Switzerland has a large network of biking routes. However, most published routes are very long with lots of hills and often on busy roads with narrow bike lanes or none at all.
After years of cycling with our family here, we’ve gathered a collection of family-friendly bike rides in Switzerland.
These rides are mostly away from busy roads and quite flat with gentle hills. Enjoy!
Contents
Bike around lakes
1. Greifensee
The bike route around the Greifensee is a great choice for families, with clearly marked paths separate from car traffic. Much of the land surrounding the Greifensee is a nature preserve, so its very lush and pretty, especially with all the flowers in springtime.
It’s an easy ride, without any big hills but long enough to qualify as exercise. There are many picnic areas with grill pits and swimming areas.
Bike route: easy • 2h • 19km • loop • 80m up & down
Location: parking near Breitistrasse 1, 8606 Greifensee
➡️ See details for Greifensee lake path
2. Pfäffikersee
The Pfäffikersee is a beautiful lake near Zurich with a protected nature preserve along much of the lakeshore. There is a great path around the lake for walking or biking, with lots of fun distractions for the kids, including Jucker Farm, swimming in the lake, and a lakeside playground in Pfäffikon.
We’ve also been camping at the Pfäffikersee a couple times and we always bring our bikes so we can ride over to Jucker Farm for meals. We’re ridden there in all seasons and it’s always pretty.
Bike route: easy • 1h • 11km loop • 40m up & down
Location: parking near Breitistrasse 1, 8606 Greifensee
➡️ See details for Pfäffikersee lake path
3. Lake Constance (Bodensee)
This large lake has 260km of biking paths all the way around the lake.
With kids, we like two sections on the Switzerland side: Kreuzlingen to Romanshorn (20 km) and Romanshorn to Rorschach (16km).
We ride one way and return by train with the bikes.
➡️ See details for Lake Constance bike ride
4. Lake Zug
This circular bike route takes you all the way around Lake Zug, a big lake between Zurich and Lucerne.
Along the way, you get clear views toward Mt Rigi and pass through small villages, pastures, and quiet stretches right along the water.
Loop route: easy • 2h30 • 36.7 km loop • 297m up & down
Location: parking & bike rental at Strandbad Hünenberg – Dersbachstrasse 101, 6333 Hünenberg
Some of the full loop trail has sections with no bike lane and faster traffic. So with younger kids, we suggest only cycling between Zug and Hünenberg or Immensee.
➡️ See details for Bike around Lake Zug
Starting in Zürich city
These rides start in Zürich city, making them a good choice if you live here or are visiting the city.
You can renting bikes for free at Züri rollt near the Zürich HB station. They also have E-bikes, cargo bikes and other biking options for a fee.
5. Limmat River
One of the best and easiest bike ride for kids near Zürich, on a path along the Limmat river leading north from Zürich city. Lots of places to play and picnic along the way.
You can ride as far as you like and take the train back to your starting point. We’ve ridden as far as Baden. Distance from 5 to 28 km.
See details for Limmat river path
6. Sihl River
If you live in Zurich, the Sihl river is an easy choice for family biking. The path starts right next to the skate park across from SihlCity and follows the river all the way to Zug.
It’s mostly on smooth dirt paths away from traffic, along open fields, through the forest, and along the river. It’s also mostly flat, making it easier for smaller kids to keep up.
It goes parallel to the train tracks, so you can stop anytime if your kids get tired and take the train back instead of riding. There are lots of green places on the river to stop for a picnic and even make a campfire.
See details for Sihl river path
7. Zimmerberg
Beautiful ride along the Zimmerberg hills southwest of Zurich, ending at two little lakes in a nature preserve.
If you are riding from Zürich city, it’s a 28km loop, riding out to the lakes, then return along the Sihl river.
For a shorter, easier ride, you can start in Kilchberg and stay on the ridge, about 12km out and back to the lakes.
