Hiking in Biel | Vineyard path along Lake Biel

On the northern shores of Lake Biel, we recently found a wonderful hike – the picturesque vineyard path. This hike is for all those who love wine and are interested in the work of local winemakers. In addition, the views along the trail are exceptional. The path is most certainly beautiful at any time of the year, but during autumn, with all its vibrant colours, it is a special delight!

Hiking in Biel | The vineyard path (Bielersee Rebenweg)

When I googled “Hiking in Biel”, one hike was on the very top of the list. The vineyard path along Lake Biel (Bielersee Rebenweg in German).

After a few seconds of browsing through the media gallery on the myswitzerland.com website, we became easily convinced. We really wanted to try out this walk and stroll through the vineyards along the magnificent Lake Biel, too. We hoped to be enchanted by the world of vines, grapes and wines. And of course, we could not wait for the unbelievably stunning views!

By the end of our walk, we had our very own “media gallery” that will hopefully inspire you too! If you are interested in more hiking and walking inspirations, check out the image gallery on our website and click hier .

We were so convinced by the pictures that we took off in the direction of Biel without even reading the description properly. 

Preparation is the key

Usually I am very precise in our route planning, knowing the exact starting and finishing points. I also make sure, that the trek length and technical requirements are clear and the elevation is doable. In addition, I always check that transport is available in case we are not on a circular trail.

Somehow, this time that preparation lacked a bit of its usual accuracy…

The phrase “The tour commences not even two kilometres outside of Biel”, should have made us inquire further, shouldn´t it? To be fair, I suggested the hike, hence I should have inquired further.

Well, I didn´t and subsequently we got lost. I also didn´t look at the map, on the website. WHY NOT???

Let me spare the details of how I was trying to find a street that wasn´t even the correct destination! We were not either helped by various road constructions along the way. I ended up driving around in circles and got stuck in numerous cul-de-sacs. It was a little bit maddening in all fairness.

Hence, please do click on the link above that will lead you to the correct starting point. Alternatively, you can be smarter than me and simply make use of the available map.

Off we go, finally

Once we happily parked our car and found the comforting signage, however, all stress was forgotten. Off we went! Finally, we were able to enjoy what we actually came for: a lovely autumn walk in the vineyards.

With the Biel–Magglingen funicular to our right, we entered the forest and followed the path up the hill.

After only a little while, we emerged from the forest onto a public BBQ area. Next, we turned left and soon the trail opened up to reveal the first beautiful views of Lake Biel.  

Therefore, we stopped for a little moment and took in the first signs of the nearing sunset.

The benches are so strategically placed, that one just does not want to get up anymore! We did however, thanks God! We were soon astonished by a larger than life stone along our way. A megalith.

Ancient stones in the middle of our vineyard path

The word “megalith” is derived from the ancient Greek words mégas “large” and líthos “stone”. So far, so good. Megaliths originate from the pre-historic area and date back as far as 9500 BC.

Surprisingly, there are over 35,000 stones all over Europe and quite a few in Switzerland as well. We once hiked along a very informative megalith trail in the forests of Solothurn, hence we knew already where this guy came from. Hiking in Biel was just getting more and more exciting.

Back then, the Rhone glacier carried the mystical stones from the Valais Alps to the Jura region in Switzerland. Some of these megaliths were used for astronomical observations, others for cultic-religious purposes. Interesting!

The great thing about hiking is, that unintentionally you find something new all the time. This, amongst many other things, drives us to get out there and explore. Are you keen to learn more about our motives and about us? Then, click hier .

After our meeting with the prehistoric relic, we followed the route and got a taste (literally) of what autumn gives us.

The colourful fruits of autumn

Besides autumn being such colourful time of the year, one also gets to enjoy the delicious autumn fruits.

There are for example apples, pears, plums, pumpkins, chestnuts, figs and grapes, of course! Some fruit were ripe and sweet already and others needed a little more time. We did cheekily grab a taster every now and then.

The smell of wine in the air was quite noticeable and soon the vineyards appeared.

As the smell grew stronger, we discovered little piles of grape skin along the way.

Since we are at it, very briefly, let me tell you a few facts about wine grape harvesting. VERY BRIEFLY, really, since this topic as you know, could fill an entire wine encyclopaedia.

The harvesting of wine grapes

• The time of the harvest is determined by the type of wine the winemaker wishes to produce. The weather also has an influence on the harvesting schedule. Typically, in Switzerland the harvest season falls between August and October.
• Winemakers use the sugar, acid and tannin levels to determine the grape´s ripeness
• The grapes can either be hand-picked or mechanically harvested. A mechanical harvester can pick 80 – 200 tons of grapes, compared to the 1 – 2 tons that a human person could pick. Furthermore, the mechanical harvesting is very cost effective. Nevertheless, many wine makers prefer handpicking, due to the gentler handling of the grapes and the ability to pick only healthy grapes.
• And now back to the grape skins: After the grapes have been pressed, the leftover seeds, stems and skins can also be used. Pomace can be processed into all kinds of things: Distilled into spirits, ground into powder, used as food colouring or turned into animal feed. The grape seeds can be separated and pressed into grape seed oil.

Local winemakers along the way

All of that can be much better explained by the professionals, of course. And those, you find along the way!

According to myswitzerland.com., “more than 80 winemakers cultivate more than 40 grape varieties in 220 hectares of vineyards around Lake Biel”. Therefore, hiking in Biel surely cannot be imagined without wine, or rather, without vine!

Soberly, we continued on our wonderful vineyard path along Lake Biel, only mentally a little tipsy of all this wine around us.

Twann

Soon a spectacular panorama surprised us, the skyline of Twann.

The charming village of Twann awaked Mediterranean memories in us. Furthermore, the cobblestone paved roads, historic old town buildings and the sunset lights spread a magical charm around us. Bliss, what a lovely little village!

As we were running out of daylight, having planned a little too much for one afternoon, this sadly was the end of our trip.

Next time, Ligerz and La Neuveville!

The vineyard path actually continues for another 6.5 km to La Neuveville, bypassing the town of Ligerz. Ligerz, hosts apparently the most popular photo stop. La Neuveville is supposed to have, apart from a charming old town, one of the loveliest promenades on Lake Biel.

What does that tell us? Correct, we will come back and complete the trail!

As the sun set behind the vineyards, we jumped on a train back to Biel. On board, whilst the calm waters of the lake passed by, we took a long breath in and a full breath out. Let´s have a glass of wine tonight!