Switzerland

Switzerland is one of the easiest countries in Europe to plan a cycling trip in, and one of the most rewarding. SchweizMobil, the national network, runs nine signposted national routes and dozens of regional ones, all marked with the same colour-coded numbers you can follow without a map. The trains take bikes nearly everywhere, which makes one-way trips, weather changes, and tired-legs days trivial to handle.

The riding spans extremes. You can climb the Gotthard, Furka, or Grimsel and string the great alpine passes together on the Alpine Panorama Route. You can roll along the Rhine for days on flat, quiet paths. You can ride between lakes through wine country, or stitch a weekend out of regional routes most travellers never see. For a small country, the variety is unusual.