Switzerland is one of the best countries in Europe for cyclists. Between alpine passes, lake landscapes and perfectly built cycle paths, riders will find thousands of kilometres of varied routes. But for a tour to really work out, the right planning is decisive. And that is exactly where bike route planners come in.
In this big comparison of Swiss bike route planners we look at the most popular platforms for planning bike tours. Alongside the well-known applications SchweizMobil and Komoot, we also cover other important tools such as Strava, Bikemap, Naviki, Outdooractive and AllTrails.
We compare the providers against the criteria that matter most to cyclists:
- Ease of use
- Cost
- Offline mode
- Public route suggestions
- Compatibility with GPS devices and wearables
Why a bike route planner matters particularly in Switzerland
Cycling in Switzerland is relatively straightforward thanks to the excellent signposting, but a digital route planner still brings enormous advantages.
The official Veloland network covers more than 11,700 kilometres of cycle routes across over 120 national and regional routes. These routes link towns, lakes and alpine passes and are among the finest cycle paths in Europe.
A modern bike route planner helps you to:
- find suitable routes for a road bike, gravel bike or mountain bike
- judge elevation gain and distance realistically
- discover new routes
- navigate tours offline
- transfer GPX files to a bike computer
These features differ considerably from platform to platform, though.
SchweizMobil – Switzerland’s official bike route planner
SchweizMobil is the most important platform for cycle routes in Switzerland. It is based on the official network for non-motorised transport and offers a comprehensive overview of every signposted cycle route in the country.
The platform covers:
- over 1,500 routes
- more than 32,000 kilometres of paths
- detailed maps from swisstopo
A decisive advantage is the link between digital planning and real infrastructure. Most routes are marked on the ground with the familiar red Veloland signs.
As already mentioned in the original blog post:
„Designing the routes is in the hands of the cantons. SchweizMobil coordinates the various parties involved and provides a national overview.“ Ronja Bächle, SchweizMobil
Advantages of SchweizMobil
- best map quality (swisstopo)
- official Veloland network integrated
- ideal for multi-day tours
- plenty of additional tourist information
Disadvantages
- limited community features
- less flexible route planning
- offline mode only with the paid Plus subscription
SchweizMobil is particularly suited to:
- cycle tourists
- multi-day tours
- classic Veloland routes
Komoot – the most popular community route planner
Komoot is one of the best-known outdoor apps for cyclists worldwide. The platform combines several functions in a single application:
- route planner
- navigation app
- tour platform
- social community
One big advantage is the enormous database of tours shared by users. It means there are constantly new routes to discover.
Komoot is especially popular with:
- gravel riders
- bikepackers
- road cyclists
Features
- turn-by-turn navigation
- detailed elevation profiles
- offline maps
- community tips and photos
Komoot is also compatible with numerous devices, including:
- Garmin
- Wahoo
- Apple Watch
- Polar
- Suunto
Advantages
- very intuitive to use
- huge community
- lots of route suggestions
- good navigation
Disadvantages
- map packages cost extra
- the quality of community routes varies
- less focus on official cycle paths
Strava – a training platform with route planning
Strava is one of the largest endurance sports platforms in the world and is used by millions of cyclists. Originally Strava was developed primarily for tracking activities and analysing training. By now, though, the platform also offers a capable route planning function.
A central part of Strava is its community-based data analysis. Millions of recorded activities are analysed to identify particularly popular routes.
The result is the Global Heatmap, which shows which roads and paths cyclists use most often. This data helps to automatically suggest attractive, safe routes.
Strava features
- activity recording
- training analysis
- community features
- route planning (Route Builder)
- integration with bike computers
The segments, where cyclists can compare their times on particular stretches, are especially popular.
Advantages
- huge global community
- heatmap of popular routes
- outstanding device integration
- extensive training data
Disadvantages
- route planning only with the premium subscription
- limited navigation
- fewer features for classic bike tours
Strava is particularly suited to:
- sporty cyclists
- road bike training
- performance analysis
Many cyclists therefore use Strava in combination with other apps – Komoot for navigation and Strava for training data, for example.
Bikemap – the big cycle route database
Bikemap is one of the largest platforms aimed specifically at cyclists. The app contains millions of routes worldwide and lets users upload their own.
The platform offers:
- route planning
- navigation
- GPS tracking
- export to bike computers
A major advantage is the enormous international database.
Advantages
- a great many cycle routes
- good community
- easy to use
Disadvantages
- offline mode only with the premium subscription
- maps less detailed than swisstopo
- navigation sometimes imprecise
Naviki – the navigator for everyday riding and sport
Naviki is a cycling app developed specifically for navigation. It offers various routing profiles geared to different types of bike.
Examples:
- road bike
- mountain bike
- e-bike
- everyday cycling
Advantages
- good voice navigation
- various routing profiles
- optimised for bike navigation
Disadvantages
- smaller community
- fewer route suggestions
- offline maps cost extra
Outdooractive – the big outdoor platform
Outdooractive is a platform covering numerous outdoor sports. Alongside cycling it also includes tours for hiking, climbing and ski touring.
Many tourism regions use Outdooractive to publish their official tours.
Advantages
- very large tour database
- plenty of tourist information
- good planning on the desktop
Disadvantages
- more complex user interface
- premium subscription required
- navigation less intuitive
AllTrails – an outdoor community with a growing cycling offering
AllTrails is best known for hiking, but is increasingly used by cyclists too. The platform relies heavily on community contributions and GPS tracks.
Advantages
- large international community
- plenty of user reviews
- simple app
Disadvantages
- focus is more on hiking
- fewer cycling-specific features
Swiss bike route planners compared
| Provider | Ease of use | Cost | Offline mode | Public route suggestions | Device compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SchweizMobil | very clear | basic free / Plus subscription | only with Plus subscription | official Veloland routes | GPX export |
| Komoot | very intuitive | map packages & premium | yes | a great many community routes | Garmin, Wahoo, smartwatches |
| Strava | good | premium for routing | limited | heatmap & community | a great many devices |
| Bikemap | simple | premium | premium | millions of community routes | bike computers |
| Naviki | medium | basic free | paid | limited | GPS devices |
| Outdooractive | more complex | premium | premium | many tours | GPS devices |
| AllTrails | simple | freemium | premium | large community | smartwatch apps |
Conclusion: the best bike route planner for Switzerland
The best bike route planner depends very much on how you ride.
For classic bike tours:
SchweizMobil remains the best choice, as the platform integrates the official Veloland network.
For navigation and community tours:
Komoot is currently the most versatile solution.
For training and performance:
Strava offers the best analysis and tracking features.
Many cyclists therefore combine several tools:
- SchweizMobil for inspiration
- Komoot for navigation
- Strava for training analysis
This combination covers most cyclists’ needs in Switzerland.