Zurich afternoon · Riedmatt

161 km from Zurich

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Why this ride

161 km from Zürich to Zürich, about 2 h 47 of riding. On the way it passes Rorenhaab, Vorder Au, Robenhausen and Riedmatt. The highest point is about 1,000 m.

Roadbook

1. Zurich start

   Zurich is the polite, prosperous kind of city that keeps its history discreet. It lies at the northern end of Lake Zurich, where the Limmat river runs out of the lake and through the old town, and it began as a Roman customs post called Turicum on the hill now known as the Lindenhof. By the sixteenth century it was a centre of the Reformation under Huldrych Zwingli, who preached at the Grossmunster, the twin-towered church that still dominates the skyline. Across the river, the Fraumunster holds stained glass windows by Marc Chagall, and the light inside on a bright morning is worth a short detour.

   As a rider you will probably come here by the motorway network, and the traffic can be heavy at rush hour, with trams, buses and bicycles all claiming their share of the road. Parking for motorbikes is generally reasonable if you look for the marked bays, and the old town is mostly pedestrian, so you will have to walk. Remember that Switzerland requires a vignette for motorways, and it applies to motorcycles too. Fuel is easy to find anywhere in the city, but it is not cheap, so filling up a little outside town can save money.

   The Grand Tour of Switzerland starts here for many riders, and you can see why. The lake and the Uetliberg, a ridge that rises above the city and offers a long view over the water and the Alps on a clear day, make a good first view. From the city centre, roads lead south along the lakeshore towards Rapperswil and the Sihl valley, or east towards the hills of the Zurich Oberland, where narrow roads wind through apple orchards and farms.

   Zurich is also a city for eating and wandering. Bahnhofstrasse is one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world, and the cafes along the Limmat are good for people-watching. Try a local classic such as Zurcher Geschnetzeltes, thin veal in a cream sauce, usually served with rosti. The lake is cold but clean enough for swimming in summer, and the bathing spots are full of locals after work.

2. Rorenhaab sight

   The winter of 1853 to 1854 was so dry that the water in Lake Zurich fell to an unusually low level, and at Obermeilen, on the eastern shore, villagers extending their land into the lake found rows of wooden piles sticking out of the mud, along with pottery, bone tools and stone axes. The antiquarian Ferdinand Keller studied the finds and concluded that they came from prehistoric villages built on platforms over the water, and his reports launched the pile dwelling craze that swept through Europe in the nineteenth century. Rorenhaab, at Obermeilen, is that very site, and it is part of the pile dwellings around the Alps listing inscribed by UNESCO in 2011.

   Today the shore here is lined with gardens, villas and boat houses, and it takes imagination to picture the Neolithic village that once stood on the water. Meilen is one of the villages of the so-called Gold Coast, the sunny eastern shore of Lake Zurich, which gets the afternoon and evening sun and has long been a favourite place for wealthy Zurich families to live. Vineyards climb the slopes behind the villages, and the Pfannenstiel, a wooded ridge above, offers walking trails and views over the lake to the Alps.

   The Seestrasse, the lakeside road from Zurich to Rapperswil, runs through Meilen, and it is busy, with traffic lights, speed limits and plenty of cars. The roads up into the hills behind, through vineyards and villages towards the Pfannenstiel and the Zurich Oberland, are quieter and more interesting, with curves and views over the lake. A car ferry links Meilen with Horgen on the opposite shore, a handy shortcut and a pleasant break. Swiss speed limits are strictly enforced.

   Meilen has fuel and a range of shops, and Männedorf, three kilometres along the shore, has more. In summer, the public lake baths along this coast, the Seebäder, are one of the great pleasures of Zurich life, with wooden decks and clean, cool water. The vineyards above Meilen produce Räuschling and Pinot Noir, and a glass on a terrace in the evening sun is the reward the Gold Coast is named for. The car ferry to Horgen runs frequently and turns a crossing of the lake into a ten-minute break with a view of the Alps.

3. Vorder Au sight

   The Au peninsula pokes out into Lake Zurich like a green thumb, and at its tip, Vorder Au, the shallow water hides traces of villages built on piles thousands of years ago. It is one of the Swiss sites in the UNESCO listing of prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps, though as with most of them, the archaeology lies under the lake bed and is protected rather than displayed. What you see is a wooded little hill with a castle-like house, vineyards running down to the water, reed beds and a small harbour.

   The peninsula belongs to Wädenswil, a lively town on the left bank of the lake known for its research institutes in agriculture, horticulture and wine, and for the views across to the Pfannenstiel hills on the other side. A ferry crosses the lake between Horgen and Meilen just to the north, which is a handy way to switch shores without sitting in traffic around the city.

