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Hiking Trails Under 5 km near Aarau

89 routes near Aarau qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 2.2 km and 52 m (171 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 4.9 km.

That is 60 percent of the 149 routes we map near Aarau. They are shorter than the local average, 2.2 km against 14.7 km, which is what makes this a practical shortlist for a half day. They also climb less than the area average, 52 m (171 ft) against 288 m (945 ft), so they suit a recovery day or a group with mixed fitness.

Short routes for a spare couple of hours, an evening walk, or a day when the weather only gives you a window. Most of these are on the gentler end, which makes the list a good starting point if you are new to the area.

Trails

Completed bridge of the construction side of the duty-free-street near Basel (Bridge not yet in use)
Easy

Hebel-Wanderweg

Basel-City · Switzerland

Distance
1.0 km
/ 0.6 mi
Typical duration
12 min
Easy

Nidelbad - Wildpark Höfli

Zurich · Switzerland

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
57 m
Typical duration
37 min
  • Lake
  • Wildlife watching
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Alpenzeiger - Ufem Berg

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
28 m
Typical duration
18 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Ängelberg - Berg

Lucerne · Switzerland

Distance
1.2 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
26 m
Typical duration
17 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Berg - Chätzigerhöchi

Lucerne · Switzerland

Distance
1.4 km
/ 0.9 mi
Elevation gain
30 m
Typical duration
20 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Berg-Rütschelen

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
25 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Hämikon Berg - Müswangen

Lucerne · Switzerland

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
14 m
Typical duration
9 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Lotzwil-Berg

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
1.9 km
/ 1.2 mi
Elevation gain
41 m
Typical duration
27 min
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Via Natura

Zurich · Switzerland

Distance
4.3 km
/ 2.7 mi
Elevation gain
94 m
Typical duration
1 hr 2 min
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Beinwil am See - Breitholz

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
2.7 km
/ 1.7 mi
Elevation gain
60 m
Typical duration
39 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Beinwil am See - Mosen

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
3.0 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
65 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Birrwil am See - Beinwil

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
2.6 km
/ 1.6 mi
Elevation gain
58 m
Typical duration
38 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Birrwil am See - Boniswil

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
3.7 km
/ 2.3 mi
Elevation gain
81 m
Typical duration
53 min
  • Lake
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Buchsiter Alp - Buchsiterrank

Solothurn · Switzerland

Distance
2.3 km
/ 1.5 mi
Elevation gain
51 m
Typical duration
34 min
  • Alpine meadow
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Aarwangen Schloss - Langenthal

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
4.8 km
/ 3.0 mi
Elevation gain
106 m
Typical duration
1 hr 10 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Baden-Ruine Stein

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
0.6 km
/ 0.4 mi
Elevation gain
14 m
Typical duration
9 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Bannwil - Aarwangen / Schloss

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
2.2 km
/ 1.4 mi
Elevation gain
49 m
Typical duration
32 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Boniswil - Schloss Hallwil

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Buchs - Burg

Lucerne · Switzerland

Distance
1.7 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
38 m
Typical duration
25 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Buechban - Aarwangen Schloss

Bern · Switzerland

Distance
2.9 km
/ 1.8 mi
Elevation gain
65 m
Typical duration
43 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Burg - Liebergott

Lucerne · Switzerland

Distance
1.3 km
/ 0.8 mi
Elevation gain
28 m
Typical duration
18 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Burg - Niederwil

Aargau · Switzerland

Distance
1.8 km
/ 1.1 mi
Elevation gain
40 m
Typical duration
26 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Egglisgraben - Ruine Wartenberg

Basel-Landschaft · Switzerland

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Froburg - Ruine Froburg

Solothurn · Switzerland

Distance
0.8 km
/ 0.5 mi
Elevation gain
18 m
Typical duration
12 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Grossi Weid - Ruine Pfeffingen

Basel-Landschaft · Switzerland

Distance
0.9 km
/ 0.6 mi
Elevation gain
21 m
Typical duration
14 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Inwil - Burg

Lucerne · Switzerland

Distance
1.1 km
/ 0.7 mi
Elevation gain
24 m
Typical duration
16 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Huguenot and Waldensian TrailZurich4.5 km227 m1 hr 17 minModerateApril to October
Huguenot and Waldensian TrailZurich1.9 km187 m40 minModerateApril to October
Huguenot and Waldensian TrailZurich4.0 km229 m1 hr 11 minModerateApril to October
Huguenot and Waldensian TrailAargau4.9 km37 m1 hr 5 minEasyApril to October
Huguenot and Waldensian TrailAargau0.8 kmflat10 minEasyApril to October
Huguenot and Waldensian TrailAargau3.5 km29 m46 minEasyApril to October
Huguenot and Waldensian TrailAargau3.4 km16 m44 minEasyApril to October
Huguenot and Waldensian TrailZurich1.8 kmflat22 minEasyApril to October
Huguenot and Waldensian TrailZurich3.2 kmflat40 minEasyApril to October
Hebel-WanderwegBasel-City1.0 kmflat12 minEasyApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Huguenot and Waldensian Trail, Huguenot and Waldensian Trail, Huguenot and Waldensian Trail. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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