A spectacular week of riding single trail highlights in the Swiss Alps awaits! Starting in Verbier at our bike chalet, we’ll move towards Zermatt, ride through the Rhone Valley and its vineyards, through the awe-inspiring Leukerbad, and finally reach Zermatt. We’ll work hard to get to some hidden gems, though we’ll also use a variety of cable cars, funiculars, railways, and lifts. One night will be spent in a mountain hut to get a true experience of mountain life, the rest will be spent in hotels and our chalet. This all-inclusive adventure is all about being in the moment instead of focusing on the logistics, and taking in the very best that the Swiss Alps have to offer!
Make your way to the famous resort of Verbier in the Swiss Alps. If you land at Geneva Airport, you can board a 2-hour train that takes you on a scenic ride to Le Chable train station. This is where we’ll all meet up and we’ll take you to our bike chalet. We’ll stay here for the next three nights, so make yourself at home!
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Chalet
Today we will be exploring trails around Verbier and getting adjusted to the Alpine riding terrain. Fun trails, great views! We will do at least one solid climb today to get the legs going. This will be rewarded with the possibility to sample some local cheese and, of course, enjoy fantastic views.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Distance: 40 km / 25 miles
Elevation gain: +800 m / +2,625 ft
Accommodation: Chalet
We’ll shuttle up in the morning and start our ride at 1,700 meters (5,580 ft)! After passing a local cheese farm high up on the mountain, we’ll enjoy a beautiful single trail traverse above the tree line and then tackle a tough climb to the mountain hut at 2,500 meters (8,200 ft) for lunch. A rewarding descent into the valley of Grand St Bernard and a fantastic ride along an ancient irrigation channel will bring us to the historic Sembrancher area. Another option is doing one final climb over another pass to finish with a descent to the chalet.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Distance: 55 km / 34 miles
Elevation gain: +1,050 m / +3,445 ft
Accommodation: Chalet
Today we will leave the chalet for a 4-day ride and stay in hotels and mountain huts along the way. From Verbier, we’ll start with a fun ride down along singletracks and follow an ancient irrigation channel Bisse de Saxon. This is a pretty challenging ride and involves a few mandatory walking sections for safety. Halfway through the day, we’ll get to use a chairlift that takes us even higher above the Rhone valley, which is when we get to see a glimpse of the famous Matterhorn before riding all the way down to the Rhone valley floor. Riding through vineyards, we’ll reach the funicular train from Sierre to Montana. We’ll finish the day with a climb of 390 m (1,280 ft) and 5.5 km (3.4 miles) to the mountain cabin, where we will spend the night. Transport is also an option for those with tired legs.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Distance: 61 km / 38 miles
Elevation gain: +1,470 m / +4,820 ft | -2,800 m / -9,185 ft
Accommodation: Mountain hut
After waking up high up in the mountains and having some breakfast, we’ll start the day with a climb into a beautiful high valley. A spectacular descent through pine forest will lead us to the entrance of the Leukerbad valley. We have to earn the cable car ride, though, as there’s 670 m (2,200 ft) of elevation to tackle to reach it. From the top of the cable car, there’s a spectacular view of the Leukerbad valley. We will be riding on a high traverse with panoramic views of all the highest peaks of the Swiss Alps. The final ride to Leuk will be rewarded with a beer in the garden of our hotel that’s overlooking vineyards.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Distance: 41 km / 25.5 miles
Elevation gain: +1,050 m / +3,445 ft | -3,000 m / -9,850 ft
Accommodation: Hotel in Leuk
This morning we will be driven up to Zermatt, meaning the parking lot, as Zermatt itself is car-free. We will ride up a single trail into town and use the Gornergrat railway to get us to the spectacular views over the glaciers. After our descent from Gornergrat, we will ride all around Zermatt Valley via Zmutt glacier and enjoy a fantastic single trail all the way back to the hotel in the center of town.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Distance: 34.5 km / 21.5 miles
Elevation gain: +1,050 m / +3,445 ft | -2,355 m / -7,730 ft
Accommodation: Hotel in Zermatt
We can start the day with an optional helicopter lift to Unterrothorn to ride down to a Zermatt classic trail, the Europaweg. If not that, we’ll take the lift up and have to climb to reach the trail. What a trail to start your last day of riding with! Spectacular views, challenging rock sections, and flowy stretches lead us to Tascheralp for coffee. After a long descent, we’ll follow the river all the way back down to Visp. Time permitting, there is an option to take a local transport lift to add even more meters of descending to this trip. From Visp, we will have transport ready to take us back to the hotel in Leuk.
