The Swiss Veloroute 9 is commonly known as the Seen-Route, or the Lakes Route in English. It is a national route that runs from the eastern end of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) to the eastern end of Lake Constance. It runs along the northern edge of the Alps and passes by several alpine Lakes. During our three week trip in Europe we did several segments of the route, completing about half of the total distance.
Wayfinding
We used a Garmin to navigate, but the route was well marked by this signage for the “Seen-Route”.
Segments
La Tine to Cham
We completed this section as part of a three week trip in Europe and it was honestly our favourite part of the whole trip. We did deviate from the official route in a few spots due to time, rainy weather and accommodation options. Only small sections of the route are on official cycling infrastructure, but we really enjoyed the small rural roads passing through the mountains. The route is at the edge of the Alps, so there were some big hills, but overall well worth it!
Scenery and Attractions
This section was pretty much straight out of a postcard for Switzerland. There were mountain views, alpine villages, turquoise alpine lakes, lush green valleys, cows roaming the fields with bells on, and self-serve fromageries on the side of the road. It was truly incredible. The route also passed through some larger towns and cities (Spiez, Interlaken, Lucerne) that were pretty easy to navigate, but definitely a bit noisier and more crowded than the rural areas.
Cycling Conditions
This section of the Lakes Route was great. There were a few cycle paths in urban areas, but most of the route was along quiet country roads passing through farmland.
La Tine to Saanan
This section of the Lakes route is incredibly beautiful. It is almost all on quiet country roads with the exception of passing through a few towns. On some of the hills there were some drainage ditches that could be tough to navigate in wet weather. Closer to Saanan, there was a short single track section near an airport and a gravel trail that we took to get to our campsite.
Saanan to Interlaken
This section has a little bit of everything. Leaving Saanan, the route passes through town and immediately goes up some steep hills to Saanenmöser. From there, the route follows quiet roads through farmland, including some that were gravel, but easy to navigate on hybrid bikes. As we got closer to Spiez, the route became more urban, but there were dedicated cyclepaths most of the way. Between Spiez and Interlaken, the route followed the main road, which was noisy, but the cyclepath was protected, providing some comfort.
Interlaken to Brünig (not the Lakes Route)
From Interlaken to Brünig we did not take the Lakes Route because we decided to stay with a Warmshowers host on the north side of Lake Brienz (the main route passes on the south side). We took a train from Interlaken to Oberried am Brienzersee because we didn’t want to bike on the main road. But the next day, we did take the main road from Oberried am Brienzersee to Brienz. It had no dedicated cycling infrastructure but there was not much traffic when we were there. From Brienz, we navigated our way through a residential neighbourhood and eventually found ourselves climbing the Brünigstrasse, which was a busy, narrow, steep road! If we could go back in time, we would’ve rejoined the Lakes Route in Brienz, which passes through Meiringen before climbing to Brünig on quieter roads.
Brünig to Sarnan
The route from Brünig to Sarnan was great. It followed small roads around the alpine lakes and had a few sections on larger roads. Some had painted bike lanes, but the ones near Sarnan did not. Traffic volumes were low and there were a lot of other cyclists, so we felt comfortable.
Sarnan to Lucerne
This section was also a mixture of cycling infrastructure. There were some gravel paths, some single track and a wooden multiuse trail alongside a lake. As we got closer to Lucerne there were more official bike lanes and it was pretty easy to navigate our way right into the city centre. The scenery along this section was also a treat.
Lucerne to Cham
After leaving Lucerne, the route got a little boring. There were some bike paths through wooden areas and through the countryside, so it felt safe and pretty easy to navigate.
Komoot links
For exact routing details along with additional photos, visit these links
Accommodation
Here are the places we stayed while travelling along the Lakes Route.
Saanan: Camping Bellerive
Camping Bellerive is a small campground located about 1km outside of Saanan, but it is well connected to the town by a gravel path. The campground itself felt like a mobile home park and was eerily vacant when we were there. We had a small site, but easy access to electricity. One major downside is that the train tracks were just behind our tent, so there was some loud rumbling during the night. We paid $41 (25 CHF) for one night.
Sarnen: Seefeld Park
Seefeld Park felt like more of a resort than a campground. It was a very large area with mobile homes, trailers and campsites. It was located about 2km from the city centre and it was easy to walk into town along a nice trail next to the lake. We stayed in a canvas tent for two nights. The campground had a great common area that included a full kitchen with a seating area so we were able to use an oven, which was a real treat! It also had two pools — one for relaxing, and one for lane swimming. Staying in such a nice spot was a bit more expensive at $150 (94 CHF) per night, but we really enjoyed it.