See details for Zimmerberg bike rideBike around lakes
Bike along rivers
8. Reuss River
While the official bike route is on the busy main road, families are much better off biking on this dirt service road the parallels the large Reuss river that leads to Bremgarten and beyond.
The path is flat almost the entire way, which is great for younger children that don’t have the strength or endurance for tougher terrain.
The path alternates between hugging the river bank and veering off into forests and beautiful nature preserves. There are many places to stop and picnic and enjoy the river and environs.
Route: easy • 2h30 • 22km one way • 50m up, 60m down
Location: start at Sins train station, end at Bremgarten West train station
See details for Reuss river path
9. Lorze River to Lake Zug
This delightful family bike ride follows the Lorze river from Neuägeri to Lake Zug, on easy dirt and paved paths.
The path is mostly flat or slightly downhill, almost always separate from car traffic, with only a short section is on a low traffic country road.
Along the way, you’ll pass the Hölligrotten caves, which are worth a short visit. There are several picnic areas along the river, at least one with a little playground.
The path ends at a park and swimming area on the shores of Lake Zug, a nice reward for your kids’ hard work on the ride.
See details for Lorze river path
10. Rhine River
On official Route 2: Rhine Route, you can cycle for many days along the Rhine river.
We really like the section between Schaffhausen and Kreuzlingen, which pass through a few cute villages along the way, including the medieval Stein am Rhein. You can also do a detour to the Rhine Falls.
For a one-way tour, you can return by train back to your starting point. We did a “out-and-back” ride, renting bikes in Germany (cheaper than in Switzerland).
➡️ See details for Rhine River cycling tour.
11. Aare River
The path along the Aare river is flat, easy and mostly away from car traffic, very good for families. The path is often in the forest, passing many picnic and grilling spots along the way.
Although it follows the river, the path is on the other side of embankment, so you actually can’t see the river, which was a little disappointing. But we still liked the ride would definitely recommend it.
Bike Route: 1h45 • 23.7 km one way • 90m up, 120m down
Location: Start at Aarau train station, end at Wildegg train station
See details for Aare river path
12. Töss River
This family-friendly bike ride is in the Töss valley east of Zurich. The bike/skate route follows a small river on paved path, mostly separate from traffic in fields and forests, with a few sections in quiet neighborhoods.
The path parallels the train line, so you can easily cut your ride short if the kids are too tired. There are a few picnic areas with fire pits, a couple playgrounds and even some geocaches along the route.
It would be nice in all seasons, but I recommend going in late spring when the trees are green and the flowers are out.
Bike route: easy • 2h • 17.5k • 110m up, 270m down
Location: start in Bauma, end at Sennhof-Kyburg train station
See details for Tösstal river path
Flower rides
13. Thurgau apple orchards ride
In eastern Switzerland near Lake Constance, there are many apple orchards that bloom in April. There’s a fun and easy bike ride through these orchards, passing through cute villages and past farms with honesty shops.
Near the Altnau village, there is an apple path with interactive signboards teaching about about apples and fruit farming.
I have a suggested route in my article. But you can easily customize this to ride shorter or longer. We rented bikes at the Kreuzlingen train station and did a loop back to our starting point.
Bike route: easy • 28 km loop • 3h • 170m up & down
Location: start at Kreuzlinen train station for bike rental
➡️ See details for Thurgau Apple Blossom Bike Ride
14. Cherry Blossom Bike Ride near Basel
SchweizMobil has a bike route specifically designed to pass by many blooming cherry trees in the countryside south of Basel. We rode this route in mid April and happily caught many trees at peak bloom.
It’s a one-way route from Liestal to Laufen. We rented bikes in Basel, rode the bikes to Laufen to join the cherry bike route, then continued to Laufen. At the end, we rode the train with the bikes back to Basel.
This route has a lot of hills, so better with an E-Bike. If you are cycling with kids, you would probably need a tandem or trolley system.
