Hiking the Türlersee-Paradies Loop
We hiked around the Türlersee, a small lake in the district of Affoltern in Canton Zürich, in January. Now that spring is here and flowers are blooming, we wanted head there again to see the lake without the snow and ice. We also wanted to do a longer, more challenging route, so this time we decided to do a 12 km loop hike from Türlersee to Paradies that we found on Komoot.
Throughout this hike, the trail signs and the map did not always match up. To keep on the right path, we kept one eye on the waypoints and one eye on the Komoot map. There are a lot of trails in this area, criss-crossing or paralleling each other, so I’m not sure we were always on the right trail. But, we got to our waypoints on time and we enjoyed the hike. Would I recommend this hike? Yes, if you are comfortable using Komoot and GPS for finding your way. The views were lovely and the Türlersee is a wonderful start and end point.
Detail Summary| Where: | Türlersee Lake District of Affoltern, Canton Zürich, Switzerland |
| Train/Bus: | Zürich HB -> Hausen am Albis, Türlersee – ~45 mins |
| Car: | Zürich -> Türlen – ~25 mins |
| What: | Türlersee – Paradies Loop Waypoints: Türlen – Unterrifferswil – Paradis – Aeugst am Albis – Türlen Komoot Map: Paradies – Anlegestelle zur Ewigkeit Loop from Aeugst am Albis Second route description: Route Info on Wandering.ch (german) |
| Skill: | Easy – About 3.5 hrs Length 12 km, Ascent 300 m, Descent 300 m |
Getting There
Although easily reached by public transport, we drove. There is a public parking lot near the lake in Türlen right by the Türlersee bus stop. The Türlersee is very popular, and on nice days, the parking lot can fill up. The weather today was rainy and although the parking lot was more than half-full, we easily found a spot.
After parking, we crossed the street and turned left walking along the main road until we passed the restaurant. Here, we turned towards the lake and the start of the trail.
The Trail
After passing the restaurant, we could see the lake and the Türlersee loop trail to our left. After leaving the lake, the trail joins with the main road very briefly before turning into the forest just after the Hausen Am Albis, Vollenweid bus stop. Just before entering the forest, we got a taste of the views on the trail ahead.
After a short walk through the forest, the trail meanders through farmland towards the town of Rifferswil.
After passing Rifferswil, the trail heads up to a highpoint with beautiful views of Swiss farmland and the distant mountains. In May, the rapeseed fields are in full bloom, bringing a joyful pop of yellow to the landscape.
The trail went back into the forest again, and soon we reached the area known has Paradies. On the Komoot map, there is a short detour here to the smart lookout point seen in the second and third pictures below. A sign at the location notes that in the summer of 1899, the then 20 year old Albert Einstein, along with his mother and sister, vacationed at this spot. He returned again in 1901 for another summer vacation, as well as for a Christmas break that same year.
It was time to begin the loop back to the Türlersee. Our GPS was not tracking us as well as we would have liked, but fortunately, the trail signs towards the next way point (Aeugst am Albis) seemed to match well and we simply followed the signs through farms and forest until we reached Aeugst am Albis. On the way, we passed right next to one of the blooming rapeseed fields in all its glorious yellow.
Just as we reached Aeugst am Albis, we saw what a great view the town has (picture two). After passing through the town, we continued to enjoy the views from above it (picture two below) while following the signs towards Türlen. Just before reaching the lake, we started a long decent down steps. One last look at the farmland, and we were just about at the lake.
When we reached the lake, we joined the Türlerseerundweg path. It was beginning to rain, so we took the short way round back to where we were parked. Still, we got to enjoy some lovely water views.
Getting Back
With the Türlen campground, swimming area, and restaurant (german only website) just ahead, we were at the end of the hike.
The Türlersee views are a pretty way to end a hike. Komoot lists several other loop hikes that start and end at the Türlersee, so we will probably be back. So close to home, yet it feels so far away. It really is a delightful hiking location.
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