Here are various cycling routes in the vicinity of Echandens, Vaud, that will hopefully inspire people to explore in all directions. Many road cycling options are listed below and one short MTB loop. In the future, gravel biking options may be added, but for now there are a few local gravel routes marked in purple on the map at Cycliste.ch.

At the bottom of the page, the official routes from Swiss Mobility that are in the region are each listed and described. There are also various other sources for routes that are further away.

Road Cycling Routes

These routes are entirely on paved roads and are generally on quieter roads where possible. A few busier sections of road are included where there are no efficient alternatives, but most of these could mostly be avoided if you don’t mind adding distance and climbing.

I’ve tried to give a rough guideline in terms of the amount of traffic that will be encountered, but what one person considers to be moderate traffic that doesn’t bother them, someone else may consider too busy and so not enjoyable to ride. The amount of traffic obviously depends a lot on the time of day and week. Avoiding the morning and evening commuting times is preferable and Sundays are always the quietest day of the week.

All routes start and finish in Echandens unless otherwise noted. You can easily modify or shorten them to suit your needs, ride them in either direction, or change the starting location. The routes are each shown on this map with more details in the descriptions below.

Pied du Jura: Montricher + Moiry [Turquoise line]

Distance & elevation: 67 km with 950 m of climbing.
Conditions: Mostly quiet traffic. Moderate climbing.
Description: This route includes an extended but mostly gradual climb up to the base of the Jura mountains and then some nice rolling roads through occasional forests.
Strava route: View and download the route.

Faites du Vélo 2024 [Dark red line]

Distance & elevation: 40 km or 25 km with 500 or 350 m of climbing, respectively.
Conditions: Moderate to quiet traffic. Moderate climbing.
Description: This route was designed for the 2024 Faites du Vélo, a cycling festival in Echandens. It makes the most of the nicest road riding within a close distance to the village. As well as the main 40 km version, we also proposed a 25 km version that takes a shortcut midway. Some of the early section of the route is on a road with moderate traffic, but it was designed to be ridden during the festival on a Sunday morning.
Strava route: View and download the full 40 km route or the 25 km version.

La Côte Vineyards: Gilly + Aubonne [Brown line]

Distance & elevation: 55 km with 750 m of climbing.
Conditions: Moderate to quiet traffic. Moderate climbing.
Description: This is a reasonably efficient route to get out into lots of picturesque vineyards in the La Côte region. The main route returns to Aubonne via some smaller roads higher up in the vineyards, which is highly recommended.
An alternative for the return leg that is longer and more difficult is to climb up from Gilly to Burtigny, then continue along a very quiet valley to Gimel and then onto Bière. From Bière there are various options for returning to the Echandens region on other routes listed here.
Strava route: View and download the main route or the alternative connection through Gimel and Bière.

Gros de Vaud: Goumoens + Bavois [Blue line]

Distance & elevation: 52 km with 650 m of climbing.
Conditions: Moderate to quiet traffic. Moderate climbing.
Description: Many local cyclists in Echandens almost never ride to the east of the Venoge river valley or in the pleasant Gros-de-Vaud farmlands. This is mainly because it’s not easy to find a nice way to get around the Lausanne suburbs. This route includes a good solution that skirts around the edge of Bussigny on some roads that cars are not allowed to use.
The section through the Gros de Vaud region passes the dominating water tower in Goumoens and this could easily be extended with the plethora of good roads in that region for cycling. The return includes a section along the Venoge river valley.
Strava route: View and download the route.

Châtel Climb and Tour of Lac de Joux [Purple line]

Distance & elevation: Full Lac de Joux version: 83 km with 1,800 m of climbing. Vaulion version: 66 km with 1,200 m of climbing.
Conditions: Moderate to quiet traffic. Serious climbing.
Description: This ride heads directly for the local big climb in the Jura mountains, known as “Châtel”, which is a much quieter alternative to the busy Col du Mollendruz road, but the Châtel road is higher and steeper. The route merges with the Mollendruz road shortly after the summit, and then heads around the far/west side of the high-altitude Lac de Joux before crossing back over the Jura via the Col du Marchairuz.
For a much shorter version with less climbing (but skipping the Lac de Joux section), turn north soon after joining the Mollendruz road and head down the Vaulion valley. This versions then joins the “Pied du Jura” route described above.
Strava route: View and download the full Lac de Joux version or the shorter Vaulion version.

Lavaux Vineyards: Ouchy, Châtel-St-Denis + Savigny [Pink line]

Distance & elevation: 85 km with 1,200 m of climbing.
Conditions: Moderate traffic. Moderate climbing.
Description: This is a longer route that uses more major roads. It follows the lake through Ouchy out to the Lavaux vineyards, then climbs to Châtel-St-Denis and returns via Forel and the Bois de Jorat above Lausanne.
Strava route: View and download the route.

