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Our Constance to Lake Lucern - Swiss Lakes tour starts on the western end of Lake Constance in the South West corner of Germany, in the university town of Konstanz. Konstanz is the largest town on Lake Constance but thankfully still retains a lot of medieval character.
After cycling through some smaller fishing regions along the romantic lower lake you arrive in Zurich, the largest city in Switzerland, often referred to as its 'cultural capital'. It has often won the title of having the best quality of life, so immerse yourself in that lifestyle. Continuing with the cycle you will pass through beautiful quiet countryside, lively villages and cross the famous Bruning Mountain Pass, as well as enjoying the beauty of the 7 lakes from Lake Constance to Lake Thun.
The Rheinfall waterfall near Schaffhausen, the 'Hohle Gasse' in Kussnacht and the Einsiedeln monastery, along with the well preserved cities of Lucerne and Zurich are the highlights of this tour.
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Itineraries
Day 1

Arrival in Constance
The largest town on Lake Constance is still quite medieval in character to this day. Take the chance to visit Mainau island or take a walk through the old town of Constance. The aquariums in the Sea Life Center and the Ar¬chaeological Museum are also recommended.
Day 2

Constance ~ Schaffhausen (50 km)
Following the side of Lake Constance, you pedal to Stein am Rhein with its frescoed, medieval houses. Switching several times between Germany and Switzerland you reach the canton’s capitol, Schaffhausen. The town, whose citizens competed with each other in building gables on their houses, is overlooked by Munot fort.
Day 3

Schaffhausen~ Zürich (55 km + train journey) or 70k
After breakfast, you cycle the short distance to the Rhine Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Europe, which you can get very close to by boat. Afterwards you follow the valley of the Glatt, which leads you to Zurich, the fascinating Swiss cosmopolitan city. At the level of ZurichKloten Airport, you can shorten the cycle tour by taking the S-Bahn (not included) from Rümlang station. The city of Zurich combines tradition and modernity and the well-preserved old town invites you to linger with its many cafes and bars.
Day 4

Zürich ~ Einsiedeln (35 km)
You cycle along the northern bank of Lake Zurich along the so-called golden coast to Rapperswil. Take a break here and go up to the old castle. From there you have lovely views of Lake Zurich and the countryside. From Rapperswil, you cross the lake across a dam and then take the train from Pfäffikon to Einsiedeln.
Day 5

Einsiedeln ~ Lucerne (75 km)
A wonderful day on the bike which includes the route’s crowning glory. On the ride to Lake Zug, you have to cross a range of hills. In Küssnacht, you can follow the traces of Wilhelm Tell. He is supposed to have shot the bailiff, Hermann Gessler, here in the “Hohle Gasse” lane.
Day 6

