“When the Niesen wears a hat, the weather will be fine. When it wears a collar, you may still go ahead. However, if it dons coat and dagger, strong winds and rain are coming.” In good cycling weather, the Aare Route passes through a fascinating alluvial landscape before reaching Thun: the Augand nature reserve features a variety of habitats and structures and is an alluvial zone of national importance. The Kander River has enough room to accommodate a flood event. Common Sandpipers, little ringed plovers, kingfishers, and rare amphibians feel at home here. Even the endangered lake trout, which can reach one metre in length, uses the area for spawning. The Glütschbachtal valley is an excellent place for a picnic break. As the stream meanders through the trees and past fascinating rock formations, you inevitably feel like you’re in a magic forest.

The Zähringer town of Thun, the gateway to the Bernese Oberland, is enchanting – its old town and the 12th-century castle, the historic square with its stately city hall, the town church and the Obere Hauptgasse alley with its elevated sidewalks. As if the motto were: “There’s no better place for downtime than Thun.” The Schwäbisbad, a cosy historic Aare River lido, invites you to do just that. Then a pretty wooded section by the Aare River lies ahead. The Aare Valley between Thun and Berne is among Switzerland’s most valuable river landscapes. The Aare River has been able to preserve a large part of its original character here. Surrounded by alluvial forest and tranquil oxbow lakes, it flows swiftly towards the capital.

Cycling through the Aare Valley is a breeze. The route is flat, and you ride through an agricultural area where oodles of vegetables are grown. After the Aare bridge near Münsingen, a pleasant wooded section leads through Obere Belpau, an alluvial zone of national importance. The airport at Belp is another place of national importance. However, compared to the one in Zurich, things are quite laid back around this airfield. A bit further on, you cross the Gürbe River, which has its source in the Gantrisch area. Passing the Gaskessel, one of the oldest youth culture centres in Europe, you reach the legendary Dampfzentrale (former steam power plant) and the Marzilibad. And you guessed it – the capital is just around the corner. A scenic but slightly bumpy ride takes you across the Rathausbrücke and through the magnificent alleyways of Berne’s oldtown.