the town and up Lauterbrunnen valley. Our destination for the day was Mürren, a ski village nestled at the top of a cliff among the mountaintops. Thankfully, we could take a cable car up from the end of the valley!

"Loud springs" valley

The ride there was uphill the entire way, but there is a trail separated from car traffic all along the highway. Unfortunately, Google Maps does not fully mark the trail, so we rode the last part of the valley on the highway, not wanting to take the trail and come to a dead end. Google is wrong, so I will pass on the advice to take the dirt path instead. You will not get stuck!

Day 3: Mürren to Interlaken

The only problem with visiting the mountaintop in May is the cloud cover. We had a few glimpes of the peaks surrounding us, but for the most part they were shrouded in the spring clouds. Coming down the village from a mile of elevation was exhilirating, especially the paved portion between Mürren and Gimmelwald. Past that, the bike ride turns into a hike.

Zero visibility!

After finally breaching the cloud layer, an incredible view of the valley and the villages below accompanied us as we walked the trail. Of course, since the ride here was all uphill, the return is all downhill. After a couple of days with quite some climbing, we had a chance to take it easy on this one. Along the way back, we made a visit at Trümmelbachfälle, a well-known series of waterfalls where water pours down from the glaciers above (for how much longer, I wonder...😥).

For the last two days, we watched colorful parachutes gliding around the mountain, canvassing the sky around Interlaken. That afternoon, we looked up the rates and decided quite spontaneously to try it too. I have to admit I was a little nervous at first. Several years ago I turned down an option to go skydiving in California, and this seemed similar. Then Prudhvi found that the age limit is 6 years old. That decided it; if a 6 year old can do it, then I can too!

Pictured: someone a little more than 6 years old

Day 4: Interlaken to Bern

Our last day on the bike was the longest ride, but also the flattest. We set off from Interlaken towards the capital of Switzerland after a big breakfast and plenty of coffee at the hotel. The first part of the route around the southern side of the other lake set us on the shoulder of a busy highway. Even though we didn't feel in danger, the excessive noise made it impossible to relax and take in the views. Though it's not quite as deafening as the I-90 bridge in Seattle.

Soon enough, we passed the lake and earned ourselves a beautiful path through the forest. The highlight there was an immense canyon crossing that appeared from nowhere. All of a sudden, we found ourselves on a grated bridge a dizzying height above the river below. Ah, Switzerland! How is this a real place?

Having just gone paragliding yesterday, I felt nothing at this

The remainder of the ride took us past fields of crops and herds of cows, working hard to enrich the delicious chocolate we had been gorging on. Just as it was beginning to rain, we arrived at Bern.

Last seen: two cup holders. I hope they are now carrying fancy Swiss drinks.

It had been a memorable and fulfilling 4 days of cycling. Most stores are closed on Sunday, but we treated ourselves to take out meals from the train station and a stack of fries as we watched the Formula 1 race on the big TV in our room. Now that is living the dream!