The Greifensee lies just east of Zurich, a shallow, quiet lake of about six kilometres in length, framed by reeds, meadows and the gentle hills of the Zurich Oberland. Its shores are largely protected, and there is no road running right along the water, which keeps it remarkably calm for a lake so close to Switzerland's biggest city. At Storen-Wildsberg near the village of Greifensee, the remains of a prehistoric settlement lie under the water and in the shoreline sediments, one of the Swiss sites in the UNESCO listing of Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps. As with all of them, it is the ground itself that is protected; there is nothing to see except the reeds and the water.
The village of Greifensee has a small castle, and a dark episode in its past. In 1444, during the Old Zurich War, the Confederates besieged the castle, and after its surrender they executed most of the garrison in a meadow nearby, an event still remembered as the Murder of Greifensee. Later, in the eighteenth century, the castle was home to Salomon Landolt, a colourful bailiff, painter and military reformer whose life inspired a novella by Gottfried Keller.
The lake is a magnet for walkers, cyclists, inline skaters and families on weekends, so riding here is more about enjoying the scenery than covering distance. The roads around the lake are narrow, with frequent villages and low speed limits, and cyclists are everywhere. For more interesting riding, head east into the Zurich Oberland, where the roads climb into the hills toward the Bachtel and the Hörnli, with views over the Alps and plenty of curves. As always in Switzerland, speed limits are strictly enforced, with fixed and mobile cameras.
Greifensee itself, a commuter village of five thousand, has a few shops and restaurants, and Uster, the nearest larger town, has more choice, including fuel. On a hot day, there are bathing areas around the lake, popular with locals. Try a plate of Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, sliced veal in a creamy mushroom sauce with rösti, or simply sit with an ice cream by the water and watch the sailing boats drift past.