2025 Early Bird Discount First four riders get $250 off
Switzerland’s Alps & Lakes
2025 Vegan Bike Tour
Tour Overview
Dates: September 21 - 28, 2024 (8 Days, 7 Nights)
Start Location: Vevey, Switzerland
End Location: Lucerne, Switzerland
Group Size: 12 riders maximum (4 riders minimum)
Pricing: $3,500 (per person, based on double occupancy)
Single Supplement: $740 (extra cost for a private room)
E-Bike Supplement: $200 (recommended for most riders)
Riding Difficulty: Moderate (E-bike riders will have no issue)
Tour Highlights
The Lakes Route: Switzerland’s premiere bike route stretches 317 mi (520 km) and includes 19,685 ft (6,000 m) of uphill riding. We’ll trace the first half of this route, but don’t worry! This bike tour is designed to introduce riders of all fitness levels to the beauty of this region, which has some of the best views in the entire country.
Gruyères & Pays d'Enhaut: Best known for its cheese, Gruyères is also an outdoor paradise. Gruyères Castle and the traditional Swiss villages of Rossinière and Rougemont showcase the architectural heritage of these alpine regions.
Simmental Valley: This alpine valley in the Bernese Oberland is a destination for mountain bikers, but has plenty of paved roads to explore as well. Thermal baths and waterfall hikes are some of the best attractions in the area.
Grindelwald: Known chiefly for its winter sports and three iconic peaks — Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau — Grindelwald is just as fun to visit in summer, when trails are more accessible.
Lake Thun & Lake Brienz: Taking the ferry from Spiez to Interlaken is one of the best ways to experience these impressive bodies of water. A detour to Lauterbrunnen is a must for cyclists willing to add a few more miles to their journey.
Brünig Steam Train: Riding the Brüningbahn is a nostalgic experience back to the golden age of train travel. Taking the vintage locomotive also helps us to avoid some of the steepest inclines on our way to Brünig Pass.
Mount Pilatus: Hiking up to the summit of Mount Pilatus (with the assistance of an epic cable car ride) is rewarded with panoramic views of the nearby peaks — Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau — as well as Lake Lucerne itself.
Golden Pass Scenic Train: This world-famous rail route retraces the path of our bike tour, returning you to Lac Léman while you revisit the best views of our trip. Recommended for those with roundtrip ticket out of Geneva Airport.
Daily Itinerary
-
Welcome to Switzerland!
This vegan bike tour of the Swiss Lakes Route begins in Vevey, accessible by train from Geneva Airport. Make sure to find a window seat, as you will be treated to world-class views of the Swiss Riviera.
Your guide will meet you at the Vevey train station. Once checked in, feel free to rest in your hotel room or go for a walk along the lakefront promenade. Here, the French Alps to the south tower over the lake’s blue-green surface. It’s even possible to see the snow-white glaciers of the nearby Mont-Blanc massif.
Our tour officially begins at dinner, where we will discuss the itinerary for our first day of cycling.
Overnight in Vevey.
Meals: Dinner (100% vegan)
-
After breakfast, we’ll take the rack railway up to Mont Pèlerin. From here, quiet mountain roads lead us to the Gruyère region. We’ll skip the cheese tour and instead spend our time exploring the stunning medieval town of Gruyères itself.
We’ll walk the gardens and ramparts of Château de Gruyères. The local HR Giger Musuem holds a treasure trove of disturbing yet captivating artwork. Finally, the funicular ride up to the peak of Le Moléson offers the best views of the day.
Overnight near Charmey.
Distance: 25-31 miles / 40–50 km
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner (100% vegan)
-
Sandwiched between the Gruyère and Gstaad regions, Pays-d'Enhaut bosts some of the best scenery and outdoor activities in Switzerland.
We’ll pedal our way to the century-old chalets of Rossinère, watch hot air balloons float over Château-d'Œx, and take the Videmanette cable car for panoramic views above Rougemont.
Finally, we’ll arrive in the glamorous resort town of Gstaad with plenty of daylight left for a hike and a swim in Lake Lauenen.
Overnight in Gstaad.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner (100% vegan)
Distance: 25 miles / 40 km
-
Today’s ride take us through the Simmental Valley, a top destination for paragliders and mountain bikers. With over 200 peaks towering above its lush green meadows, its easy to see why nature lovers and adrenaline junkies flock to the area.
The pyramid-shaped peaks of Niesen and the Stockhorn loom large as we wind our way along River Simme to Spiez. A cable car ride from Erlenbach to the Stockhorn summit rewards us with an unforgettable panorama of Spiez, Lake Thun, and hundreds of the surrounding jagged peaks.