Bike route: 38 km • 1100m up & down • about 3 hours
Location: start in Basel or Liestal, end in Laufen
➡️ See route for Cherry Blossom Bike near Basel
Mountain Views
Most bike rides with mountain views in Switzerland are mountain biking trails or dangerous routes on narrow roads without bike lanes.
But here are a few safe family-friendly rides that have spectacular views.
15. Linthebene
This large flat valley south of Lake Zürich is a great place for biking through grassy farm fields with mountain views.
It’s a paved path on low traffic country roads and separate bike lanes, safe for families. There’s a nice playground at halfway point for reward and picnic. Accessible by public transport.
Bike route: easy • 1h20 • 23 km loop • 40m up & down
Location: Uznach train station
See details for Linthebene bike path
16. Lucerne to Sarnensee
This beautiful bike route begins right in the heart of the city and winds its way through peaceful countryside to the sparkling Sarnensee (Lake Sarnen), framed by cute villages and dramatic mountain peaks.
The ride follows mostly dedicated bike paths and quiet rural roads, making it ideal for a relaxed day out.
My article includes a few route options below, ranging from 2 to 5 hours. You can easily adjust the distance and difficulty but using the train to skip part of the ride.
Bikes are easy to rent from the Lucerne train station, including options for kids and child trailers.
See details for Lucerne Bike Ride to Sarnensee
17. Lauterbrunnen Valley
This private road from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg is popular with walkers, bikes, and kids on scooters and rightly so.
You pass through lush farm fields teaming with wildflowers, admire numerous waterfalls falling from sheer cliff faces on each side, and look up to snow-capped peaks above.
The path is easy going, mostly flat and paved, with very little traffic. It parallels the bus route, so you can ride the bus back into town when you get tired.
About halfway down, you can detour to the Trummelbach Falls, then continue all the way to Stechelberg where you could ride up to the Schilthorn.
This is a great option if you want to spend time around the alps, but the mountain trails haven’t yet opened for summer season.
See details for Lauterbrunnen valley path
18. Bellinzona Valle Maggia
The cycling paths near Bellinzona are a good choice for families because the valley is so flat, making for an easy ride. The valley is surrounded by tall mountains, making for beautiful views during the ride.
We cycled in this area as part of the SlowUp event, where they close the roads to car traffic and have a special route. We would definitely recommend that event.
Otherwise, choose one of the routes below. All are connected by public transport so you can return to your starting point.
- Route 31 between Bellinzona and Locarno – 22km
- Route 311 between Riazzino and Castione-Arbedo
- Route 3 between Bellizona and Agno
9 responses
Hi!
I would like to know when is the apropriate period for these routes and when that period ends due to weather conditions
Hi Georgia, I’d suggest these bike routes for April through October, which would have the best weather. You could do these routes in winter, but the weather may be unpleasantly cold and wet.
Hi We are looking at a weeks cycle trip with our teenagers in mid July. Can you recommend a route for us please. We are all moderately fit
Hi Natalie, I don’t have experience with a long cycling route across Switzerland. The one route I can recommend is around Lake Constance. I’ve done half of it and a friend of mine did the whole lake last summer. It’s a very popular route and has lots of places to stay and eat along the way. You might find this site helpful (it’s in German, you’ll have to use the translate function on your browser) – https://www.bodensee-radweg.com/radweg-bodensee You can also see the Swiss routes here: https://schweizmobil.ch/en/cycling-in-switzerland
How /From where can we get the information about bikes that can be rented for these cycling routes ? Since we dont plan to buy one, we are looking for rental option.
This other post has more overview info about biking in Switzerland including where to rent bikes: https://swissfamilyfun.com/biking-with-kids-in-switzerland/
Hi can you hire bikes near any of these routes?
Yes, but the season is almost over, so I suspect many of the bike shops are closing soon. Is there a ride you are particularly interested in? I can look into it.
Wow, the scenery in the Bernese Alps! 🙂