The classic transit route follows major traffic routes and leads through large Swiss landscapes: the Jura, Mittelland, Central Switzerland then over the Alps to the south.

Basel, Liestal and Ergolztal: a busy, self-assured agglomeration. Lovely, peaceful landscapes of the Baselbieter Jura with the Schafmattpass. Thrilling ride down to Aarau. Off the beaten track through flat Suhrental, along Sempachersee, joining the stream of tourists in Luzern; now mountains fill the horizon. A complex water: the grandiose Vierwaldstättersee, often mild, but stormy when the Föhn wind blows.

Closely harried by traffic over the Teufelsbrücke bridge towards the Gotthard, the south beckons with a racy downhill ride. The climate changes, first granite, soon chestnut trees and vineyards, Bellinzona “La Turita” a glimpse of the vegetable garden of Magadino. Lago di Lugano with photogenic Morcote, at the end of the Mendrisiotto, a seething cauldron of railway, motorway, custom posts and shops.

Would you like to ride your bike far beyond the Swiss borders? The North-South Route is the centrepiece of the legendary Via Romea Francigena, EuroVelo 5, which connects seven European countries. From Chiasso the journey continues along the 1000-year-old pilgrimage route to the sunny port of Brindisi. Up north, it leads from Basel via the vineyards of the Alsace through Brussels, the capital of Europe, all the way to England.