Tour du Lac de Neuchâtel [Bright red line]

Distance & elevation: 167 km with 1,500 m of climbing.
Conditions: Moderate traffic. Mostly flat terrain but with a few climbs.
Description: A long ride on some roads with moderate and occasionally heavy traffic. Even so, the roads are FAR nicer to ride on than many of the sections of the more popular Lake Geneva circuit (which more experienced cyclists tend to avoid doing) and the distance of the two is similar. Ride it on a Sunday and even the section through Neuchatel shouldn’t be too busy.
This is the flattest route proposed here in terms of elevation gain per distance, but there are still some climbs that will hurt tired legs. The route includes some extra climbing on the west side of Lake Neuchatel that includes some of the local vineyards and a ride past an impressive castle.
Strava route: View and download the route.

The Jura Mountains of Canton Neuchâtel [Green line]

Start/finish point: Baulmes, VD.
Distance & elevation: 93 km with 2,000 m of climbing.
Conditions: Quiet traffic. Serious climbing.
Description: A tough ride with lots of climbs, some of which are long and steep. It includes some fantastic, empty roads through the higher parts of the Jura mountains in cantons Vaud and Neuchâtel.
To reach the start, you can take the train to Baulmes (changing in Yverdon) or drive there and leave the car near the station; or you can make it an epic day by riding to Baulmes via La Sarraz (about 35 km from Echandens, see here).
There is an option to skip the first big climb by taking the train from Yverdon or Baulmes up to Ste. Croix (bikes are free on that train line); you would then ride over Col des Étroits and join the route in L’Auberson or La Vraconnaz.
Strava route: View and download the route.

Mountain Biking Routes

MTB Tour of Echandens, Lonay & Bremblens [Orange line]

Distance & elevation: 10 km with 150 m of climbing.
Conditions: Quiet roads and off-road trails. Moderate climbing.
Description: This route was designed for the 2024 Faites du Vélo, a cycling festival in Echandens. It’s a short loop that includes Lonay, Bremblens and the Venoge valley. It can be done on a mountain bike, but it’s not technical and could also be done on a gravel bike.
Strava route: View and download the route.

Several official Swiss Mobility mountain bike routes are listed in the section below.

Gravel Biking Routes

In the future, some gravel biking options may be added, but for now there are a few local gravel routes marked in purple on the map at Cycliste.ch.

Swiss Mobility Cycling Routes

The Swiss Mobility website has an interactive map that shows the official Swiss cycling routes that are physically signposted on the roads with red markers. They generally use paved roads, but some sections are on various qualities of gravel roads and paths. Here’s a list of the routes that are close to Echandens:

National Routes

  • Route 1: Rhone route. Goes along Lake Geneva, and then up the Rhone valley all the way to the Rhone glacier.
  • Route 5: Mittelland route. Heads up the Venoge river valley and then along the east side of Lakes Neuchatel and Biel.
  • Route 7: Jura route. Starts in Nyon, heads to the Lac de Joux, and then onto the rest of the Swiss Jura mountains.

Regional Routes

  • Route 22: Lausanne to Yverdon via Cheseaux and the west side of the Gros-de-Vaud region. Continues up to La Chaux-de-Fonds.
  • Route 46: Lake Geneva tour. Follows the same route as National Route 1 along the north side of Lake Geneva but also goes around the south side of the lake through France.
  • Route 50: Starts in Geneva, follows the base of the Jura mountains and goes along the west side of Lakes Neuchatel and Biel.
  • Route 63: Starts in Rolle, passes Vufflens-le-Château and Gollion before heading up through the Gros-de-Vaud region to Payerne.

Local Routes

  • Route 473: Loop from Morges to the base of the Jura mountains and back.
  • Routes 475 & 624: Two loops in the the Gros-de-Vaud region, around Echallens and out to Yverdon.
  • Route 488: Route du vignoble de la côte. From Nyon to Morges via the La Côte vineyards.

Mountain Biking Routes

Other Sources

The local cycliste.ch website has a map showing the locations of many routes in the Romandy (Suisse Romande) area, plus some in the rest of Switzerland and in the French Alps. Several road and gravel biking routes are included in the regions of Morges, Nyon and the nearby Jura mountains. Lots of inspiration.

France Velo Tourisme shows the official cycling routes in France. The network is not as dense as in Switzerland, but there are some road and mountain biking routes not far from Echandens on the French side of the Jura mountains.

For exploring further afield, the Eurovelo website shows international cycling routes, which includes the extension of the Swiss National Route 1, the Rhone Route all the way to the Mediterranean on Eurovelo Route 17.