We meet Dagmar and Michael, a couple from Lower Saxony (Germany), over morning coffee at the Chrüzgärtli in the Gasthof Kreuz Egerkingen. The weather is still not very summery these days. However, the sun is peeking through the clouds from time to time, encouraging our guests to plan an outing for today. They are inspired by the new adventure map from Region Olten Tourism and the cycling map from Canton Solothurn Tourism.
For them as EU citizens, physical maps and guides are important aids for finding their way around when traveling, as EU roaming does not include Switzerland and they therefore cannot always rely on Google and other search engines, Michael explains. In such cases, the major Swiss communications providers offer tourists special holiday deals in the form of temporary SIM card subscriptions, adds Christian Wyler, President of Egerkingen Tourism, pointing out that these services are explicitly mentioned in their communications.
The couple goes on to tell us that they are spending another week's summer vacation here at the Gasthof Kreuz. Of course, it's not Egerkingen's tourist attractions that draw them back, but rather its central location in the Swiss Plateau, which allows them to explore the surrounding area within a radius of 80 to 100 km every day on e-bikes provided free of charge by Egerkingen Tourism. So far, they have mostly been traveling between Biel and Aarau, visiting various museums and sights, swimming in nearby lakes such as the Aare, Lake Sempach, and Lake Burgäschi, and frequently hiking and e-biking on the southern foot of the Jura between Grenchen and Olten, extending far into the Thal Nature Park. "The regions in the canton of Solothurn and the Mittelland offer many opportunities beyond the highway and industrial zones, if you have an eye for them," says Dagmar. Michael explains that the CHF 40 for the highway vignette was hardly worth it for a week's vacation to their liking and that they got to know many beautiful areas thanks to driving on main and side roads. "We'll be back again next year. Yes, a vacation in Egerkingen – it makes perfect sense!"
