Aare-Route (national route 8)

The Aare Route (Aare-Route) is Swiss national cycle route 8. It starts in Gletsch, crosses the Grimsel Pass and then follows the Aare, Switzerland's largest river, through Thun, Bern, Biel, Solothurn and Aarau to Koblenz, where the Aare flows into the Rhine.

Few long-distance routes change character this much. The first day is a high-alpine descent past reservoirs, granite peaks and the Aare Gorge. Next come Lake Brienz and Lake Thun below the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. After Thun, the route settles into the Mittelland: alluvial forests, vegetable fields, hydroelectric stations, covered wooden bridges and a chain of historic towns at the foot of the Jura.

Aare Route at a glance

• Official stages: 7, defined by SwitzerlandMobility, running from Gletsch to Koblenz
• Typical duration: 7 days at the official stage pace
• Difficulty: medium overall; the Nidau–Solothurn stage is rated easy
• Elevation profile: a long, steep descent from the Grimsel Pass, then mostly flat riding along the Aare with a few short climbs
• Surface: mostly asphalt, with natural-surface sections that become more frequent after Bern
• Route type: a mix of pass road shared with motor traffic, dedicated cycle lanes and car-free paths along the river
• Recommended direction: downstream, from Gletsch to Koblenz
• Family suitability: not suitable as a whole; the flat Olten–Aarau stretch and the Aarau–Koblenz stage are the best fit (see the family section below)

How is the Aare Route signposted?

Like all Swiss national cycle routes, the Aare Route was created by Veloland Schweiz. It is marked with the red Swiss cycle route signs carrying the number 8. Near Aarau, at the IBA islet, three national routes meet: route 3 (North-South Route), route 5 (Mittelland Route) and route 8. Pay attention to the numbers on the signs here.

The GPX track for the full Aare Route is available directly in VeloPlanner, so you can load it onto your bike computer or phone before you set off.

Which direction and season to ride the Aare Route

The official stages run downstream, from Gletsch to Koblenz. This direction involves far less climbing than the reverse, because the route starts high in the Alps and descends toward the Rhine. Riding upstream means finishing with the Grimsel Pass climb.

Timing matters most on the first stage. The Grimsel Pass road is popular with motorcyclists on sunny weekends, so a weekday crossing is quieter. Other conditions to plan around:

• Aare Gorge: open to visitors from April to October
• Lake Thun: often windy, and thunderstorms can build quickly on summer afternoons
• Solothurn: fog tends to linger here longer than elsewhere, especially outside summer

Aare Route stages from Gletsch to Koblenz

SwitzerlandMobility divides the route into seven official stages. Each ends in a town with a train station and services, which makes it easy to shorten or combine stages.

Gletsch – Meiringen
The route climbs from Gletsch to the Grimsel Pass, on the border between the cantons of Valais and Bern, and passes the Totensee near the top. The descent runs past Grimsel Lake, the Grimsel Hospiz and the reservoirs and power stations of Kraftwerke Oberhasli, then continues through Handegg, Guttannen and Innertkirchen. A short climb leads to the Aare Gorge before the stage ends in Meiringen.

Meiringen – Spiez
After Meiringen, the route follows the Aare to Lake Brienz, where it keeps to the quiet southern shore through Iseltwald. From Interlaken, it continues along the southern shore of Lake Thun, mostly on a wide dedicated cycle lane beside a busy road, through Faulensee to Spiez.

Spiez – Bern
This stage leaves the Bernese Oberland for the Mittelland. It passes the Augand nature reserve and the Glütschbachtal valley before reaching Thun. From Thun to Bern, the route is flat and follows one of Switzerland's most natural river landscapes, with alluvial forest at Obere Belpau. The stage finishes over the Rathausbrücke into Bern's old town, where the ride gets a little bumpy.

Bern – Nidau
A paved, car-free path through the Bremgartenwald forest leads to Lake Wohlen. The Truftgraben has a steep climb where many riders push. The route then continues past the Mühleberg power stations and the Saane confluence to Aarberg, follows the Aare-Hagneck Canal to Lake Biel and ends in Nidau, next to Biel.

Nidau – Solothurn
The shortest and easiest stage follows the Nidau-Büren Canal, loops around the old Aare at the Häftli nature reserve and crosses the wooden bridge at Büren an der Aare. It then passes the Witi conservation area and the stork colony at Altreu before reaching Solothurn.

Solothurn – Aarau
After Solothurn's industrial outskirts, the route runs through farmland to Wangen an der Aare and Aarwangen, then through the Gunzgen Allmend nature reserve to Olten. The stretch from Olten to Aarau is flat and passes several river power stations, including Ruppoldingen.

Aarau – Koblenz
The final stage mostly follows the river and is often unpaved. It passes Biberstein and Wildegg castles, Bad Schinznach and the confluence area below Brugg, then continues past Böttstein Castle and the Klingnauer Stausee to Koblenz, where the Aare meets the Rhine.

