gt23.ch - My Grand Tour of Switzerland

Today's tour takes us through the gorges and valleys of Graubünden over the San Bernardino Pass into Ticino. At the time I planned my tour, the photo spot in Obermutten was not yet an NFT destination. So I decided to go first to Ticino and to drive my Grand Tour as planned completely through. As you can read in my blogs for the 15th and 16th day, I later returned again to Graubünden. So if you are in the Thusis region: plan Obermutten - it's definitely worth it! Route  : Savognin - Thusis - Viamala - San Bernardino pass - Bellinzona - Locarno Accommodation  :  Hotel Ibis , Locarno  Collectibles  : Viamala, San Bernardino pass, Fortress of Bellinzona, Cardada, Ascona Reels :  Tiktok ,  Instagram   Viamala gorge San Bernardion pass The fortress of Bellinzona I parked the bike in the garage of the Hotel Ibis in Locarno. With the Ticino Card which you get in the hotel, it's comfortable with the bus that stops in front of the door to Ascona on the lake...

The Grisons Loop took me to the beautiful eastern part of Switzerland. Scenically and culturally, this was a very varied section for me. Living in western Switzerland, you don't get to Graubünden every day. That's probably why I got off the bike several times, marveled and enjoyed, and took my time.   Route  : Bad Ragaz - Landquart - Susch - Zernez - Samedan - Pontresina - St. Moritz - Silvaplana - Julierpass - Savognin  Accommodation  :  Hotel Danilo , Savognin  Collectibles  : Pizol, Davos, La Punt Chamues, Bernina Glaciers, St. Moritz Reels :  Tiktok ,  Instagram  ( Route ); Tiktok , Instagram ( Sunday Special : Savognin )  Pardiel /  Bad Ragaz La Punt Chamues Morteratsch / Bernina glaciers Savognin

Now a day of forced break was necessary. The weather was not good all day and I decided to spend the afternoon better in Tamina Terme than on the bike. Unforeseen things are part of a tour. I had planned two nights in Bad Ragaz anyway for the Pizol. But the cable cars were closed because of the weather. So the Pizol had to wait until the next morning.  The Tamina Termal Baths      Bad weather moves to Bad Ragaz in the evening before. Thematic "Street Art" in Bad Ragaz

During this section of the route, I realized how big the canton of St. Gallen actually is! This was a day-filling program with several excursions off the official GT route.    The summit of the Hoher Kasten (Alpstein) Route  : St. Gallen - Appenzell - Brülisau - Schwägalp - Wildhaus - Buchs - Vaduz - Maienfeld - Bad Ragaz Accommodation  :  Casa Viva , Bad Ragaz  Collectibles  : Dreilinden Freibäder St. Gallen, Alpstein (Hoher Kasten), Säntis (Talstation), Churfirsten (Wildhaus), Heidihaus (Maienfeld) Reels :  Tiktok ,  Instagram Today's tour led from St. Gallen through the Appenzellerland to Brülisau to the valley station of the Hohen Kasten. The 8-minute ascent allows impressive views of the Alpstein and Säntis regions. After this excursion, the tour continued via Schwägalp to Wildhaus in the Churfirsten region. At Buchs I turned into the Rhine valley and then drove through Liechtenstein to the Heidi village. I spent then two nights in ...

Passing the impressive Rhine Falls, this northern section takes us along Lake Constance to St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland.    Stein am Rhein Route  : Winterthur - Schaffhausen - Stein am Rhein - Konstanz - Arbon - St. Gallen Accommodation  :  Hotel One66 , St. Gallen  Collectibles  : Rheinfall, Napolon Museum Schloss & Park Arenenberg, Hafenquai Altnau, Dreilinden Freibäder St. Gallen Reels :  Tiktok ,  Instagram Along the road from Winterthur to Schaffhausen there was a hand-painted sign: Attention young foxes! I thought to myself, well... And lo and behold, after the next bend they sat in the field: young foxes :-) The northern route of the Grand Tour surprises with an incredible diversity. I skipped breakfast in Winterthur and went to the Rhine Falls in the morning hours. It's also nice to watch a tourist hotspot wake up alone. Breakfast was then along Lake Constance. If you have enough space: pack your swimsuit! It is worth it....

