Biking the Heart Route in Switzerland

Do you like biking? Are you looking for an amazing bike tour to do in Switzerland? I have just the answer for you… it is called the Heart Route! In French, the name is ‘Route de Coeur’ and in German, it’s the ‘Herzroute’. I will share with you everything you need to know about Biking the Heart Route in Switzerland!

I recently completed a 4-day bike trip across the central part of Switzerland. It was fabulous! We went with another couple who had already done two other legs of the Heart Route. Based on their feedback about how nice it was, we decided to try it out.

You can check out my YouTube video here!

As I love to plan trip itineraries, I did my research on the route, found some suitable accommodations for each night, and prepared an overview document of our trip. You can view it here. This document is an example of a trip itinerary that I would create for my customers. I shared it with our friends and they appreciated my detailed planning! You can see their feedback on my Testimonial Page. For more details about my services, feel free to check out my Itinerary Planning page.

The Heart Route has 13 different stages for a total of 700 km / 440 mi. We did stages 7 through 10 on this trip and covered 40-80 kilometers each day. We ended up biking a total of 240 km in the four days.

Renting E-Bikes

The best part about this bike route is that it is very well organized for renting electric bikes. In fact, they highly recommend using an e-bike to make it more enjoyable to traverse the hilly terrain. I have my own e-bike but my partner doesn’t so he rented one for the four days.

The Swiss Train system (SBB) works with Rent-a-Bike to offer bike rentals at many of the train stations. If the station doesn’t have the service onsite, they may use a local bike shop or location where you can get your bike.

There are currently 130 rental stations across Switzerland and 20 of them are at SBB railway stations. It was very convenient to simply pick up our bike at the start location and drop it off where we finished our trip.

The other advantage of this bike rental service is that the e-bikes are top-notch quality (they currently use the ‘Flyer’ brand). If you have any technical issues with the bikes, you simply ring them up and they will help you out. The one bike for four days cost us 178 Swiss francs.

If you have your own e-bike, there are two options to get your bike to the start location. You can bring it in your car and leave your car at the train station or the bike pick-up place. This is what we did as it was less time to get there than to take the train and we saved 300 Swiss francs!

If you choose to take the train, you can either bring it with you (and pay a small additional fee of approximately 14 Swiss francs) or you can ship your bike two days ahead on the train (and pay approximately 18 Swiss francs). You simply need to pick it up at your start station. Our friend chose this option to get his bike shipped to the starting point in the town of Willisau.

Depending on the train schedule and how many times you have to change trains, there are definite advantages to shipping the bike ahead. When we returned to our departure point where we left the car, I had to bring my own e-bike on the train. We had to go through 5 station changes for the 2.5hr journey. This is not so easy! You have to find the right train car that allows you to park your bike (we had to run fast to the far away bike car before the train left) and you have to maneuver through the crowded train stations with your awkward two-wheel friend. You can imagine the difficulty if you were several people doing this together!

Following the Trail Signs

However you decide to organize your bikes, don’t let any stress deter you from this trip… because it is well worth it! I didn’t realize how easy it would be to follow the trail signs. The route signs were clearly marked at every turn. You do have to keep your eyes peeled for turn offs though. We were constantly looking for the ’99’ sign (the trail number of the Heart Route). During the four days of biking, there were only two times we weren’t exactly sure which direction to take. Getting lost always makes a journey more fun, right?

Halfway Recharge Stations

Another nice feature of the Heart Route is the halfway stations they offer on most of the route legs. They provide a place to stop, recharge or change out your bike battery, and get something to eat and drink. You don’t pay for the charging but only what you eat or drink. Most places are based on the honor system where you leave the money in a tin.

For the longer routes like our first day of 80km, the recharging capability was needed and appreciated. The last thing you want to do is run out of juice!

What the Ride is Like

What surprised me most about this tour is how peaceful it was. Most of the route was on small country roads or bike paths. It was a relief to not worry about cars whizzing past you. Some of the routes have partial gravel or dirt surface. For this reason, it’s necessary to have larger, wider bike tires. The majority of the journey was paved and smooth.

We passed many farms with cows, pigs, chickens, and sheep. I had never seen so many farm animals and smelled such strong odors! The traditional swiss houses in this region were covered with red and pink geranium flowers in every window sill. I truly felt like I was in the ‘Heidi’ movie!