   The lake road along the left bank is a typical Swiss lakeshore run: busy, often slow, lined with villages, traffic lights and speed cameras. It is pleasant for the views but not for spirited riding. Head uphill instead, onto the Zimmerberg and toward the Hirzel or the Höhronen, and the roads open out into rolling farmland with forest patches, good tarmac and lovely views over the lake and to the Alps on clear days. Weekend afternoons bring plenty of cyclists and motorbikes, so a quiet morning is better.

   Practical needs are easy. Wädenswil, about three kilometres away, has fuel, shops and plenty of cafés, and Au has a railway station and small services of its own. The area is known for its fruit and wine, and a glass of local white or a slice of cake from a lakeside café is a fine reward after a ride.

   The peninsula is lovely to walk on a summer evening, when the light turns gold, swans drift along the shore and the Alps glow at the end of the lake. Spring brings fruit blossom, autumn the colour of the vines. Park, walk to the point and look out over the water, imagining those Neolithic villages perched on their stilts where the sailing boats now drift by.

4. Robenhausen sight

   In 1858 a local man named Jakob Messikommer began digging in the peat bog at Robenhausen, on the southern end of the Pfäffikersee in the Zurich Oberland, and he spent decades uncovering a remarkably rich Neolithic pile-dwelling settlement. His finds, from stone axes to woven textiles and charred bread, travelled to museums around the world and helped make Swiss lake dwellings famous. Today Robenhausen is one of the components of the UNESCO Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps, though what remains lies underground in a protected wetland.

   The Robenhauser Ried is a nature reserve of reed beds, wet meadows and peat, and it is a refuge for birds, frogs and dragonflies. Footpaths and boardwalks lead through it, and in early summer the meadows are bright with orchids and irises. The Pfäffikersee itself is a small, clean lake popular for swimming, with a quiet shoreline that feels remote even though Zurich is only half an hour away.

   On a bike, the Zurich Oberland is a pleasant surprise. Lanes climb from Wetzikon and Pfäffikon onto rolling hills toward the Bachtel and the Hörnli, with farm roads that twist through woods and open onto views of the Alps on clear days. Traffic around Wetzikon can be heavy, and Swiss speed limits are enforced rigorously, but once you leave the main roads the riding becomes quiet and rhythmic, the kind of hill country where you are always going up, down or around something.

   Wetzikon, a town of over twelve thousand people right next door, has fuel, supermarkets and cafés, so there is no need to plan ahead. The Oberland was an early industrial region, and old spinning mills along the streams are reminders of a time when water power drove the local textile trade. Take a swim in summer if the weather is kind, walk a stretch of the reserve, and imagine this lake shore five thousand years ago, with smoke rising from houses on stilts and canoes drawn up on the mud.

5. Riedmatt turn

   Zug has a reputation as one of the wealthiest places in Switzerland, a small canton of low taxes, glass office blocks and companies registered by the hundred. But beneath the surface, quite literally, lies a much older story. Along the shores of Lake Zug, archaeologists have found the remains of Neolithic and Bronze Age villages built on piles in the shallow water and marshy ground, and Riedmatt, near the border between Steinhausen, Cham and Zug, is one of the sites included in the Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps World Heritage listing. As with most such sites, there is nothing visible on the surface; the remains are preserved in the waterlogged ground.

   The old town of Zug, on the lakeshore, is charming, with narrow lanes, painted houses and the Zytturm, a clock tower with a colourful tiled roof. The lakefront promenade is famous for its sunsets, when the sky turns orange over the water and the mountains. The town is also known for its Kirschtorte, a cake soaked in cherry brandy, and for the cherry orchards on the surrounding hills.

   Above the town rises the Zugerberg, reached by a funicular or a winding road, with views over the lake to the Rigi and Pilatus. To the east lies the Ägerisee, a smaller lake in a quiet valley, and beyond it the road climbs towards the Raten pass and the Sattel, with good bends and views of the mountains.

   The riding around Zug is mixed. The roads near the towns are busy, with traffic, roundabouts and speed cameras. Away from the towns, the roads into the hills are quieter and more interesting, with curves, climbs and views. To the north, the Albis pass, near Zurich, is a popular road with riders. Swiss speed limits are strict and fines are heavy, so stay alert.

   Cham, Zug and Steinhausen all have fuel, shops and restaurants. Try a slice of Kirschtorte with coffee, or a plate of lake fish, such as perch or whitefish. The weather can change quickly, with rain likely at any time of year, and foehn winds can bring sudden warmth and clear skies. Spring, with the cherry blossom, and autumn are the best seasons. Take a walk along the lakeshore at sunset.

6. back through Robenhausen stop

   back through Robenhausen comes up 101 km in.

7. back through Vorder Au stop
8. back through Rorenhaab stop

   back through Rorenhaab, late in the day.

9. Zurich finish

   The route ends here after 161 km.

Where this sits

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