Today's section leads along Lake Zurich. Numerous harbors, bathing establishments, cafés and restaurants beckon for cozy breaks.   Route  : Schwytz - Rapperswil-Jona - Zürich - Winterthur Accommodation  :  Hotel Ibis , Winterthur  Collectibles  : Rapperswil-Jona, Stäfa, Meilen. Reels :  Tiktok ,  Instagram A special moment is crossing Lake Zurich over the dam between Pfäffikon and Rapperswil-Jona. I drove the route in the morning and got through smoothly and without major traffic jams, with the exception of the city of Zurich. This is a general advice for the Grand Tour: if you drive through the Swiss cities, plan half an hour more. Then you flow stress-free through the city traffic.  Rapperswil-Jona  My Grand Tour often crossed my Way of St. James  (another ongoing project, maybe there'll be one day a blog about it). Literally: the old Swiss drank one more before they left. So: park the bike, sit down, relax and enjoy!  

The Einsiedeln Abbey, only photo spot on this short route.  Route  : Schwytz - Ibereggerpass - Einsiedeln - Aegerisee - Zug - Arth - Schwytz Accommodation  :  Hotel Wysses Rössli , Schwytz  Collectibles  : Grosser Mythen Rotenflue Schwytz (near the mountain station), Einsiedeln Abbey. Reels :  Tiktok ,  Instagram If you are traveling by motorcycle, it is advisable on the Grand Tour to plan quieter days in between. This allows a more flexible handling of the weather conditions. Especially on excursions to spots on the mountains like the Standerhorn and the Mythen it is worthwhile to plan a break day in between. I was lucky with the weather in both cases and was able to spontaneously add the Ibereggerpass, Lake Aegeri and Zug to the program.  At lake Sihl  Schwytz - hotel Weisses Rössli  

The ferry from Gersau to Beckenried across Lake Lucerne. Route  : Lucerne - Gersau - Beckenried - Stans - Stanserhorn - Brunnen - Schwytz  Accommodation  :  Hotel Wysses Rössli , Schwytz  Collectibles  : Château Gütsch Lucerne, Viznau Rigi Bahnen, Autofähre Vierwaldstättersee (photospot on the ferry, collectible when docking in Beckenried), CabriO Stanserhorn (summit), Brunnen Vierwaldstättersee, Grosser Mythen Rotenflue Schwytz (near the mountain station). Reels :  Tiktok ,  Instagram Today's trip included a highlight of the Grand Tour: crossing Lake Lucerne by car ferry (see the reels on Instagram or Tiktok). The ferry is equipped with the currently only mobile photo spot. A selfie on the passenger bridge is a must! Besides the official route, I drove to Stans and to the Stanserhorn. The trip with the unique convertible cable car is definitely worth it. Bike tourists can store their helmet, backpack and equipment in lockers at the Stans tra...

The photo spot in Affoltern im Emmental is located outside the village on a hill with a magnificent view of the Bernese Alps and the Emmental. Route  : Berne - Burgdorf - Langnau i.E. - Sursee - Seengen - Hochdorf - Luzern  Accommodation  : Landgasthof Rössli , Adligenswil  Collectibles  : Schloss Burgdorf, Emmental, Wasserschloss Wyher, Schloss Hallwyl, Château Gütsch Luzern.   Reels : Tiktok , Instagram From the capital city of Bern, I drove through the Krauchtal Valley to Burgdorf to the first photo spot at the foot of the castle. After that it went into Emmental. In the region of Lueg, I immediately noticed that the Grand Tour does not only lead over wide roads, but often also over more remote roads. The drive through the villages, along the gardens and farms was a feast for the eyes.  Hallwyl Castle is a very popular destination for Swiss and foreign tourists alike when the summer weather is fine. A medieval market was just taking place at th...

Deep back in the Justistal lies Lili's Beizli. Normally, mainly cyclists and hikers stop here. However, the spot is also easily accessible for motorcyclists via the toll road. Route : Sierre - Lausanne - Geneva - Col du Marchairuz - Neuchâtel - Fribourg - Interlaken - Thun - Berne Accommodation : at home (I live in Western Switzerland)  Collectibles : Fully, Lavaux, Le Port de Morges, Lac Léman (Coppet), Geneva, Creux du Van, Fribourg, Gruyères, Château-d'Oex, Gstaad Saanenland, Spiez, St-Beatushöhlen, Niederhorn, Schloss Hünegg.  I did this warmup from home on June weekends. If you want to do it in one piece on the Grand Tour, plan on at least 4 days.  If you have time for an extra day: there is a beautiful small valley between the Beatenberg and Sigriswil called Justistal. After the Niederhorn I did not go back to the road along the Lake of Thun but continued the (very) small road at the valley station of the Niederhorn cable car.  For this road, a fee of CHF 5 ...