During the summer of 2024, I was lucky to be able to take some time off work and visit Switzerland. I spent a little time at the start of the trip in Zurich but most of the nearly two weeks away were spent by Lake Thun, just below Bern.

The lake itself is one of two lakes that sit next to each other separated by a small town, Interlaken. Lake Thun (Thunersee) is the ‘blue lake’ while the other is referred to as the ‘green lake’ due to their respective distinctive colours.

We stayed at an Air BnB, right on the waters edge. Waking up every morning to coffee and porridge overlooking the water felt like a luxury. Something I took time to savour each day.

I planned a ride for the first day, taking me along the waters edge to Interlaken. One reason for the destination was some research had uncovered a cycle themed café, called Velo Cafe. It was a mere 16 km out to the café, but with the bike having travelled in a bike box I needed to test the bike. The flat (relatively for the area) route to the café made for a great test ride to make sure I’d done a good job of the bike build up.

Thankfully everything went smoothly and the café was an excellent stop. The coffee was well made and they had a sublime vegan cheesecake desert that became a staple for me throughout the week! When I arrived at the café, one of the staff even offered to watch my bike while I ordered. What a wonderful service!

The ride to the café along the lake, made for an incredible first ride. The views across the water were stunning, like a postcard, except I was cycling within it! As I approached Interlaken there were small cow farms and shops lining the road. The sky was full of parachutes with people coasting down from the tops of local mountains on their chutes! The colours filled the sky and made for an incredible experience on the bike!

Having stopped for coffee and cheesecake, I decided to continue the adventure and head out to see the green lake.

I took a road that climbed out of Interlaken which climbed high and ran level with the edge of the green lake. As I pedalled along  I was joined by another cyclist. He was from Germany and was also enjoying some well earned holiday on the Swiss roads. We chatted as we pedalled and he warned me that he had been told the road ahead was closed. His mission for the day needed the road to be open, but mine was simply to explore. My plan was to ride out and then at some point turn around and follow the road along the side of the lakes back to my Air BnB.

Sure enough some 10 km along the road, we hit the road block. The week before some rain had caused a landslide across the road, and the workers were out in force to restore the road. This meant we could not pass, even on bicycles!

We turned around and headed back the way we had come from. We devised a plan. We would find somewhere for him to get a ferry across the lake to the other side to continue his mission.

About 6 km later I spotted a sign for a ferry and pointed him in the direction. He peeled off to take the ferry and I pushed on. I rode back past the end of the green lake, through Interlaken and along the waters edge of the blue lake, finally returning back to the AirBnB.

All in all a hugely enjoyable first ride in Switzerland!

What lessons did I learn on that first day?

The Velo Café Interlaken was a great place to stop, welcoming and with great coffee and cakes.

The roads were smooth and the lake a stunning back drop. There was not too much traffic, despite me being on the main routes between two towns, but the Swiss drivers did pass very closely, even when there was plenty of room on the other side of the road to pass.

I decided to make plans for a ride further away from the main route for the following days. And being surrounded by mountains on both sides meant that route had to take in a climb!

To see some footage of my ride check out this YouTube video