Swiss Lakes Cycling

Location: The Swiss Jura, Switzerland. Holiday type: Independent cycling, hotel-to-hotel. Managed by Headwater appointed agent. Activity level: 1 bike Duration: 9 days (8 nights) Hotels: A mix of luxury/stylish, mid range/good value. Meals: Buffet breakfast and 4 evening meals. Prices from: Please call. Departs: Every two days from 7 May '12 to 24 Sep '12   JFMAMJJASOND

Highlights Beautifully flat traffic-free trails make this a popular cycling choice for novices or families with children. The route takes you via pretty riverside villages, past chic waterfront marinas and through protected nature reserves linked by sun-dappled trails.

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive in Aarberg

We collect you at Zurich airport and take you (90 mins) to collect your bikes en-route to Christophe and Astrid Muller's half-timbered hotel in Aarberg. Time to explore the pretty town before dinner.

Day 2 - Aarberg to Neuchatel 35km/22mi

Rumble over Aarberg's old moat on the 300 year old covered bridge and you soon pass farmers threshing fields of wheat. On reaching Lake Biel, dive in for a swim, then enjoy lunch under shady poplars on St Petersinsel. Pass below Erlach's pretty castle, stopping off perhaps at one of the chic cafes lining shimmering Lac Neuchatel below the Jura Mountains. Enjoy a drink on the hotel terrace this evening, watching streamlined yachts moor up for the night below you.

Day 3 - In Neuchatel

Famous for its fountains (140 of them!) and Louis XIV architecture, Neuchatel is a real pleasure to explore. You can see antique mechanical figures - the ancestors of Swiss watch making - in the local museum, or visit genuine craftsmen and antique timepieces at the Watch Making Museum in nearby La Chaux de Fonds. For views to the Eiger and Mont Blanc, ride the funicular from La Coudre to Chaumont summit (1180m), or sail to Cudrefin on the opposite shore to pedal back along cycle trails through lakeside cornfields.

Day 4 - Neuchatel to Yverdon les Bains 42km/26mi

What a contrast! You can almost reach out to pick grapes as you sail through the sea of vines that lap Lac Neuchatel's western shore. Sample Jocelyn and Cinzia Vouga's zesty wines in Cortaillod, then after a short ascent through cool, fragrant pinewoods, pick a village cafe for lunch with distant Alpine views. Drop into Grandson Chateau to see weapons, armour and Greta Garbo's Rolls Royce before reaching Yverdon - a spa town where soothing hot springs await, and in whose mediaeval streets you will dine out for the next two nights.

Day 5 - In Yverdon

Quirky wooden sailors' huts and open parks line Yverdon's waterfront, and well-mapped and signposted cycling excursions lace local country lanes. Apart from lake or hot spa swimming, the town is packed with history! The marketplace is dominated by a C13 chateau -visit the Swiss Fashion Museum housing 200 years of vintage clothing, browse 6000 years of regional history in Yverdon's Museum, and appreciate artwork decorating the walls of the old town granary vaults!

Day 6 - Yverdon les Bains to Murten 21km/13mi or 49km/30mi

Look out for white egret, purple heron and honey buzzard as you coast through shady forest along Lake Neuchatel's eastern shore - much of it protected nature reserves linked by sun dappled bike trails. Reach Estevayer's warren of tangled streets in time for lunch - you can shorten the day by hopping on the train here, or tackle Montmagny Hill. Spin down the other side for a splash in the Murtensee, then pedal into Murten village, so pretty it could be a mediaeval film set!

Day 7 - In Murten

Cycle around Murtensee lake today, stopping for lunch below the vines on Mt Vully, or cycle 7km to nearby Avenches - once the Roman city of Aventicum! Packed with Roman ruins including an impressive amphitheatre, it makes a perfect day trip. Alternatively, hop on the train (36 minutes) to Switzerland's UNESCO capital Bern, to explore miles of lauben, (mediaeval arcaded shops), visit Einstein's old home, and watch the animated puppets on the Zytglogge, the historic city clock.

Day 8 - Murten to Aarberg 26km/16mi

The area between Murten and Aarberg is known as the Grosse Moos - the market garden of Switzerland! Your route meanders between sleepy villages dotted amid immaculate fields of summer vegetables and sunflowers, cobwebbed with irrigation canals full of egrets chasing turquoise dragonflies. Picnic in the shade of a hay bale, framed by views of the High Bernese Alps, then coast back into Aarberg's bustling town square for a final atmospheric al fresco dinner.

Day 9 - Leave Aarberg

A private transfer takes you back to the airport for your flight home.