Beckenried ~ Lucern (50km)
Today a tour around Lake Lucerne awaits you. From the pretty little town of Weggis, which already Mark Twain called "The most charming place...", you will cross the lake by boat to Beckenried. Enjoy the view of the famous mountain Rigi before you cycle back to Lucerne, passing the Alpnach Lake
- 6 nights accommodation in 3 star hotels with breakfasts
- Luggage transport each day
- Entrance to Rosgarten Museum in Konstanz
- Boat trip to Rhine Falls
- Train ride from Pfaffikon to Einsiedeln ( including bike )
- Tour information and maps ( one per room )
- 7 day service hotline
Bike rental is not included in our 2023 tour price. This is an additional:
€100.00 Hybrid Bike, incl. bike insurance
€240.00 Electric Bike, incl. bike insurance
€130.00 Sporty rental bike (30 gears), incl. bike insurance
Season A 24th – 29th April, 9th – 16th October
Season B 14th – 23rd April, 30th April – 14th May, 18th September – 8th October
Season C 15th – 21st May, 29th – 31st May, 19th – 30th June, 21st August – 17th September
Season D 22nd – 28th May, 1st – 18th June, 1st July – 20th August
Extra night in Lucern: €105 per person sharing / €150 single room occupancy
Extra night in Constance: €70 per person sharing / €105 single room occupancy
Extra night in Einsiedeln/Schaffhausen: €90 per person sharing / €125 single room occupancy
Due to more challenging sections, we only recommend this tour for young people in good physical condition.
The cycling routes require a basic level of fitness, which you should have acquired by steady cycling. The routes can reach an altitude of 200 to 500 meters. The daily routes, of 20 - 60 km, cover some hilly terrain and can be completed without time constraints. You will also come across some longer and climbs, where walking your bike is of course advised. The roads are mostly asphalted and there is little traffic outside of holiday periods.
- Reductions apply for accommodation in rooms with two full-paying guests.
- No reduction from the age of 18
- Multi-bed rooms are often double rooms with a camp bed or sofa bed.
- No quadruple rooms possible
CONSTANCE
ABC-Hotel An historic hotel in the heart of the town. The hotel is family run in a traditional way. A warm and friendly atmosphere with spacious rooms this hotel has everything you need to enjoy your stay
SCHAFFHAUSEN
Hotel Park Villa is a beautiful stone building full of history. With a warm and relaxing atmosphere and spacious rooms it is the perfect place to stay and explore the town
ZURICH
Sorell Hotel Rex is only a short walk away from the old town. With a relaxing atmosphere and mode rooms makes a very enjoyable stay ( image to the left )
Hotel Montana is a mode hotel with spacious and bright rooms not far from the old town with lots of little cafe and restaurants for you to enjoy. ( image to the right )
EINSIEDELN
Hotel St. Georg is a boutique hotel right in the heart of the town. With stylish rooms and a relaxed atmosphere, this is a very nice place to stay ( image to the left )
Hotel Linde Has a roof-top sitting area and a mountain view. The rooms are bright and spacious some even overlook the Monastery. ( image to the right )
LUZERN -
Ibis Styles Luze City is a stylish hotel in the historic town centre. The rooms are very stylish and bright with city views ( image to the left )
Hotel Seeburg Luze is a lakeside hotel with fantastic views of the lake and mountains. With a stylish and spacious room it is the perfect place to relax by the lake ( image to the right )
2023 SWISS LAKES: ( 6 night tour )
€900 per person sharing ( Season A )
€1000 per person sharing ( Season B )
€1100 per person sharing ( Season C )
€1200 per person sharing ( Season D )
€250 Single room supplement
Season A: 30th April - 10th May, 24th September - 7th October
Season B: 11th - 16th May, 11th - 30th June, 10th - 23rd September
Season C: 17th - 26th May, 1st - 10th June, 20th August - 9th September
Season D: 27th - 31st May, 1st July - 19th August
Self Guided Tour Information
Tour can start any day from 30 April to 7 October
How to get to the tour start point:
Travelling by air
From Friedrichshafen (25 km) by car/bus or ferry, or catamaran (40 min.)
From Zurich (75 km): hourly rail service to Constance (1 hr)
From Stuttgart (170 km): interurban train service every 20 min. to Stuttgart railway station; regular rail service to Constance (2.5 hrs)
From Munich (230 km) by rail (5 hrs) or car (3.5 hrs) to Constance
From Frankfurt/Main (345 km): direct rail service (4.5 hrs) to Constance
Travelling by rail
There are direct train services to Constance from Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Offenburg. To get to Constance from Munich, change at Lindau/Radolfzell or Stuttgart. There is an hourly train service to Constance from Zurich (airport) via Weinfelden. For more information on rail services, please call +49 (0) 800 / 1507090.
For more details please have a look at the tour dossier.
As always please contact us in the office for more information (info@cyclingsafaris.com).
We loved the Swiss Lakes tour! The route was incredible. Beautiful landscapes everywhere, quaint medieval towns throughout, and spots to swim all along the way. Switzerland was the perfect place for our first self-guided tour. The cycling routes, the infrastructure, and the train transfers were just incredible. The bikes and the gear were outstanding. The best we've ever used. The directions were absolutely clear and normally followed sign-posted routes throughout the country. The accommodation was terrific--and a great value. There were so many parks along the route, many with toilets and fresh water; we often had picnics outside during the day. The food was terrific. It was certainly more demanding than our Ireland trip, but we found it a great trip to try out longer distances and tougher climbs. The route was very well curated.
We're huge fans of Irish Cycling Safaris. I wish we'd discovered your company earlier. We recommend it to everyone we know. Thanks so much for providing such a great service at a great price. We can't wait for our next trip with you guys!
I loved the e-bike. It gives me the confidence to try more challenging trips. We enjoyed the self led tour as it allowed us to spend extra time in Lucerne.
Barbara Wagner (Swiss Lakes 2015)We realy enjoyed our trip to Lake constance. We particularly enjoyed the cycling around Meersberg and the wine area Wasserberg and Hagau.
Excellent trip 9 out of 10.