Overnight in Spiez.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner (100% vegan)
Distance: 31-34 miles / 55 km
-
Spiez is the gateway to Grindelwald and to Wengen, two mountain villages in one the best hiking areas in Switzerland. Those looking to hit the trails can easily reach many of the high peaks of the Bernese Oberland by train. Those looking to rest their legs but still enjoy the scenery have the opportunity to visit the viewing platform at Harder Kulm above Interlaken.
Overnight in Spiez.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner (100% vegan)
-
Today we will cross Lake Thun by boat to Interlaken, where our ride along the shore of Lake Brienz begins. Glistening waters on our left and towering peaks on our right make for excellent scenery as we ride past waterfalls and river gorges. We’ll ride the historic Brünig steam train up the notoriously steep Brünigpass before exploring Lake Sarnen and its surroundings.
Overnight in Lake Sarnen.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner (100% vegan)
Distance: 31-34 miles / 50–55 km
-
Our final full day of riding is one of the most scenic of the whole trip. Mount Pilatus and Stanserhorn tower above us as we follow the Sarner Aa to where it empties into Lake Lucerne. We’ll stop to ride a cable car up to the peak of Mount Pilatus, where panoramic views and a plentitude of hiking trails await us. We’ll finish our lakeside ride and split up to explore the city of Lucerne (Luzern) on our own before meeting back up for dinner.
Overnight in Lucerne.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner (100% vegan)
Distance: 22 mi / 35 km
-
Our vegan bike tour of Switerland ends after a final breakfast together. Guests are invited to join their guide for one final swim in Lake Lucerne’s refreshing waters at one of the many public beaches.
Lucerne has excellent bus and rail connections to airports in Zürich, Bern and Geneva. Zürich is the closest airport, but the Golden Pass Train is worth taking if you choose to fly out of Geneva.
We look forward to having you join us for another vegan adventure soon!
Meals: breakfast (100% vegan)
What’s Included
7 nights accommodation
7 dinners, 6 lunches, 7 breakfasts
Gratuities for included meals
Tickets for 1 ferry, 1 steam train and 3 cable cars
In-ride drinks and snacks
Expert guides
24/7 van support
Luggage transfer between hotels
Fully serviced bikes, option to e-bike
Cycling jersey and all necessary gear
What’s Not Included
Airfare
Transportation to start point (Vevey)
Transportation from end point (Luzern)
Alcohol with meals
Travel insurance
Accommodation
This tour includes accommodation at Bed & Breakfasts and 3-star hotels. Rooms are shared; single-traveler rooms are available for an additional fee. All rooms have access to a private bathroom.
We make every effort to choose locations as close as possible to the village or town center, so that we can more easily explore local communities.
Solo Travelers
Solo travelers make up a large share of Hiking Biking Vegan guests and are encouraged to join any and all of our vegan adventures. Our tour prices are based on double occupancy, due to the limited accommodation options in many of our destinations. You will be paired with another solo traveler of the same gender. Private rooms are often, though not always, available, for an additional fee.
Weather & Climate
Early September in Switzerland is typically sunny and warm, with a sprinkle of early-autumn temperatures. The climate can vary greatly depending on elevation; it will be T-shirt weather in the valleys but many of the peaks will remain snow-capped. Daily high temperatures will range from 65 - 74°F (18 - 23°C) and it can get as low as 50°F (10°C) at night. Pack a mid-layer and rain jacket, but expect to ride in short-sleeves most days.
Cycling Fitness
The main focus of this vegan bike tour is sight-seeing. It is meant to showcase the fascinating history, natural beauty and local hospitality of the Swiss Alps. The terrain is hilly but entirely suitable for e-bike riders and experienced cyclists. A support van will be available at all times, should any rider require assistance.
Most cyclists are encouraged to ride e-bikes. Experienced cyclists riding standard bikes should find this tour sufficiently challenging. Riders looking for longer distances or steeper inclines will have the opportunity to choose a more active route on most days of the tour.
Getting to Vevey
This vegan bike tour starts in the French-speaking town of Vevey, located on the north shore of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva). Vevey is best reached via train from Geneva International Airport (GVA). The Swiss train system is world-renowned and honestly a highlight of the tour.
Our tour ends in Lucerne (Luzern), a German-speaking town with train connections to airports in Bern and Zürich. For those flying into and out of Geneva, we recommend taking the Golden Pass Scenic Rail from Lucerne to Montreaux, then transferring to the airport train.
Have a question about this tour? Ask me anything!
+1 828-337-2759
fielding@hikingbikingvegan.com