Sights along the Aare Route

The route links alpine engineering, protected river landscapes and some of Switzerland's best-preserved old towns. Many sights sit directly on the route.

Natural sights

• Aare Gorge (Aareschlucht): cut through the Kirchet rock formation, 1,400 m long and up to 200 m deep; open April to October
• Reichenbach Falls near Meiringen, where Sherlock Holmes supposedly fell to his death
• Giessbach Falls on Lake Brienz, painted by landscape artists from the late 18th century
• Lake Brienz: deep and turquoise, coloured by glacial rock flour carried down by the Aare
• Augand nature reserve on the Kander, an alluvial zone of national importance and a spawning ground for lake trout
• Obere Belpau between Münsingen and Bern, another alluvial zone of national importance
• Lake Wohlen, a dammed section of the Aare known for its swans
• Häftli nature reserve with an observation tower for birdwatching
• Altreu, home to Switzerland's largest white stork colony, the result of a reintroduction project started in 1948
• Gunzgen Allmend, a cantonal nature reserve where beavers have returned
• Klingnauer Stausee, a reservoir known among birdwatchers for its bird diversity

Towns and history

• Thun: 12th-century castle, old town and the Obere Hauptgasse with its raised pavements
• Bern: the Swiss capital, whose arcaded old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Aarberg: large town square and a covered wooden bridge from 1568
• Biel: Switzerland's largest bilingual city; Burgplatz has the armoury from 1591, a late-Gothic town hall and the Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen from 1714
• Büren an der Aare: wooden bridge built in 1821
• Solothurn: Baroque town built around the number 11, with St. Ursus Cathedral, the Zeitglockenturm and its astronomical clock, and the old armoury
• Olten: old covered wooden bridge and a well-preserved old town
• Aarau: Baroque gabled houses and an art museum extended by Herzog & de Meuron in 2003
• Wildegg Castle: a 12th-century castle converted into a Baroque residence in the 17th century
• Böttstein Castle, with an inner courtyard right on the route

Engineering and water

• Grimsel hydroelectric system: Kraftwerke Oberhasli has built nine power stations since 1925
• Gelmerbahn at Handegg: with a gradient of up to 106%, it is Europe's steepest open funicular
• Schwarzbrunnenbrücke, a granite bridge built in 1892–1893, and the crystal museum in Guttannen
• Mühleberg: a hydroelectric station built in 1917–1920 and a nuclear plant, now permanently shut down
• Aare-Hagneck Canal, a key part of the Jura Water Correction, which carries the Aare into Lake Biel at Hagneck
• Brugg confluence: just below Brugg, the Reuss and the Limmat join the Aare, an area known as Switzerland's "water tower"
• Koblenz, where the Aare flows into the Rhine

Is the Aare Route suitable for families?

The Aare Route is not family-friendly as a whole. The first stage uses the Grimsel Pass road, which has motor traffic including weekend motorcyclists, and includes a steep descent. Along Lake Thun, the cycle lane runs just a few metres from fast-moving traffic. The Truftgraben between Bern and Aarberg has a climb steep enough that many adults push.

The lower Aare is a better fit. SwitzerlandMobility describes the flat stretch from Olten to Aarau and the Aarau–Koblenz stage as family-friendly. Sources do not detail car traffic on these sections, and the Aarau–Koblenz stage is often unpaved, which matters for trailers and small wheels. The path through the Bremgartenwald near Bern is paved and closed to cars.

Practical considerations

The Grimsel Pass is the only high-alpine section, so check the weather and traffic before the first stage. After Thun, the route is largely flat, but natural-surface sections increase downstream. Tyres that handle gravel paths make the lower stages more comfortable.

• Skipping climbs: sections of the route can be covered by loading your bike onto public transport (Veloverlad in German), which reduces the climbing
• Luggage transport: the route can be booked as a package with luggage transport through SwitzerlandMobility
• Short detours: the Saane confluence is about a 10-minute walk from the Saanesteg bridge; the lookout in the Mülau – Radelfingenau reserve is reached by metal steps that need some care
• Swimming: the Schwäbisbad river lido in Thun, the Marzilibad in Bern and the Grien dam in the Aareschachen near Aarau
• Rainy-day option: the thermal baths at Bad Schinznach, fed by Switzerland's most powerful sulphur spring
• Local food: farms along Lake Wohlen sell produce directly

Final tips

Start the Grimsel descent early on a weekday, and budget time for the Aare Gorge, Thun, Bern and Solothurn. These towns sit right on the route and reward a stop longer than a coffee break.

The seven official stages are a starting point, not a rule. Open the Aare Route in the VeloPlanner planner to split it into days that suit your pace, whether you want to ride only the flat lower Aare or the full route from the glacier to the Rhine.