Main Information
With a dozen climbs above 2,000m, SFIDA Switzerland is a climber’s trip. To give you an idea, we will be climbing the top 5 highest paved roads in the country.
If you like climbing incredibly beautiful climbs, then Switzerland is your next trip with SFIDA Cycling. This is one of the top cycling destinations and with great hospitality and our top-notch support, it is time to start ticking off those bucket list climbs.
Starting in the Italian town of Aosta, we will enter Switzerland from the canton de Valais, in the French-speaking part of the country. Then we will move East towards the German and Italian-speaking regions of this formidable mountainous country. The climbs are as varied as the languages spoken, Col du Gran San Bernard, Sant Gotthard Pass, Col du Sanetsch, Maloja Pass, and Furka Pass, They are so different and so amazing!!! And this is just a sample of what’s to come.
| Destination | Switzerland |
| Duration | 9 Days |
| Dates 2025 | 24 Aug – 2 Sept |
| Hotels | 3-4 Stars |
| Meals | All meals included |
| Arrival | Geneva (GVA) |
| Departure | Milano (MXP) |
| Non-Rider | 20% discount |
| Rental Bike | Available |
| Rental E-Bike | Available |
| Price | €4,750.00 |
Total Distance: 815km
Daily average distance: 91km
Total Climbing: 21,450m
Daily average climbing: 2,285m
MORE INFORMATION
PRICES:
TWIN room: 4,750 Euros pp
SINGLE Supplement: 950 Euros
Rental bike: 750 Euros
Rental e-bike: 800 Euros
Bike bag/box transfer fee: 200 Euros
PAYMENT TERMS:
800 Euros when making the booking. Balance to be paid 120 days before the trip starts.
INCLUDED:
9 nights of accommodation between 3 – 4 Stars
ALL MEALS INCLUDED.
9 breakfasts.
9 lunches during the rides, some picnic style.
9 dinners, including wine.
NOT INCLUDED:
International flights.
Travel insurance.
Hotel extras: mini-bar, spa, massage.
Tips for the staff.
SUPPORT:
We will have ride leaders and at least one mechanic on our trip.
Our staff/client ratio is 1:4 staff.
Our passenger vans come fully equipped with all the necessary to give the best support during the rides.
We carry gels, energy bars, powder mix, water, fruit, riding food, tools, pumps, spare tubes and tyres to ensure our first-class support helps you through the trip.
Professional first aid kit.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
Adapting to the changes in international travel after the COVID-19 pandemic, we are adjusting our cancellation policy accordingly as follows:
120 days before the trip starts – the return of your deposit minus any expenses that we may not be able to reimburse.
90 days before the trip starts – partial refund of the amount of the trip less the 500 Euros cancellation fee, plus any amount that we can’t recover from Hotels and other costs that we may have already incurred in the trip preparation.
If you need to cancel the trip less than 60 days before the trip starts – no amount will be refunded. We will, however, try to credit as much as possible towards a future trip. This depends on the amount that we can get back from the hotels and other costs that we have already incurred in the trip preparation.
We highly recommend to contract travel insurance as soon you pay the deposit and buy your international flights.
Make sure your travel insurance covers:
- Refund of the amounts paid in case you need to cancel for any reason.
- Covers the cost of possible damages to your rental bike. Check our T&C for this.
For these reasons, we won’t be holding any spots until the full deposit has been paid.
Hotels are now more strict with how many rooms they are willing to have on hold for groups, so until deposit payments are made we won’t be able to confirm your spot.
Itinerary
After meeting the SFIDA Cycling team at Geneva Airport (GVA), we will transfer by van to Saillon.
Upon arrival at our hotel, we will check in, have lunch and have a trip orientation meeting.
In the afternoon we will prepare our bikes and go for a ride to check our legs and bikes.
We have a great route near Saillon for today's ride.
36km/1,290m.
Climb: Col du Lein.
Hotel: Les Bains de Saillon.
We will start our ride along the Valley following the Rhone River. But soon we will turn left and head towards the famous Valais vineyards.
After the vineyard ride, we will start climbing up the Col du Sanetsch.
The Sanetsch is one of the most amazing climbs in this part of the Swiss Alps, and a tough one too.
Later on, we will descend to Sion and transfer to our hotel in Ulrichen.
62km/2,200m.
Climb: Col du Sanetsch.
Hotel: Hotel Astoria.
Short stage but with a good amount of climbing today.
We start climbing just after we leave Ulrichen, the Nufenepass is one of the highest passes in the Swiss Alps. From the top is a long descent to Airolo.
