Switzerland Explorer: the best kept secret of Alpine riding

After we meet you at Zurich Airport, a two hour drive will take us to our hotel in Meiringen.

Located in the Bernese Oberland, the town is famous for the nearby Reichenbach Falls, a spectacular waterfall that was the setting for the presumed death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes. It is also known for its claim to have been the place where the meringue was first created.

In the afternoon, visit the town, have a meringue or go for a ride and stretch your legs along Lake Brienz.

The amazing journey through Switzerland has started, and what a way to start the day by climbing the famous Grosse Scheidegg! It is close to traffic and offers a breathtaking view of the famous Eiger North Face: We start our tour with a bang. "I would happily put either side of Grosse Scheidegg on any top ten list of great Alpine cycling climbs. » says our good friend Will, who runs the excellent Cycling Challenge blog.

On our way back to Meiringen, we ride through the typical Swiss mountain village of Grindelwald and an optional longer ride will take you the the stunning Lauternbrunnen and it´s endless waterfalls!

Two of the most famous passes in Switzerland on the menu today: Grimsel (2,165 m) and Furka (2,436m). The Grimsel road will take you from the beautiful Hasli valley to a rocky landscape at the top amongst lakes and waterfalls. The climb and the views will take your breath away! Shortly after the start of the descent, you'll see the switchbacks leading up to the Furka, one of the most iconic views of alpine cycling. In Gletsch, you'll start the optional 10 km out and back ride to the Furka with incredible views on nearby glaciers. Both options finish with a beautiful descent to the Goms valley.

Today is National Switzerland Day, so don't forget to listen to alpenhorns and yodelling, and stop to watch local street parades. Join the Swiss in enjoying and celebrating the founding of the Confederation Helvetica in August 1291. And what a way to celebrate by climbing theIconic Nufenenpass (2478 m), the second highest paved pass in Switzerland. The reward: a long descent into the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. In Airolo, we have an espresso before starting the second climb: the legendary Tremola (south face of the Gotthardpass), which features a 5 km section of cobbled switchbacks on its top section. You can choose to finish your ride at the bottom of the descent in Andermatt or if your legs are feeling good, you can continue up the Oberalppass before descending back to Andermatt.

The Albula may be the most scenic pass in Switzerland. After a transfer to Tiefencastel, we’ll ride through pristine villages with lavishly decorated Engadine houses. We will also ride under the spectacular Albula Railway bridges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site before getting to the rugged top at 2,315 m. The pass is a regular feature of the Tour de Suisse; in 2013, Thibaut Pinot was the first at the top but it is Rui Costa who won after the final descent into La Punt-Chamues-ch. We will finish the ride with a 20 km false flat down to our hotel in Zernez.

The Engadine region is famous for its cuisine prepared with local products. This is your chance to taste local polenta, Graubünden’s fine nut cake or the pizzocheri di Poschiavo, a buckwheat noodle dish.

The start is flat ride and at Susch, we start our last major climb of the tour. The stunning and famous Flüela Pass is 2,363 m in altitude and was awarded 4th best world class road in 2015. Enjoy the long descent into famous Davos .

After Wolfgang Pass 1,632 m we descend into the favourite ski resort of royal families, Klosters and to our welcoming hotel. There is an option to ride to St Antonien for a final 600 m climb and enjoy views Eastern Switzerland's mountains and valley.

All good things come to an end. We leave the beautiful Swiss mountains and take a shuttle back to Zurich Airport. 13 passes in 7 days: a true Grand Tours Project.