Alpine Panorama Route: which way and when to ride
The best month for Alpine Panorama Route is September: 61% of days were dry with highs of 10–30 °C. In September the wind barely favours either direction — on average 0.1 km/h along the route (ERA5 2006–2025, daytime 9:00–18:00).
Weather by month
| Month | Good days | Rain days ≥ 1 mm | Rain, mm | Avg high | Days ≥ 30 °C | Days < 10 °C | Daylight, h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2% | 28% | 122 | 1 °C | 0% | 98% | 8.9 † |
| February | 8% | 28% | 92 | 3 °C | 0% | 91% | 10.2 † |
| March | 25% | 33% | 116 | 7 °C | 0% | 72% | 11.8 |
| April | 45% | 36% | 118 | 11 °C | 0% | 42% | 13.5 |
| May | 42% | 53% | 188 | 15 °C | 0% | 21% | 15.0 |
| June | 46% | 53% | 190 | 19 °C | 1% | 3% | 15.9 |
| July | 48% | 50% | 205 | 21 °C | 2% | 1% | 15.5 |
| August | 54% | 45% | 203 | 20 °C | 1% | 2% | 14.2 |
| September | 61% | 36% | 145 | 16 °C | 0% | 8% | 12.5 |
| October | 57% | 27% | 118 | 12 °C | 0% | 29% | 10.8 † |
| November | 19% | 29% | 122 | 6 °C | 0% | 78% | 9.3 † |
| December | 2% | 32% | 136 | 2 °C | 0% | 98% | 8.5 † |
Best months are all months within 3 percentage points of the best one. † less than 11 hours of daylight — long stages get tight.
Wind by month
| Month | Wind Näfels → Aigle, km/h | Headwind > 15 km/h, Näfels → Aigle | Headwind > 15 km/h, Aigle → Näfels | Better way |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | +0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| February | +0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| March | +0.1 | 1% | 1% | either |
| April | +0.3 | 0% | 0% | either |
| May | +0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| June | 0.0 | 0% | 0% | either |
| July | −0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| August | −0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| September | +0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
| October | +0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| November | +0.2 | 0% | 0% | either |
| December | +0.1 | 0% | 0% | either |
Stages
The route is split into 5 stages of about 100–150 km between towns; each stage has its own page.
| Stage | km | Best month | Tailwind Näfels → Aigle in September, km/h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Näfels → Glarus | 78 | September | −0.1 |
| 2. Glarus → Lustenau | 112 | September | −0.5 |
| 3. Lustenau → Stans | 26 | September | −0.3 |
| 4. Stans → Thun | 99 | September | 0.0 |
| 5. Thun → Aigle | 153 | September | +0.8 |
How to read the numbers
Wind is the 10 m wind of a 25-km grid cell, daytime hours 9:00–18:00 local solar time; at saddle height in a sheltered valley it is weaker, on a coast or ridge stronger. A positive value is a tailwind. ERA5 slightly over-counts days with ≥ 1 mm of rain (by about 5–7 percentage points) and underestimates daily highs by 1–2 °C. Good day = less than 1 mm of rain between 9:00 and 18:00 (riding hours, local solar time) and a high between 10 and 30 °C; rain at night or in the evening does not spoil it.