Blessed with some of the most dramatic and highest mountains in Europe, twinkling lakes and deep forests, the Swiss take their outdoor recreation seriously.
Hiking and skiing are two of the most popular pastimes for good reason – there are more than 60,000 kilometres (about 37,000 miles) of marked trails weaving across the country and just about every little village with a mountain nearby has a lift going to the top of the peak.
Switzerland MobilityExternal link, a group dedicated to promoting non-motorised travel around the country, has created a vast network of paths for cycling, hiking, in-line skating, and even canoeing, along routes that stretch from border to border.
Switzerland also has 3,300km of sign-posted bicycle routes. For information about hiring bikes (or e-bikes) and routes, go to the Pro VeloExternal link site.
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On June 12, 1817, a German aristocrat named Karl Drais rode 14 kilometres (8.7 miles) on pedal-less wooden beam with two wheels of his own invention. The eponymous contraption, the draisine, was the direct predecessor of the bicycles we know and love today. But Matthias Aebischer, president of Pro Velo SwitzerlandExternal link, told the Swiss News…
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A thin steel frame, two wheels, two pedals, a chain, a seat: fixed-gear bikes, known as “fixies”, represent the reduction of the bicycle to its simplest technical and aesthetic state. “On a fixie, there’s not much left to leave out,“ Marius Graber, technology editor at the trade magazine Velojournal, tells swissinfo.ch, adding that this makes…
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“More than a Mountain Sport” — the motto chosen by the club to celebrate 150 years in existence is certainly appropriate. The club, founded 15 years after the birth of the modern federal Swiss state, has played an important role in forging a national identity, according to mountaineering specialist Anker. Anker has notably edited the…
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Winter is synonymous with snow sports for most people but, for others, it is the best time of year to scuba dive in Switzerland’s lakes and rivers.
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“You’ve got to be 100% on duty from 6am to 11pm, ensure discipline and be there for children who are ill or homesick.” Primary school teacher Urs Weibel runs ski camps for children at his school but, as he tells swissinfo.ch, it is a struggle. On top of looking after the children, “you have to…
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