Around Lake Geneva by bike

Lake Geneva is the largest lake in Switzerland and France. Incidentally, only the lowest end within the canton of Geneva is officially called Lac de Genève, otherwise it is Lac Léman. Accordingly, the lake circuit is also known as the Tour du Léman, a magnificent borderland tour through a varied landscape. On one side is the Swiss metropolis of Geneva, on the other the Valais nature reserve of Les Grangettes. To the north, Lausanne and the Vaud Riviera as a tourist Eldorado on the lake. To the south, the protected French shore, where the high mountains reach right down to the lake.
The leisurely glide along the shore is followed by sporty steep sections into the vineyards. The lively urban hustle and bustle along the busy roads is replaced by peaceful rural atmospheres. The lake route is signposted in red on the Swiss side (route no. 46, Tour du Léman). On the French side, green-blue signs with a bicycle logo show the way. Only the section between Le Bouveret and Evian runs along a main road. We recommend cycling in a clockwise direction in order to cycle as close as possible to the lakeshore.

Journey:
Geneva or Lausanne, for example, are easy to reach from Stuttgart and Munich with DB and SBB. Bikes can only be taken on IC/EC trains, not on ICE trains. www.bahn.de, www.sbb.ch

Tour combinations: Via Rhona, cycle route no. 1 Rhône cycle path. Alternatives: To give the tour more variety or to shorten it, you can change to the ferry at various points.

Accommodation tips:
Hotel du Port in Villeneuve, www.duport.ch
Hotel Helvetie in Montreux, www.helvetie.ch
Hotel de la Nouvelle Couronne in Morges, www.couronne-morges.ch
Domaine de Crève Coeur in Choulex near Geneva, www.creve-coeur.ch

Worth seeing:
- Evian-les-Bains thermal spa (France)
- Lavaux wine terraces between Lausanne and Vevey (UNESCO World Heritage Site), www.montreuxriviera.com/de
- Montreux Palace and other grand hotels in Montreux
- Olympic Museum in Lausanne, www.olympic.org/museum
- Jet d'Eau, the giant water fountain in Geneva
- Chillon Castle on the east bank, www.chillon.ch/de/

Maps and literature:
Detailed maps on the Internet at www.veloland.ch/de/routen/route-046.html

The complete article was published in Trekkingbike issue 5/2017.