E-Bike Tours in Arosa: High-Alpine Riding Made Accessible

At 1,800 metres, the air is thinner and the gradients are honest. E-biking in Arosa changes what that means for your legs. Routes that would leave most riders walking their bikes up alpine switchbacks become genuinely enjoyable, opening up ridgelines, remote pastures, and high valleys between 1,800 and 2,865 metres above sea level. The motor doesn't ride for you; it takes the punishing edge off the climbs so you can focus on where you're going and what's around you.

Arosa sits within the Bike Kingdom, a curated cycling network comprising Arosa, Lenzerheide, and Chur with over 900 kilometres of trails — part of Graubünden's broader 4,500 kilometres of marked mountain bike routes. Within the Arosa Lenzerheide region alone, more than 408 bike tours are mapped and maintained. The range is broad: gentle gravel loops along the valley floor, half-day circuits through centuries-old Walser settlements, and full-day alpine crossings that demand good fitness even with electric assist. The season runs from mid-June to mid-October, depending on how quickly the snow retreats from the higher passes.

What Riding Here Feels Like

You notice the quiet first. Arosa's valley has a contained, amphitheatre quality, with spruce forests rising steeply on both sides and peaks closing the view at every turn. On an e-bike, you move through this landscape at exactly the right speed: fast enough to cover meaningful distance, slow enough to register the wildflowers shifting from meadow grass to alpine species as you gain altitude.

The climbs are where the e-bike earns its place. Switching to a higher assist level on a steep gravel track, you feel the motor engage smoothly through the cranks. Your effort stays constant; the gradient becomes almost irrelevant. This is particularly noticeable above 2,000 metres, where the combination of thin air and steep terrain would normally force extended rest stops. Instead, you keep a steady cadence, breathing hard but not gasping, watching the treeline fall away below.

Descents are entirely your own. The motor cuts out, and it's just gravity, braking, and line choice on alpine gravel. Good mountain tires matter here. The trails vary from packed dirt to loose stone, and wet sections after morning dew or afternoon rain can be slippery. Controlled, confident riding on the way down is part of the skill this terrain develops.

The Routes Worth Knowing

Schwellisee (Route 632)

The best introduction to e-biking in Arosa. This route takes you to Schwellisee, one of the valley's pristine mountain lakes, on well-maintained gravel paths. It's manageable in two to three hours, includes moderate climbing, and rewards you with a lakeside stop where the water reflects the surrounding peaks with startling clarity. Ideal for a first morning ride to calibrate your comfort with the bike and the terrain.

Sapün-Rundfahrt

This circular ride combines cycling with genuine cultural discovery. Sapün is a traditional Walser village, one of the settlements founded by the Walser people who migrated through these valleys centuries ago. The architecture is distinct: dark timber houses with stone foundations, built to endure alpine winters. Riding through on an e-bike, you have time to notice the details of the buildings, the narrow lanes, the working agricultural landscape that still defines daily life here. The route works well as a half-day outing and is manageable even for riders relatively new to mountain e-biking.

Arosa Lenzerheide Rundtour (Route 634)

This is the full-day commitment. Plan for approximately six hours including stops at mountain restaurants along the way. The circular route connects Arosa and Lenzerheide through a series of climbs and descents that cross several distinct landscape zones: dense forest, open alpine meadow, rocky high terrain. The elevation changes are significant, and even with motor assist, you'll feel it in your legs by the afternoon. Start early. Summer thunderstorms in the Alps tend to build after midday, and the exposed sections above the treeline are no place to be caught in lightning.

Ochsenalp to Tschiertschen (Route 636)

A personal favourite for riders who want a sense of crossing from one valley to another. The route takes you from the Arosa side over to Tschiertschen, a small village perched on a sunny terrace with views down the Schanfigg valley. The terrain is more demanding, with steeper pitches and rougher trail surfaces in sections. The payoff is a feeling of genuine remoteness that's hard to find on shorter loops.

Medergen to Sapün (Route 633)

Another route that threads through Walser heritage, passing through high pastures where cattle graze in summer and the only sounds are cowbells and wind. The riding is moderate but sustained; you're at altitude for most of the route, and the trail surface alternates between gravel road and packed earth.

Charging, Cable Cars, and Logistics

One practical detail that sets Arosa Lenzerheide apart from many alpine e-bike destinations: range anxiety is essentially a non-issue. Free Bosch charging stations are positioned at the Heidbüel, Scharmoin, and Tgantieni mountain stations, as well as at the Lenzerheide tourist office. A Bosch battery swap option is also available, meaning you can exchange a depleted battery for a full one and keep riding without a charging wait.

The mountain railways transport e-bikes, which is a strategic advantage worth using. Having your bike carried uphill by cable car saves significant battery life for exploring trails at altitude rather than spending it on the initial climb out of the valley. The E-Biketicket 2 RIDE programme specifically allows e-bikers to use designated cable car routes, combining lift access with scenic trail descents. For more remote starting points, a bike shuttle service operates during the summer season.

E-bike rental is available through local bike schools and sport shops in Arosa. If you're unfamiliar with mountain e-biking, the Arosa bike school offers guided e-bike tours that match you with routes suited to your experience level. This is genuinely worthwhile for first-timers; a guide who knows the trail conditions, weather patterns, and optimal timing can make the difference between a good ride and a great one.

Practical Considerations

Charge your battery fully before every ride. Despite the excellent charging network, longer routes at altitude drain batteries faster than valley riding due to sustained climbing and cooler temperatures affecting battery performance. On a six-hour route like the Rundtour, starting with anything less than a full charge is a gamble.

Layers are non-negotiable. At 2,500 metres, temperatures can drop sharply even on a sunny July day, and you'll cool rapidly on descents after sweating through climbs. A packable wind shell and a light insulating layer take up minimal space in a saddle bag or small backpack.

Check trail conditions before heading out, especially in June and early July. Higher-altitude routes may still have snow patches that make passage difficult or impossible. The local tourist office and bike school both provide current trail status updates.

For families travelling with children, a pumptrack in Arosa offers a contained, fun riding experience that doesn't require venturing onto mountain trails. It's a good warm-up for younger riders or a standalone activity while parents tackle a longer route.

After the Ride

The particular satisfaction of an e-bike day in the mountains is physical without being punishing. You've covered real distance, climbed real elevation, and spent hours in landscape that most people only see from a cable car viewing platform. But you arrive back in the valley with energy left; pleasantly tired rather than depleted.

That makes the transition to evening especially rewarding. A session at the spa arosa works the residual tension from your shoulders and lower back. Dinner at one of the restaurants & bars tastes better than usual; altitude and effort sharpen the appetite in a way that a day by the pool simply doesn't.

There are plenty of experiences arosa offers beyond cycling, but e-biking has a way of becoming the defining activity of a summer stay. Once you've ridden above the treeline and looked out across the Graubünden peaks with the quiet hum of the motor behind you, the valley floor starts to feel like somewhere you pass through on the way to the next ride.

Hotel Altein makes an ideal base for exploring Arosa's e-bike trails. Its central location in the village puts you within easy reach of rental shops, the cable car stations, and the trailheads that connect to the wider Bike Kingdom network. After a full day in the saddle, returning to the comfort of the hotel — with a proper meal and a good night's rest at altitude — sets you up perfectly for the next morning's ride.