The 70km from Lucerne to Zurich definitely ranked as our least picturesque day of riding in Switzerland, as we rode through a decent amount (by European standards) of urban sprawl. It wasn’t unpleasant or ugly, just not the stereotypical Swiss countryside from the prior days. 

The first part of the ride out of Lucerne was along a surprisingly natural area, so the path was shaded and quiet. From there it opened up into farmlands and commercial areas. We climbed over a small hill and descended to Lake Zug. Caitlin took the opportunity to go for a quick lake swim in the quiet and relaxing town of Cham, just up from the lake of our planned lunch stop in Zug. In Zug we enjoyed probably the most expensive Mexican food we’ve ever eaten then toured the old city briefly before heading toward Zurich. 

The Swiss bike path we were following tended to have rocky or gravel paths, even though a parallel road was paved and had a shoulder bike path, so after a bit of bouncing around we decided to take the main road. Good decision! We had a far easier time getting into town. 

We then arrived in Zurich in time for our train to Basel, where we would pick up the Rhine bike route. Basel is a terrific town and we were happy at our decision to spend a night there.