With two-thirds of their country covered by the spectacular Alps, the Swiss people have created a culture that conquers the terrain with walking paths and hiking trails as well as an amazing network of mountain biking trails. As a result, Switzerland has more bike parks per square kilometer than almost anywhere in the world, all in a picturesque setting.
Pro mountain bikers will tell you that there’s no place like Switzerland to engage in their sport whether it’s downhill, cross-country, the jumps and tricks of freeride, or a day or more of enduro riding through breathtaking landscapes.
You’ll find mountain bike riding with lift access in Switzerland’s east and southwest regions, popular road trip destinations near the borders of France, Italy, and Austria, and several top-notch bike parks in the Valais Mountain range.
Let’s take a look at the best bike parks in Switzerland.
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Verbier Bike Park
The stunning village of Verbier is home to one of the best bike parks in the Valais region. Verbier Bike Park has nine downhill trails that vary in difficulty from an easy-to-master blue-marked trail to a former competition track for the World Cup DH, and 23 unique enduro slopes.
Verbier’s downhill trails feature an altitude difference of as much as 880 meters. One of the most thrilling is a five-kilometer flow trail on the La Tzoumaz side of the Verbier’s vast winter sports region.
Beginners, intermediates, and experts from speedsters to dedicated downhillers will find what they’re looking for at Verbier all among amazing views of the surrounding 4,000-meter-high peaks. Two free guided bike tours around the area are offered from the Tourist Office.
The bike park is open from early June to late October. Half-day tickets and season passes are available.
Bike Kingdom Park Lernzerheide
The Bike Kingdom Lenzerheide is one of Switzerland’s most famous bike parks. It’s located 16 kilometers from Chur, the capital city of the Graubünden canton between the Rothorn valley station and the theScharmoin middle station. It can be reached easily by car or public transport.
The park has five routes with varying difficulty including an easy flowline for beginners and families, the medium-difficulty SHOREline and PRIMEline, and the STYLEline and STRAIGHTline World Cup route for experts.
Beginners and children can practice their riding techniques in the free Skills Center located at the Rothorn valley station before taking on the other park tracks.
The Bike Kingdom Park Lernzerheide operates from mid-May to late November depending on temperatures and snow conditions.
Crans-Montana Bikepark
Located in the municipality of Crans-Montana in the canton of Valais, this best Swiss bike park is small but diverse and fun for every cyclist. Although it’s not popular as a downhiller’s bike park, it is home to the Enduro World Series races.
Crans-Montana Bikepark is suitable for both seasoned bikers and beginners with downhill slopes for all levels. However, beginners are advised to avoid the Chetseron black slope since it’s quite steep and has sections of rocks and dirt bumps to navigate. Beginners can stick to the 3-kilometer-long blue track for a very fun downhill run that links Chetzeron to Arnouva.
The Mont Lachaux red run is 3 kilometers long and perfect for intermediates with steep turns and obstacles through the forest.
The bike park opens in early June for the summer. Guests will also enjoy unparalleled views of the Rhone Valley.
Bellwald Bike Park
Located in the sleepy mountain village of Bellwald, the Bellwald Bike Park is one of the largest in the Upper Valais. It has two heart-pumping downhill runs that begin at 2,040 meters at the mountain station on the Alpe Richenen and end at Bellwald’s valley station chairlift. The slopes are 2,200 meters long.
Open since 2006, the park has been growing steadily in recent years with new trails that have natural surfaces added to the existing ones. Some of the trails are smooth and others feature gaps and jumps of varying sizes. Beginners will appreciate the new flow trails.
The park also has a 600-meter pump track. One of the largest in the Upper Valais, it’s also the first asphalt track in the region. Its highlights are bumps, steep wall curves, a quadruple curve, and transfers.
Belwald is also home to the finals of the IXS Swiss Downhill Cup held annually on the last weekend of September.
Wiriehorn Bikepark
Adventures for the whole family await you at the Wiriehorn Bikepark located in the village of Diemtigen in the canton of Bern. It features downhill trails of varying difficulty. The Alptrail is easy and educational for beginners, the Old T-Bar trail is for intermediates, and the challenging Weryhorny is for experts. The trails feature walls, steep berms, kickers, drops, and plenty of action for everyone.
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Wiriehorn also has three new easy tracks with a conveyor belt for children and beginners making it perfect for the whole family. And then there’s the HOT-TRAIL Bike School at the cable car valley station. Children and beginners will also appreciate the new flow trail and pump tracks.
