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A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 to 12:30 AM and 13:30 to 6 PM (French time) on the phone, or by email.


Phone number: +33 458 140 435
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Road bike France

Crossing of the majestic cols of the Swiss Alps from Lake Como to Lake GenevaRef CR86

For the ambitious road cyclist longing for summits and hairpin turns, Switzerland - with its culture of perfection - has a lot to offer: the streets are clean, the asphalt on the roads is incredibly smooth and the numerous, spectacularly planned Alpine mountain passes invite us to compete with their slopes. With every hairpin, you discover new vistas of incredible mountain sceneries, in which giant glaciers, staggering summits, lakes, pastures and villages have been arranged by an invisible but well-organised hand. On this trip, you get the best of. You will cross the cantons of Ticino, Grisons, the Berner Oberland, Valais and Vaud and climb 12 major mountain cols on the way, diving into their postcard-like landscapes, among which Splügen, San Bernadino, Lukmanier, Oberalp, Gotthard, Nufenen, Furka and Susten. The highlight of the trip is your ride up to Grosse Scheidegg, with its small road winding under huge rock faces and its summit panorama of the big three: Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. When you arrive in Thonon-les-Bains, you will have covered 650 km and 14,000 m of vertical gain. You will have discovered the varied facets of the Swiss valleys and tasted many local specialties: rösti, älplermagronen, zibelechueche, tuorta da nusch… A truly mind-blowing trip.

Tour with assistance vehicle: from 1355€ - Details Duration : 6 days | Level : Customer satisfaction : - 3 reviews
+33 458 140 435 A dedicated team of travel specialists is available to offer you expert advice Monday to Friday from 9 to 12:30 AM and 13:30 to 6 PM (French time) on the phone, or by email.
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Physical level :  

  • Your profile:

    You road bike year round, at least once a week on average.

  • Tour profile:

    80 to 110 km per day depending on the route profile.

Highlights

  • Cols and mountain roads that you should ride once in a lifetime
  • Magnificent vistas of giant glaciers and staggering summits - your personal glacier express
  • The wonderful postcard-images of Switzerland: chalets, Alpine meadows, cows, villages and mountains

Description

  • Tour formula:

    Tour with support vehicle and driver

  • Accommodation:

    2- and 3-star hotels

  • Luggage transport:

    Included. You carry only your daypack

  • Next departures:

    View dates

Comments

  • This road bike tour is the last part of our east-west crossing of the entire Alps, the Alpine Arc Traversee (see the programme tab for more information). It is possible to combine this trip to the Crossing of the French Alps (Route des Grandes Alpes) in 8 days, starting in Thonon-les-Bains.
  • Special offers available for private groups. Please contact us for a quote.

Our Integral Crossing of the Alps

Cycling across the Alps from East to West

There are projects that every ambitious road cyclist should dare to dream of. The east-west crossing of the Alpine arc from the Adriatic sea to the French Riviera on the Mediterranean coast is definetely one of them. Based on our great experience as an Alpine road cycling tour operator, we have designed a unique route that takes you through the natural heart of Europe`s most famous mountain range: the Intergal Crossing of the Alps. In total, the route is 2000 km long and offers some 40,000 m of climbing. Given these numbers, we have cut it up in three challenging parts of 6 to 8 cycling days each.

Along the route, you will enjoy countless national and regional Nature parks of varying and outstanding beauty: Triglav, Dolomites, Ortler, the Valais and Bernese Alps, Mont Blanc area, Vanoise, Ecrins and finally the French Maritime Alps. The route is an absolute must-do for "col-baggers" as it takes in the most famous mountain passes of the Alps but also lesser-known ones: Vrsic pass, Tre Cime, passes of the Dolomites and particularly the Sella Ronda, Stelvio, Gavia, Bernina, Maloja, San Bernadino, Gotthard, Furka, Susten, Colombière, Roselend, Iséran, Galibier, Izoard, Vars, Cayolle, Turini... and many many more.

We offer the Intergal Crossing of the Alps route in 3 separately bookable, fully-catered tours with support vehicle:

  • Part 1 in 8 days (Triglav, Dolomites and Stelvio Crossing), crossing of the Slovene and Italian Alps from the Adriatic to Lake Como, approx. 700 km und 9,000 m in climbing (level 2, level 3 available)
  • Part 2 in 6 days (Swiss Alps Crossing, this trip), crossing of the Swiss Alps from Lake Como to Lake Geneva, approx. 650 km und 14,000 m in climbing (level 2 only)
  • Part 3 in 8 days (Route des Grandes Alpes), crossing of the French Alps from Lake Geneva to Menton, approx. 700 km und 17,000 m in climbing (level 2, level 3 available)

All three parts can also be ridden in a row. The ultimate challenge.

For those wishing to complete the Intergal Crossing of the Alps, you will not ride as far as Bergamo on Day 8 of Part 1, as a rest day is planned in Chiavenna before continuing with Part 2 (see the "Extension of the trip" in the detailed programme of the Part 1). A rest day is also planned in Thonon-les-Bains, to catch a breath between Parts 2 and 3.

