Lake Geneva to Bern by Bicycle

Five nights by bike from the terraced vineyards of Lake Geneva into the Bernese Oberland and on to the capital, with guides, a support van and luggage transfers to make the climbs and lake rides simple. The Château de Chillon with its own guide and a glass from the castle's vineyard, an Alpine cheese dairy above Gstaad in summer, and the old clockwork inside Bern's Zytglogge.

Length: Five nights
Pace: Three stays
Style: Cycling, vineyards, mountains, cheese
Route: Lake Geneva to Gstaad to Bern

Lake GenevaTwo nights
GstaadTwo nights
BernOne night

Terraced vineyards falling to a winding road and a wide blue lake, mountains beyond.

Days 1 to 3 · two nights

Lake Geneva

A warm-up ride through the Lavaux vineyards with a private winery visit, then along the lake by Montreux and the Rhône path to Aigle. At the Château de Chillon, a private guided visit through the cellar, the prison, the great halls, the duke's chamber and the chapel to the sentry walks, ending with a glass of white Clos de Chillon from the castle's own vineyard. The lake steamer or the bike back, and dinner at Anne-Sophie Pic's restaurant.

Where you stay

Beau-Rivage Palace

Beau-Rivage Palace has stood on the shore of Lake Geneva in Lausanne since 1861, and its suites look over the lake or the mountains. There are four restaurants and two bars, among them Anne-Sophie Pic's restaurant and the Japanese kitchen at Kaigan, and a Guerlain spa.

A forested valley below rugged green mountains under a soft blue sky.

Days 3 to 5 · two nights

Gstaad

From Gruyères along the Saane valley, with lunch and schwyzerörgeli music in a private house. The next day a climb to the Col du Pillon, where the cable car rises to Glacier 3000 for the walk across its suspension bridge, and an aperitif in a cheese cellar. In summer, three hours with a private guide at a traditional Alpine dairy, to watch Bernese cheese being made and taste it fresh.

Where you stay

The Alpina Gstaad

The Alpina Gstaad stands on a sunny mountainside above the village and its chalets, with 56 rooms and suites, all with private terraces. Interiors use local stone fireplaces, carved wooden ceilings and old painted furniture, and the Six Senses Spa has indoor and outdoor pools.

Old town houses along a curve of the river in late sun, with bare trees on the bank.

Days 5 to 6 · one night

Bern

Through Bernese farmland with lunch beside the Aare, into Bern. Inside the medieval Zytglogge with a guide, among the gears of the old clock and its figures, and up 130 steps to the viewing platform. Outside parliamentary sessions, a guided tour of the Federal Palace, its domed hall and council chambers (in English on Saturdays), then the night at the government's own guesthouse.

Where you stay

Bellevue Palace

The Bellevue Palace is the official guesthouse of the Swiss government and the only grand hotel in the heart of Bern, with views of the Bernese Alps and more than 150 years of history. The Bellevue Bar and its Fumoir are a city meeting place, and VUE serves brasserie dishes.

Arranged on request

Chillon with its own guide

A private visit of up to 80 minutes through the cellar, prison, great halls and sentry walks, with a glass of white Clos de Chillon from the castle's vineyard; booked at least 72 hours ahead.

An Alpine cheese dairy

In summer only, three hours with a private guide at a traditional dairy in the Saanenland, watching Bernese Alpine cheese made and tasting it fresh.

Inside the Zytglogge

An hour inside Bern's clock tower among the gears of the old clock and its figures, with the astronomical clock explained; private tours can be booked all year.

The Federal Palace

Outside parliamentary sessions, a free guided hour through the domed hall and the council chambers, booked at least three days ahead; tours in English on Saturdays.

Subject to availability.

Ways to make it yours

A night in the old town of Gruyères.
Two more nights at The Alpina Gstaad, for walking.
Dinner on Le Montreux, a Belle Époque paddle steamer that becomes a floating restaurant from June to September.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.