Bike events take place regularly on Wiriehorn’s tracks including the races of the Swiss Downhill Bike Cup. Event attendees with camper vans can stay for a small fee at the car park at the valley station. A public toilet and showers are onsite.
Bikepark Zürich
Located right in the city on about 5,500 square meters behind the Sihlcity shopping center, Bike Park Zürich has tracks for beginners to professionals. The tracks are designed so that water can’t penetrate them so you can even bike in rainy weather. BMX fans will appreciate the Urban BMX track.
When combined with the adjacent freestyle park, Bikepark Zürich is the largest of its kind in all of Europe. It features tracks with three levels of difficulty for everyone from young children to professionals. A wheel track for the little ones has waves 20 centimeters high.
Bikepark Zürich is easy to get to by foot, bike, or car and you can park at the spaces on Allmendstrasse, at the Saalsporthalle, or in the shopping center. Public transport is provided by a tram that stops nearby
Flims Laax Bikepark
You’ll enjoy a whole day of biking fun at this bike park shared by the municipalities of Flims and Laax located around 30 kilometers west of Chur. The 330 kilometers of trails have something for all mountain bikers from flow trails to racy downhills and technical paths. You can also bring your eBike.
The trail directly down from the top at Crap Sogn Gion all the way down to Laax is called the Never End Trail. I tried it in 2021 and the top part is very challenging, but it gets more flowy and easier towards the bottom. The Runca Trail is easier and one I really enjoyed a lot. You just have to plan how to get to them all sometimes, as they are not always as well connected as I would have liked.
Downhill legend Claudio Caluori recently revised the Never End Freeride Trail so that the downhill slope is fast, rocky, and fun. And the 6-kilometer TREK Runcatrail received the 2012 Flow Country Trail award presented by the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA.).
You can rent equipment including bikes and eBikes in the local sports shops. Restaurants and childcare are available nearby.
Bikepark St-Luc
With its fantastic location between Zermatt, Verbier, and Crans-Montana, Bikepark St-Luc has three 2.5-kilometer-long downhill mountain bike trails of varying difficulty featuring North Shore elements, jumps, and berms. Each trail begins beside the table car’s top station and ends at the bottom station.
The Ginette (Blue trail) is a fun and easy route for beginners. The Funi Lacer is a Red trail that is advanced and steeper with a more aerial trail, and the Black Lion for experts is a narrow, fast trail in the forest with a jump line.
You can work on your jumping skills on two short tracks at a “Bunny Up Zone” in the middle of the downhill line.
Chur Alpine Bikepark
The Chur Alpine Bikepark on Chur’s local mountain has five trails of varying difficulty (Blue, Red, and Black) with a variety of natural features, north shores, and flowlines. Even without a DH bike, beginners will have a great experience. Advanced riders and freeride addicts will appreciate the steep curves, wallrides, doubles, and drops.
The trails have 1,000 meters of vertical descent which is more than most bike parks, and the view over the Rhine valley is spectacular. You’ll arrive in the car-free Alpine city of Chur before boarding the cableways for the next descent.
Zermatt
In the popular resort of Zermatt, you can go mountain biking at the foot of the famous Matterhorn, one of the Alps’ tallest and most scenic mountains. You’ll see why this spot once hosted the Enduro World Series.
The trails in Zermatt are perfect for kids, beginners, and advanced riders to hone their skills. They’re spread over three stations– Gornergrat, Schwarzsee and Rothorn above the town. All three are easy to access by mountain railroads and cable cars. The marked trails can be quite crowded in summer, but the region is large enough that you can more secluded trails.
The only problem we had was that it was the end of the season in October and a lot of the signs were taken down. There was an awesome descent from the Rothorn down to town, but it was not always easy to follow. The last part that follows the Gorner Gorge back to town was very well made flow trail and highly recommended.
For a longer tour, check out the 37-kilometer Matterhorn Valley trail. It will take you to Visp, and from there a train will take you back to Zermatt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Switzerland bike-friendly?
Yes, Switzerland has plenty of safe routes for cycling. It’s made easy with bike paths, shared roads, and scenic cycling trails. Many country roads are closed to cars but can be traveled by cyclists.
Do you have to wear a helmet on a bike in Switzerland?
In Switzerland, you are only required to wear a helmet on fast eBikes. However, helmets are highly recommended for all cyclists.
Do you need a license to ride a bicycle in Switzerland?
No, no test or permit is needed to ride a bike in Switzerland.