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Distance: 58 km / 36 miles
Elevation gain: +800 m / +2,625 ft | -3,525 m / -11,565 ft
Accommodation: Hotel in Leuk
Following our final breakfast, pack up and say goodbye to the mountains! We’ll take you to the train station for your ride back to the airport (or we’ll take you to the airport for an additional fee). If you’d like to stay longer in the area, just ask us for some recommendations!
Meals: Breakfast
What you get on this adventure:
What’s not included:
All participants joining this Verbier to Zermatt bike tour need to be experienced mountain bikers with excellent fitness. You’ll cover 34.5-61 km (21.5-38 miles) daily, between 800 to 1,470 m (2,625-4,820 ft) of elevation gain. Day-by-day distance and elevation breakdown can be found in the itinerary.
In general, this tour is for those who love technical trails and have experience in the alpine terrain. You have to be in full control of all kinds of singletracks, dry and wet, up and down. Technically steep terrain with stone drops, rough roots, and tight turns don’t hold you back. You can ride small drops (<30 cm) and occasionally try a little jump. You have to be comfortable to ride with exposure and you know when to walk if riding is too difficult or dangerous.
This bike tour is perfect for you if you ride red and black MTB runs in bike parks. Overall, you have to be able to ride for 6 days in a row, tackle up to 1,470 m (4,280 ft) of elevation gain in a day, and cover daily distances from the itinerary.
If you’ve never tried mountain biking before and aren’t confident of the skills above under the “How fit do I need to be” question, then this tour isn’t for you. This Verbier to Zermatt bike tour is ideal for very experienced riders.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
For this Verbier to Zermatt bike tour, your bike will need to be in top condition. A full suspension bike with 130 / 150 mm travel is required as well as gears suitable for steeps. It’s best to have the lightest gear you can find. On 2×11 set ups go for a 22 or 24 in front and a 42 on the rear cassette. When riding 1×11 or 1×12, a 28 or 30 set up in front (standard will be a 32 or 34 in front on most set ups) is recommended. You’ll definitely need those. When in doubt—the lighter, the better.
For tires, it’s recommended that you have a wider tire of a minimum of 2.3 with an all-round thread. Lightweight and narrow XC tires are not suitable. A dropper seat post is highly recommended or an easy way to lower your seat manually.
If you’d like to skip the hassle of bringing your own bike, you can rent one with your guides upon booking—and they’ll set you up with a specialized Stumpjumper/Enduro bike!
Your guides pay special attention to food on this tour! Almost all meals are included (apart from three dinners). Breakfast and dinners will be enjoyed at the hotel each day and you’ll get a packed lunch to take with you every day. You’ll also have time to enjoy a cold drink or some snacks along the way.
Your guides will do their best to accommodate special dietary requirements, but please let us know what you need upon booking. Your guides promote vegetarian diets from a sustainability point of view and they’ll serve vegetarian meals for 2 dinners.
It’s recommended that everyone brings their own energy bars and powders, as you know best what you might need. This goes especially for people with certain allergies or intolerance.
Group sizes and pricing
Verbier to Zermatt bike tours can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements
If your group has bikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
The starting point of your Verbier to Zermatt bike tour is Verbier. To get there, most people fly into Geneva Airport (GVA), which is 2 hours away. From there, you can take a train ride to Verbier. The train ride is incredibly scenic, it goes along the shore of Lake Geneva via Martigny to Le Chable train station. A bike in a box or a bag goes with you for free.
Your guides will welcome you at the Le Chable train station and take you to their bike chalet, which is where you’ll stay for the next 3 nights.
There’s also the option of your guides picking you up from Geneva Airport (and dropping you off at the end of the trip). Let us know if you’re interested upon booking.
Emergency medical insurance is mandatory. Travel and bike insurance are highly recommended.
With medical insurance, if you have an accident or medical emergency on or off the mountain, you’ll avoid paying out of pocket for costly expenses. This covers everything from hospital treatments to emergency air transportation and more. Travel insurance covers canceled flights, natural disasters and other scenarios that may interrupt your travel plans.
We also expect you to respect local regulations and take measures to protect yourselves, your guides, and the communities you’re traveling to. If you need assistance selecting the right insurance for your group, let us know and we will be happy to help!