From Zurich
Rapperswil and the lakeshore
Eight hundred and forty-one metres of timber laid across the lake.
Loop
81 km
Driving time only
1 h 18
Suggested hire
4 h
From
400 CHF
Rapperswil sits at the far end of Lake Zurich, and the road there along the right bank is worth half the outing. The castle, on its rocky spur, dates from the early 13th century and ranks among the best-preserved medieval complexes in eastern Switzerland.
The wooden bridge to Hurden runs 841 metres: the longest in Switzerland. Opened on 6 April 2001, it rests on 233 oak piles and is only 2.40 metres wide. It crosses the lake where it is narrowest.
The loop runs 81 kilometres for an hour and twenty of driving out of four. We drive and we wait.
The itinerary
La rive droite du lac
We take the shore road, not the motorway. It is the pleasant side of Lake Zurich, and on a half-day the drive is part of the outing rather than something before it.
Le château et la vieille ville
Schloss Rapperswil, on its rocky spur, dates from the early 13th century: one of the best-preserved medieval castle complexes in eastern Switzerland. The town is known as the town of roses.
Le pont de bois vers Hurden
841 metres, the longest wooden bridge in Switzerland. Opened on 6 April 2001, it rests on 233 oak piles and is only 2.40 metres wide. It crosses the lake at its narrowest point, where a medieval bridge already stood from 1358 to 1360.
Retour par l'autre rive
If time allows, we come back along the other side of the lake so as not to repeat the same road. 81 kilometres in all, an hour and twenty of driving out of four.
km included : 100 km
The kilometres below are measured from the airport. Starting from a hotel in town, or from another town, changes the loop and therefore the count: the quote is adjusted to your actual pickup point.
The shore, not the motorway
The motorway saves ten minutes and loses the point. On a half-day the right bank is part of the outing: that is why we take it, and it is what a transfer does not do.
The bridge is walked
841 metres by 2.40 wide is about twenty minutes one way. The chauffeur can collect you on the Hurden side rather than make you walk back: tell us, it is exactly what hire allows.
Drivable all year
No pass, no mountain road. The wooden bridge stays open and the town works in any season. Summer brings the roses, winter brings the lake with nobody on it.
Frequently asked questions
From 400 CHF in an E-Class for four hours of hire, 560 CHF in an S-Class and 520 CHF in a V-Class. The loop runs 81 kilometres, under the 100 included: no supplement.
841 metres, making it the longest wooden bridge in Switzerland. It opened on 6 April 2001, rests on 233 oak piles and is 2.40 metres wide. It crosses Lake Zurich at its narrowest point.
It dates from the early 13th century. It stands on a rocky spur above the town and ranks among the best-preserved medieval castle complexes in eastern Switzerland.
It is its established nickname, tied to its rose gardens. Summer is therefore the season that does it most justice, though the town and the bridge work all year.
Yes: an hour and twenty of driving out of four, so over two and a half hours on the ground. Enough for the castle, the old town and the bridge crossing.
Yes, and it is often best: you walk across to Hurden and the chauffeur waits there, rather than walking 841 metres back. That is what hire allows.