Some of the best memories I have are riding through the cool, crisp forests with tall trees and glimmering sunlight. It was the ultimate back-to-nature and good-for-the-soul experience. We said to each other often during the four days… ‘I love this!’. You will love it too.

Carrying your Bags

You may be asking yourself ‘How did you get your luggage to each stop point?’. Yes, you will need to bring your belongings with you. This is another reason to have an e-bike, to provide extra power with the additional weight. We packed extremely light with only the bare minimum for the four days.

I purchased a new saddle bag a few weeks before our trip. I found a discounted bike bag online that wasn’t too expensive. The cost of the bag was 29 Swiss francs but with shipping, the total cost was 44 Swiss francs. I didn’t find that price to be too expensive, but be warned that you get what you pay for. Here’s a link to the bike bag I bought.

My bag held up well, even with the heavy rain we had one day for a couple of hours. The problem was that the water did seep through the bag cover, and a lot of my clothes got wet. The lesson learned was to have enough protective cover for your body and your bags if the weather turns bad.

If you rent one of the Flyer bikes, they will provide a basket free of charge. You could put a large backpack in the basket if you don’t want to use saddle bags. My partner did this and managed fine.

Finding Accommodations

We chose to book our hotels ahead of time. Due to COVID, a lot of local people are traveling inside of Switzerland. We didn’t want to run the risk of not finding an available room. I looked up hotels for each of our daily leg destinations. You don’t necessarily have to plan your overnight stays aligned with each leg stop, especially if you don’t want to do the distance all in one day.

We stayed in an Airbnb the first night and a 3-star hotel for the next two nights. Most of the hotels have a garage or storage location to put your bikes overnight. We would arrive in the late afternoon, drop off our stuff, and then venture out to visit the town before having dinner.

Other Useful Tips

In addition to my above info, I would have the following recommendations and tips for maximizing the pleasure of your trip:

• Use a camel back water system to easily drink water while riding – here’s a link to a similar one I used
• Take your time with lots of frequent stops to enjoy the scenery and the towns
• Get an early start (we left around 9-10 am each day) to enjoy the fresh morning rides and fewer folks on the trails
• Book your accommodations close to your overnight town so you can ride your bike or walk there in the evenings for dinner
• Bring a pair of flip flops to let your feet breathe after being closed in all-day
• Schedule enough time to have a relaxing lunch or picnic to break up the long ride
• Be prepared for any weather and don’t let rain damper the fun – our best memories were when we got drenched! Here is a good rain poncho to have!
• Wear good biking shorts to protect your bum – despite having well-padded shorts, my bum was very sore after two days – here is an example of what I used
• Use bike gloves to protect your hands and provide a better grip – I like these!
• Use a good biking helmet to be safe – here’s one similar to mine
• Bring sunglasses, sunscreen, and a basic first-aid kit
• Be sure to have a strong e-bike battery to last the daily distance in case you can’t recharge along the way
• Do your research for special places to see along the way – it helps break up the biking with sightseeing!

So, are you ready for Biking the Heart Route in Switzerland?

I hope this blog post has motivated you to consider this vacation option. If you don’t have access to this route in Switzerland, maybe you can find a similar one near you. I will definitely do this one again! We want to cover the other legs of the Heart Route because each route is different. Since we are spending most of our year here in Switzerland, it offered us a new adventure right at home.

To see all my pics from this trip, click here!

If you are looking for other ideas on what to see in Switzerland, you will want to see my other posts below!

• Best Gorge Hikes in Switzerland
• Want to know the Secret Spots in Switzerland?
• Cool Things to See in Flims Switzerland
• Spring in Switzerland
• Biking the Heart Route in Switzerland
• 9 Activities Not To Miss in Switzerland
• 3 Day Itinerary in Ticino Switzerland
• 5 Lakes Walk in Zermatt Switzerland – a Must-Do!
• 9 Top Spots near Interlaken Switzerland
• E-Biking in Switzerland
• Discover Adelboden Switzerland in Summer
• What to See in Meiringen Switzerland
• Unexpected Excursions in Lugano
• Best of Appenzell Switzerland
• Awesome Autumn in the Swiss Vineyards
• Schynigge Platte Things to Do
• 2 Days in Basel Switzerland
• Pizol 5 Lakes Hike
• Switzerland Destination Page

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!