The long Easter weekend was coming up and Katrina and I wanted to go on an outing again. While studying our youth hostel card, we opted for Burgdorf Castle Youth Hostel – a convenient journey, cool location and good starting point for various activities convinced us.
A relaxed start to the Easter weekend
On Easter Saturday we set off towards the Emmental. After about a ten minutes’ walk from the station through the quiet town of Burgdorf and a short ascent, we reached the castle. We were curious to see which themed room we were assigned and were delighted to find the spacious «hole» room, which fortunately did not live up to its name. We were also able to take a peek into the «ski room», which we would also have liked very much.
We started the evening with an aperitif in the castle courtyard and enjoyed the great view of the region. Afterwards we went to the restaurant, where we were spoiled by the delicious cuisine.
Time for plan B
After a restful night, a magnificent Easter brunch awaited us, leaving no culinary wishes to be desired. Fresh bread, croissants, fruit, cold cuts and cheese platters, muesli and scrambled eggs – and that wasn’t all. A tender pot roast with fine potato gratin and a dessert buffet rounded off the brunch.
Refueled, off we went to rent scooters. Unfortunately, we hadn’t paid attention to the opening hours beforehand and found ourselves facing closed doors at rent trotti. It was time for plan B! At brunch, a member of the castle staff had tipped us off to go to the Lueg. From there, you could see as far as the Alps. So we spontaneously decided to take the bus to Lueg.
After a short, steep ascent, we reached the monument, where we had a breathtaking view over hills and fields to the Bernese Alps.
We didn’t want to get on the bus again, so we decided to walk the way back to Burgdorf. It took us around 2-and-a-half hours through beautiful landscapes and past picturesque houses.
Back in Burgdorf, we were in the mood for Italian cuisine and decided on Restaurant Piazzetta. We were overcome with a desire for pizza with raw ham, rocket and mascarpone, but it wasn’t on the menu. Nevertheless, the friendly waiter fulfilled our wish and we really enjoyed it. We finished off our evening with good pizza, friendly service and a cosy atmosphere.
E-bike tour – a must
If you go to Burgdorf, an e-bike tour is basically on the agenda. During our little hike we already noticed why everyone here rides an electric bike. We had already planned to rent one back at home.
On Easter Monday, after a hearty breakfast, we checked out and made our way to the bike rental shop Rent-a-bike Burgdorf. We had hired two e-bikes there online for our journey to the Kambly factory shop. Those who are members of the Swiss Youth Hostels can pick up a CHF 10 voucher in advance at the reception and redeem it at Rent-a-bike.
Saddling up our bikes, we pedalled off. However, for unclear reasons, we took the wrong route and reached the pastry specialist in Trubschachen after 50 km instead of the planned 32 km!
The path first led us through the forest. It was steep uphill and just as steep down again. With our great support, however, this was the least of our problems. But the almost 20 km detour was beautiful and the biscuits we were able to try also made up for the effort 😉.
We decided to travel back to Burgdorf from Langnau i. E. by train. Our energy and the bike battery weren’t exhausted, but our butts just didn’t want to sit on the saddle any longer after 3-and-a-half hours. We were glad that we could spontaneously drop off the bikes at Rent-a-bike at the station.
Relaxed, we started our journey home to Zurich and the Fricktal. It certainly wasn’t the last time we will be in Burgdorf, as we didn’t manage to visit the castle’s own museum.
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