Dreamlike Switzerland: Crossing the Alps from Lake Constance to Lake Maggiore
"Where do they want to go now?", the elderly visitor from the north shore swallows. All hell is breaking loose on Lake Constance. Cyclists pass the Salzmann lakeside restaurant near the Swiss village of Fußach almost every second. As beautiful as it is, the cycle path around the three-country lake is very popular. We prefer to take a break in the Rhine delta. A true natural jewel and the first highlight of our Transalp journey through Switzerland. Instead of cycling palaver, we prefer the sound of birds twittering and frogs croaking in the reeds.
The first Alpine peaks shine in the south. That's where we want to go and over into Ticino. The Rhine will accompany us for a long time into the high mountains - to historic places through marvellous countryside. However, we are cycling against the current, against the flow of cyclists, because almost everyone wants to cycle down the Rhine towards Germany and on to the estuary in the North Sea.
The smallest town and the spookiest castle lie along the way
The smallest town in Switzerland is so small, with two streets and less than 100 inhabitants, that we almost rushed through. Yet Werdenberg spoils its guests with an ambience straight out of a history book: a castle from the 13th century sits enthroned on a vineyard, at its feet lies a large duck pond and the quaint town centre with richly decorated wooden houses.
You can actually cycle many kilometres on the Rhine embankment at the beginning, but the signposted cycle route is more varied and slightly hilly through villages and vineyards. From time to time we change banks. We cycle without border controls through the Principality of Liechtenstein to Vaduz and Triesen, past pastures full of cows with clipped horns. They look pitiful. But fortunately that's not the rule here.
The time-honoured Bad Ragaz is the perfect place to spend the night. Not because of the posh hotels or the dark, cool Tamina Gorge, but because the modern thermal baths here are a great place to relax tired legs after a long day's tour.
The famous Heidi, the character from Johanna Spyri's novel, is said to have lived in nearby Maienfeld. We take a detour through the vineyards. Because "Heidiland" has already degenerated into a bit of a mass tourism centre. What a pity! Because the foothills of the Alps look like a gigantic painting, especially in the wine region of Graubünden. However, the steep climbs challenge your fitness for the first time. Marschlins Castle at the entrance to the Landquart Valley looks like a mighty sentinel at the gateway to the world of mountain giants. However, the former moated castle is no longer patrolled by knights, but by organic farmers and happy organic pigs.
Chur, the friendly metropolis of Graubünden, is the last urban bastion before heading up into the Hinterrheintal valley. The perfect place to sit in a street café before the mountain stages and squint into the sun under the waving Swiss flags. Some people will also enjoy a detour to one of the many museums dedicated to history, nature or viticulture.
Proud mountains, stately castles, beautiful paths
After Thusis, the road suddenly becomes narrow and dark. We have to pass through the notorious Via Mala. Scary legends surround the gloomy gorge of the Hinterrhein - of transport tragedies and mountain spirits. "You absolutely have to climb down the stairs into the 'Lost Hole' - it's worth it," the landlady of the Weiss Kreuz in Thusis advises us. She is right. A thunderous natural spectacle awaits the visitor: 300 metres high, the limestone cliffs tower up to the left and right, letting little light into the cold, damp canyon with its twists and turns and gurgling whirlpools. What dramas have probably taken place at this dangerous narrow passage since Roman times? Drivers today can no longer see anything of this force of nature in the tunnel. Shivering slightly after this experience, we continue our ascent. Up into Val Schons or Schamsertal, into the world of the three-thousand metre peaks with their year-round white snow caps, to the kitschy, beautiful mountain villages with their sun-tanned wooden houses and ancient Romanesque churches. Splügen is such a picture-book village. From there, it's another 20 kilometres and 600 metres in altitude to the highest point of our Alpine crossing. The Dutch couple who accompanied us for a few kilometres say goodbye in the direction of the Splügen Pass. The two sprightly pensioners still want to get to Rome - always with a smile on their faces. Shortly afterwards, we are panting up the hairpin bends to San Bernardino. The landscape and the road take our breath away. Also because the crash barrier is missing from time to time on the slope. Luckily the sun is shining, because at an altitude of 2066 metres there is still a blanket of snow. The Albergo on the pass has seen better days and is probably only open in the best summer weather. But there is still life up here. A pair of ducks splash around in the pass lake.
