Lakes Route: Stage 9

On Lake Walen, where enormous cliffs of the Churfirsten mountain range threaten to plunge into the water, exotic fruit, such as kiwis and figs are growing. Past the iron mine of Gonzen and Sargans Castle it is an easy ride to the Rhine and up to the dam to take a look at the river and at neighbouring Liechtenstein.

The Lakes Route takes you on a journey through postcard Switzerland. From Lake Geneva to Lake Constance, it passes by ten larger and smaller lakes and offers magnificent views over the water of the Alps and Pre-Alps.
From the cheerful sparkling play of Lake Geneva, cyclists emerge to enjoy Gruyère cheese at Lake of Gruyère and to experience alpine dairies, customs, and tourist bustle in the Saanenland. The unequal brother pair Lake Thun and Lake Brienz impresses with grand panoramas; on the lakes, merry sailing boats dance, and the snow-capped peaks are reflected in deep blue-green water. The Brünig Pass separates the Bernese Oberland and Central Switzerland, where the many-armed Lake Lucerne practically embraces the mountains. Tourists spill out of buses in Lucerne.
Then the lakes lie lined up like on a string of pearls: the reed-fringed Lake Zug, battle-worn Lake Ägeri, power-desired Lake Sihl, villa-lined Lake Zurich, and Lake Walen with its high steep rock walls of the Churfirsten. In between, there are always steep transitions to overcome, but the hardship is relieved by busy pilgrimage sites, flower-rich bogs, and bird paradises. In the Rhine Valley, the asphalt bands on the dam lure, and in the distance, the flat river delta beckons with the expanse of Lake Constance. ©schweizmobil.ch

Stage 9: Niederurnen - Buchs (SG)
Figs and kiwis ripen on the protected south side of Lake Walen, where the infinitely high rock walls of the Churfirsten threaten to topple into the 150-meter deep water, granting the region an almost Mediterranean climate. At Betlis, the water of one of Switzerland's highest waterfalls, the Seerenbach Falls, plunges in 3 stages over almost 600 meters into the valley. A trip to the car-free wine village of Quinten from Murg is highly recommended; the Lake Walen ship operates all year round on this route. And from Unterterzen, you can glide directly from Lake Walen with the panorama gondola to the beautiful hiking area Flumserberg. The easy journey continues to Sargans, guarded by the castle and Gonzen, an ancient iron ore supplier. Text partly ©schweizmobil.ch

See also
Eastern Switzerland Tourism
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