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A fully equipped cycle at Furka Belvédère (Stage 1)

Getting there and back

By rail

The start of the route near the summit of the Furkapass is not directly accessible by train. However, there are stations at Realp (east of the pass) and Oberwald (to the west) that are served by hourly year-round MGB (Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn) narrow gauge trains between Andermatt and Brig. During the peak summer season (mid-June to mid-October) there is a Postbus service over the pass with two departures daily from Andermatt and three from Oberwald. These buses carry a limited number of cycles with reservations required before 4.00pm the previous day (PostAuto Schweiz, Region Bern/Zentralalpen; +41 58 448 20 08; www.postauto.ch/bern). You can cycle up the pass, but this is a steep 900m climb on a main road from either Realp or Oberwald!

Postbus services from Andermatt to Furka Belvédère carry up to six cycles (Stage 1)

Andermatt can be reached by hourly SBB (Swiss railways) services from Basle or Zürich, changing at Göschenen. Oberwald is accessed by hourly SBB services from Geneva and Lausanne, changing at Brig. Most trains on both routes (except CIS and Glacier Express) have cycle space. Swiss trains do not require seat reservations, although cycle reservation is mandatory (for a fee of CHF5) on ICN intercity trains, which operate about 50 per cent of the services between Basle or Zürich and Göschenen. In Switzerland a ticket is required for your cycle. This costs CHF15 and covers all journeys within a day. Tickets can be purchased and reservations made at www.sbb.ch.