Classic Biking & Walking in the Spectacular Bernese Oberland

Switzerland is a biking and walking paradise. Using its ingenious system of cable cars, cog-rail trains, hard-pack mountain trails and designated bicycle lanes, we'll discover the best of Switzerland's beautiful Bernese Oberland. Walk under the majestic beauty of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. Discover its glaciers and soft blue mountain lakes. Ride through its chalet dotted alpine fairyland, along turquoise lakes and through quintessential Swiss villages where wooden chalets with flower filled windows dominate every view. Try hearty mountain fare at "bärgli" mountain huts during the day and dine on the traditional Bernese cuisine in the evening. Enjoy friendly greetings and genuine hospitality in a selection of Switzerland's most luxurious lodgings. Join Club Toscana in the Bernese Oberland where old-world charms and easy biking and walking go hand in hand.

Day 1 - Kandersteg - Meet in Bern, Switzerland's capital and an important World Heritage Site for its perfectly preserved sandstone arcades, painted fountains and Medieval streets.Private transfer to Kandersteg, a mountaineering center surrounded with picturesque chalets and snow capped 12,000 foot high mountains.Journey by cable car to a 5,500 foot high ridge.Walk along an alpine plateau with gentle grazing cows for spectacular views of the Oeschinenhorn glacier.Lunch on hearty local specialties at a mountain hut overlooking the glacier fed Lake Oeschinen.Walk through the Öschiwald with the sounds of swift running streams, cascading falls and a symphony of cow bells on the way to our family-run old-world lodging.Dine on traditional Bernese cuisine including rösti and alpkäse, and discover the differences between raclette and fondue.

Day 2 - Lake Thun & Interlaken - Ride down the Kandertal, a lush valley with wooden chalets, pastoral farms and rural villages.Follow quiet side roads and bicycle paths to the market town of Thun.Discover its arcaded Medieval streets and covered wooden bridges overlooked by its 12th-century fairy-tale turreted castle.Stop at the Schadau Palace with its Victorian flower gardens and Switzerland's most photographic lakeside views.Ride along the misty blue waters of the Thunersee surrounded by snow capped mountains.Visit the fashionable resort town and adventure sports capital of Interlaken.Arrive in Grindelwald resting on an emerald plateau with stunning views of the glacier crested Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn and Eiger mountains.

Day 3 - Grindelwald - Options await.Take a cable car to the high mountain ridge at Männlichen for stunning views of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, the Schynige Platte and the majectic Mönch and Jungfrau mountains.Enjoy a Club Toscana lunch of traditional mountain specialties at Kleine Scheidegg.Walk through the Itramenwald plateau where cow bells ring and farmers are busy producing mountain cheese.Or, take an optional paraglide through the open skies of this alpine fairyland, or perhaps take the day to relax at Grindelwald's village cafés with a locally brewed refreshment and simply enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery.Dinner on your own this evening to discover your own romantic corner of this alpine paradise.

Day 4 - Lake Brienz - Follow quiet side roads and biking paths past wooden chalets and along the creamy turquoise waters of the Brienzersee to Brienz, with its time honored tradition of wood carving.Take a paddlewheel lake steamer to the quaint lakeside village of Iseltwald.Walk a forest trail to the imposing Giessbach Falls.Relax on the hotel deck and watch the romantic evening sunset drift over the lake's shimmering waters.

Days 5 - Ballenberg - Spin along the flat Aare River valley among orchards and quiet open pastures.Step back into the 19th-century for a tour of the open-air Ballenberg museum where Switzerland's rural lifestyle and architecture has been carefully preserved.Drop in at a "chocolaterie" where some of Switzerland's finest hand made chocolates are produced.Cycle to Meiringen where meringue is said to have been first made, and where the illustrious sleuth Sherlock Holmes met his untimely end at the nearby Reichenbach Falls.Visit the Aareschluct Canyon, one of Europe's narrowest glacial carved gorges.Celebrate your Swiss bike walk odyssey at a final dinner overlooking Switzerland's most beautiful lake.

Day 6 - Brienz - Homeward bound.Bid a final farewell to the beautiful Bernese Oberland and take a private transfer to the train station in Brienz for convenient trains to Bern, Zurich and Geneva; or extend your stay in this beautiful area.As always, we would be more than pleased to help you with any of your post-trip travel planning.
auf Wiedersehen !