In Airolo we will climb the Sankt Gotthard Pass, which is one of the most historical roads on this side of the Alps.
The Gotthard area has been an important communication way since the Roman times.
In its last version before the new highway tunnel, it still has 6 km of cobbles in the last kilometres before the top, and about 3 km more of cobbles in the descent towards Andermatt.
We will end the ride in Andermatt, where we will stay for the next two nights.
62km/2,130m.
Climbs: Nufenenpass, Sankt Gotthardpass.
Hotel: Hotel Sonne Andermatt.
Authentic Queen stage today.
The loop we will ride is one of the most epic routes in the Alps.
We will start with a descent to Wassen, then climb up the Sustenpass, which is very scenic.
Next is a great descent to Innertkirchen and start climbing the Grimselpass, this is the longest climb of the three we are doing today, 26km long.
Our last challenge is the Furkapass, we are climbing the last 10km from Gletsch, which contains the famous abandoned Belvedere Hotel.
Finally, we will be back to Andermatt.
120km/3,700m.
Climbs: Susten, Grimsel, Furka Passes.
Hotel: Hotel Sonne Andermatt.
A long ride to Locarno today.
We will leave our hotel in Andermatt and start climbing up the gentle Oberalpass.
From the top, it is a great ride to Disentis, where we will start the Lukmanier pass, a long climb in a quiet valley.
After the summit, we will have a long faux flat ride to the outskirts of Bellinzona, and then a bit of bike path to Locarno, where we will stay for the next two nights.
135km/1,950m.
Climbs: Oberalp, Lukmanier.
Hotel: Hotel du Lac Locarno.
Today we will discover one of those climbs you may have heard about, but it is difficult to reach...unless you are with SFIDA Cycling of course.
Lac di Naret is a long climb from Locarno and a spectacular one.
Staying at the same hotel makes our logistics easier to attempt this climb, also it is much more comfortable for our clients.
The first part of the climb to Bignasco is gradual and steadily uphill. Then the real climb starts and it is stunning to the top, at 2,300m.
After reaching the top and having lunch, it is a glorious 60km ride back to Locarno, mostly descending.
122km/2,500m.
Climb: Lac di Naret.
Hotel: Hotel du Lac Locarno.
Beautiful ride today.
We will leave Locarno and head to the Passo del San Bernardino. This is a long climb!
The first part of the climb up to Soazza is mostly faux flat, then it starts climbing more steadily to the top.
Once we reach the top, we have a short descent to Splugen, and then we will climb up the Splugen pass, another iconic road with a good number of hairpins close to the top.
The top of the Splugen pass is also the border with Italy. We will descend into Italy, this is one of the longest descents you can do in the Alps, close to 30km and with some technical sections with short tunnels in switchbacks.
Tonight we will stay in Chiavenna, a charming town in Italy.
134km/2,800m.
Climbs: Passo del San Bernardino, Splugen Pass.
Hotel: Hotel San Lorenzo Chiavenna.
We will start our ride climbing the Maloja Pass, this climb becomes very spectacular closer to the top, with a section of hairpins.
After the top, we will ride along the Sils and Silvaplana lakes.
Soon after the lakes, we start climbing the Bernina Pass up to the border with Italy. Then we will continue up Passo di Foscagno and descend to Livigno.
Livigno is a singular place in northern Italy.
Since the Middle Ages, Livigno has enjoyed special tax privileges, claimed on several occasions due to both its isolated condition and the population's state of need.
These days it is an all-year tourism destination. Also, some professional cyclists use Livigno as a training base, at 1,800m high, it has all the requirements for altitude training blocks.
92km/2,685m.
Climbs: Maloja, Bernina, Foscagno.
Hotel: Hotel in Livigno.
For our last ride, we have planned a great route.
We will leave Livigno and head towards the Swiss border via the Munt La Schera tunnel, this requires a short transfer inside the tunnel as bikes are not allowed to ride there.
After the tunnel, we are back in Switzerland. We will climb the second half of the Oberalp Pass, then descend to Santa Maria.
In Santa Maria starts the Umbrail Pass, which is the climb that connects with the Stelvio at the Italian border.
And of course, we need to ride to the top of the Stelvio, as this is a great way to end another magnificent SFIDA Cycling trip.
The last kilometres of our trip are descending to the charming town of Bormio.
77km/2,800m.
Climbs: Oberalp Pass, Umbrail/Stelvio Pass.
Hotel: Hotel Baita dei Pini.
After breakfast, we will transfer to Milano Malpensa Airport (MXP).
We plan to arrive there by noon, so plan your onward travels accordingly.