We roll down into the Italian-influenced part of Switzerland, easily recognisable from the place names such as Mesocco and Soazza. A completely different world opens up, even if the alpine environment still prevails here and high waterfalls cascade down from steep mountain sides. The southern flair creates a holiday atmosphere, especially as all the major climbs are now behind us. In Bellinzona, the metropolis of Ticino with its three striking castles, you already feel like you're in the centre of Italy, enjoying a cappuccino on the piazza. And nearby Lake Maggiore is almost as busy as Lake Constance. However, it's mainly walkers who stroll here and not yet cyclists.
The tour
The Transalp route measures just under 300 kilometres from the Rhine delta on the Swiss shore of Lake Constance to Locarno on Lake Maggiore. You cycle mainly on tarmac cycle paths and side roads. There are hardly any gradients to worry about until Bad Ragaz, then it gets hilly. The hairpin bends to the San Bernardino Pass require a good basic level of fitness and the right gearing on the bike.
The GPS data for crossing the Alps through Switzerland
You can find the GPX track for the Transalp Switzerland in the MYBIKE Collection "Crossing the Alps through Switzerland" on komoot.
Accommodation tips
Hotel Schloss RagazSchloss-Strasse, CH-7310 Bad Ragaz
This three-star hotel in a park on the outskirts of Bad Ragaz is a time-honoured and dignified place to stay. Info: www.schlossragaz.ch
Hotel Weiss KreuzNeudorfstrasse 50, CH-7430 Thusis
Traditional inn in the centre of Thusis not far from the Via Mala. Info: www.weisskreuz.ch
Albergo BellevueCH-6565 San Bernardino
Historic mountain hotel in San Bernardino on the south side of the Alps at the foot of the pass at an altitude of 1600 metres. Info: www.bellevue-sanbernardino.ch
DON'T MISS IT!
Werdenberg: The smallest town in Switzerland has less than 100 inhabitants and consists of two narrow streets with historic wooden houses and a local museum as well as a castle with a large duck pond. Info: www.werdenberg.ch
Bad Ragaz: Traditional thermal spa resort at the foot of the Pizol and at the exit of the Tamina Gorge: pleasant for an extended wellness stop, but also just for a coffee break. Info: www.badragaz.ch
Via Mala Gorge: Myths and horror stories surround the once "bad path" through the 300 metre deep rocky gorge of the Hinterrhein near Thusis. More than 300 steps lead down into the "Lost Hole". Info: www.viamala.ch
Bellinzona: Three castles, fine examples of medieval fortifications and UNESCO World Heritage Sites, illustrate the once strategically important location at the southern foot of three Alpine passes. The town houses from the 18th century in the old town centre are also impressive. Info: www.bellinzonaevalli.ch
LITERATURE/MAPS
A little bulky to take with you, but great for browsing and planning: Baedeker Allianz Travel Guide "Switzerland", 722 pages, 27.99 euros, ADAC Travel Guide plus Switzerland: With maxi folding map and practical spiral binding, 14.99 euros
For orientation: Kümmerly + Frey cycle map "Switzerland - Suisse" 1:301,000, 19.80 euros.
Tip! Travel guides and maps are also available in second-hand, but often as good as new, condition at low prices on the Internet (Amazon, rebuy, medimops) to buy.
Information
Switzerland Tourism www.myswitzerland.com, Mendelssohnstr. 87, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, via e-mail, info@MySwitzerland.com or by calling the Switzerland Tourism freephone number with personal advice 00800 100 200 30.
In addition: www.graubuenden.ch / www.ticino.ch
