Do you want to explore Swiss rural countryside at its best, enjoy little chapels on the way and have a swim in the lake or not? Here is a one day trip that you can easily extent into two with a slight alteration of the route and a great hotel with a formidable cuisine without much effort from Zurich.
One or two days excursion (4h – 5h light to medium pedalling per day)
90min train ride, 5min walk to get your e-bike, approx. 4h of leisurely biking and 1h train ride back for the one day excursion
Attention: book your e-bike a day or two in advance or call (+41 41 925 11 70) prior to leaving Zurich.
Attention: book your e-bike a day or two in advance or call (+41 41 925 11 70) prior to leaving Zurich.
Hop on the 8:10 or 9:10 train to Willisau via Lucerne. You will have to change trains in Lucerne but the connecting time is easily manageable. Take a short 5min walk to the “rent-a-bike” building and get an e-bike for your one- or two-days trip. For the one-day excursion you leave the bike at Huenenberg Badi whereas you return the bike to the shop in Willisau for the 2-days excursion.
Before you make your way on Route 99, you should visit the little town of Willisau which is 5min in the opposite direction of travel. It’s medieval centre is well preserved and is a showcase of many Swiss old towns to be found all around the country. Once coffee and croissant (or Willisauer Ringli as specialty from there) are taken, you go back to the round-about and get on your way of Route 99 (direction Zug). After less than 30min you can make a little detour to Geiss and have a nice lunch at Restaurant Ochsen or stop at Soppisee to enjoy the fantastic scenery of this little jewel. Thereafter you continue on Route 99 and enjoy the rolling hills and beautiful traditional buildings on the way. Also, many chapels are scattered around this area and you should not hesitate to visit one or two of this little gems. For the hiker amongst you, there is a long 17km Chapel route for another excursion in this area (Luzerner Kapellenweg Wanderland). Your bike ride gets you through Buttisholz and Neuenkirch to Sempach where you hit the main road into and through another medieval town. However, before doing so, you should stop at Vogelwarte Sempach (Swiss ornithological Institute) for a visit. Thereafter continue towards the Seebad Sempach where you can either stop for a swim right there or continue through the Camping for 5 more minutes and stop for a wild swim where a little creek is flowing into lake Sempach.
Back into Sempach, the many restaurants in the old town might invite you for a stop. You follow Route 99 through the other tower and up the hill and on eastwards until you to a crossing in Reckenbrunnen, a hamlet just before Ballwil. Decision time: The one day trip continues on Route 99 eastwards whereas the 2-days trip get you northwards on Route 599 (direction Ballwil, Hohenrain).
You continue on Route 99 until you hit lake Zug in Huenenberg See (after you past Huenenberg , crossed the highway and rainway tracks later) where you turn right for 200m until you come to Badi Huenenberg. There you can return your e-bike and have a swim at the Badi or a wild swim 100m further south before heading back to Zurich. Just go straight ahead from the Badi under the railway and to the bus stop Huenenberg Badi where you take the bus to Cham Station or Rotkreuz on the other side of the road. Trains from both stations run regularly to Zug and Zurich.
You follow Route 599 (direction North) through Ballwil with nice stops on the way such as Hohenrain with its old fortified church (with some luck the winery is open too) and the ruins of Nueneck in Lieli. Shortly thereafter you hit the highest point of the tour at Horben with a nice Restaurant opposite the little castle. You follow the road for 500m and Route 599 leads you left into the forest. However, you continue for another 300m and take a right on Route 84 to Brunnwil. At Geltwil you hit the main road (still on route 84) all downhill into Muri. At the old Abbey there is your Hotel Caspar and Adler (reception at Hotel Adler). You have the option to dine at Gourmetstübli in Hotel Caspar or the bistro cuisine at Hotel Adler. Both are excellent for wining and dining. En Guete!
After a hearty breakfast you might explore the Abbey’s church and surroundings before getting on your bike to continue on Route 84 until the next town. Merenschwand where you change to follow Route 77. This bike path leads you along the Reuss valley to Rotkreuz. Right by the station you turn left on Route 9, across the highway and through the golf course. The route meanders off lake Zug and as you hit Badi Huenenberg you take a wild swim by biking along the Badi’s fence towards the lake. 300m after the Badi you will hit route 99 and turn right towards Eschenbach. After Eschenbach you come the hamlet or Reckenbrunnen and close the loop. Thereafter, it is the same route 99 in the opposite direction until you end back in Willisau. And a wonderful 2 days trip comes to a successful end!