Any questions regarding arrival and departure logistics? Please contact us, we are happy to help.

Detailed itinerary

Day 1: Chiavenna - Bellinzona

Itinerary start: Rendezvous with the organisation team is on day 1 at 9 am in Chiavenna (townhall). On request we can book the previous night's accommodation for you in Chiavenna. We can offer transfers from Geneva, Thonon-les-Bains and Milano on day 0 as our support vehicle arrives from France.

Passes of the day: 

  • Passo dello Spluga (2113 m)
  • Passo del San Bernardino (2065 m)

Highlights:

  • The very long climb up the Splügen Pass: 1,800 m of vertical gain. As a reward, the pretty Montespluga lake, surrounded by pastures and dominated by mineral summits.
  • The San Bernardino pass with its small lakes and glacial ridges, before reaching the magnificent mountain lake of Moesola, surrounded by 3,000 m peaks

Distance and altitude gain: approx. 100 km and 2500 m

Day 2: Bellinzona - Andermatt

Passes of the day:

  • Passo del Lucomagno (1916 m)
  • Oberalpass (2040 m)

Highlights:

  • The grandiose alpine environment of Val Lucomagno, protected because of its extraordinary geological and botanical heritage. This valley is nicknamed "the sun valley" because of its orientation and its microclimate .
  • We can't get tired of the wonderful high mountain lakes to welcome us, the Maria lake at the top of the Lukmanier pass / passo del Lucomagno
  • The imposing cloister village of Disentis in the Romansh Surselva, founded in the 8th century. It contains not less than 14 churches and chapels!
  • From the road over the Oberalpass, wonderful views of mountains, valleys and glaciers....

Distance and altitude gain: approx. 120 km and 2900 m

Day 3: Andermatt - Andermatt

Passes of the day:

  • Passo de San Gotardo (2108 m)
  • Passo della Novena (2478 m)
  • Furkapass (2431 m)

Highlights:

  • Today's route is a loop around Andermatt. We're here for the incredible mountain landscapes and the bucket of cols that we can fill here. We ride a series of 3 superb passes in grandiose alpine scenery, among them the legendary Gotthard and Furka passes (the Rhône river takes its source here). Unforgettable...

Distance and altitude gain: approx. 110 km and 2900 m

Day 4: Andermatt - Interlaken

Passes of the day:

  • Sustenpass (2224 m)
  • Grosse Scheidegg (1962 m)

Highlights:

  • Glaciers and peaks as far as the eye can see from the Sustenpass. The Alps with a capital A!
  • The uncontested highlight of this crossing is the climb of the Grosse Scheidegg. Breathtaking views of the Jungfrau massif, including the north face of the Eiger. Giant glaciers and staggering summits make you feel small.
  • The shores of the beautiful Lake Thun. The mountains seem to surge out of its waters...

Distance and altitude gain: approx. 105 km and 2500 m

Day 5: Interlaken - La Lécherette

Passes of the day:

  • Col du Jaun (1509 m)

Highlights:

  • Our route crosses the Swiss Pre-Alps with summits between 2,000 and 2,400 m. Their soaring peaks create a spectacular scenery.
  • Crossing the "Pays de gruyère", a land of tradition with postcard images: Swiss chalets, pastures, mountains and forests
  • The typical village of Gruyère, which gave its name to the very famous cheese.

Distance and altitude gain: approx. 115 km and 2000 m

Day 6: La Lécherette - Thonon-les-Bains

Passes of the day:

  • Pas de Morgins (1371 m)
  • Col du Corbier (1235 m)

Highlights:

  • The lovely view of the Hongrin lake and the Diablerets mountain range
  • The descent with countless hairpin bends in the Rhone valley
  • The picturesque Val d'Abondance (France)
  • The Col du Corbier, the last pass of this magnificent crossing

Distance and altitude gain: approx. 100 km and 1500 m

Trip end: The trip ends in Thonon-les-Bains in the afternoon. On request we can book the following night's accommodation for you in Thonon or organise a transfer to Geneva airport/station.
Extension of the trip (only for those following with the Part 3 of the Integral Crossing of the Alps - Thonon to Menton): see the extra services in the "dates & prices" tab.

Distances and altitude gain are an indication only and may vary.

Average tour rating:

4.7/5 - 3 Reviews
Jose C. | Participant rating:
"In general the tour went great. The contribuiton of the tour guide was paramount to this. It would be nice to have the gps tracks end as close to the accomodation as possible in order to avoid having to resort to the mobile phone at the end of such powerful days on the saddle."
Luis O. | Participant rating:
"The tour and Guide (Celine) were awesome. I just disappointed with the food offered by the hotels, perhaps the food was not under the control of Verizons but food/nutrition could have been better. "
Peter B. | Participant rating:
"Unfortunately the weather for the whole week was awful, resulting in severe curtailment of the planned route. It was a great shame to miss the Andermatt loop and the Grosse Scheidegg amongst others. The first two days were just a battle for survival. However the camaraderie amongst the group was superb and made the trip enjoyable despite the adversity."