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Slovenian Alps self guided motorcycle holiday
Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour. Discover the hidden jewel of the Alps.
The Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour is one of our most popular holidays.
The Julian Alps are often referred to as the hidden jewels, and its shimmering lakes as the pearls of Europe. Together with the scenic roads and breathtaking mountain passes, Slovenia is a biker’s treasure chest straight from the pirate stories.
As a motorcycle holiday destination, this beautiful bite-size country is frequently overshadowed by its bigger neighbours. It’s commonly used only as a transit country by those journeying to Italy and Austria as well as Croatia. However, when it comes to finding the perfect blend of pristine landscapes and preserved culture, Slovenia firmly holds its own. Spiced with traditional cuisine and fine local wines, Slovenia might be small in stature, but it’s certainly big on pleasures.
Set in a tranquil green valley with a mountain scenery backdrop, Lake Bohinj is can’t-believe-my-eyes-pretty. This idyllic location is also where your chalet-style biker-friendly hotel is situated. Your stay here includes three fantastic day rides and visits to some of the most famous tourist attractions and sights.
You can start exploring as soon as you arrive with a leisurely walk along the lake to the Savica waterfalls. Furthermore, a cable car ride to Vogel affords the best views of the lake as well as the valley below.
From Lake Bohinj, you are only a short ride away from the atmospheric Lake Bled, Slovenia’s only island. To get the iconic Isle church’s best view, you can also visit the impressive Bled castle. Just outside the town lies the spectacular Vintgar Gorge. It is a deep, narrow and steep canyon that includes a two-mile-long wooden walkway built on stilts.
For the culture vultures, a shorter ride to Ljubljana might be a more alluring option. The Slovenian capital city is one of the cleanest and most beautiful cities in Europe, with plenty to see and experience.
Tarry further into the splendour of Slovenian countryside towards Croatia, and you’ll arrive in Postojna. The Postojna Caves is the only tourist attraction in the world that operates a mining train to carry the visitors. Only five miles down the road from the caves is Predjama Castle. This impressive cliff-top structure is one of Europe’s most dramatic medieval castles and was immortalized by the Templars.
With its fifty cobbled hairpins and majestic vistas, Vrsic Pass is literally and figuratively the highest point of this tour. According to many of our clients, this road also truly justifies its reputation as one of the most challenging Alpine rides.
As impressive as it is, Vrsic is undoubtedly not the only ‘A-lister’ mountain pass on this fantastic motorcycle tour.
The outward journey includes touring heavyweights such as the B500, Bregenzerwaldstraße, Arlberg and Gerlos, as well as the Großglockner pass. The return leg gets even better. It will elevate you straight up to the motorcycle touring royalty. The ‘Rat Pack’ of mountain passes include Mauria, Falzarego, Campolongo and Pordoi as well as Tonale and Bernina.
When to go:
Price
- Rider and pillion £1,795 pp
- Solo rider sharing twin room £1,895 pp
- Solo rider single room £2,095
- During August, a high-season supplement is applicable
Includes
- 11 nights b&b accommodation
- 10 evening meals
- Return Eurotunnel crossing
- GPX routes
- Trip check list
- Daily itinerary
- Suggested tourist attractions
- Emergency services numbers
Excludes
- Meals other than those specified
- Admission charges
- Toll charges (vignette)
- Petrol
- Hotel parking
Countries:
Motorcycle rental:
Book now:
Tour highlights
- 3*** and 4**** hotels with leisure facilities
- Black Forest and B500
- Großglockner pass
- Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj
- 3*** and 4**** hotels with leisure facilities
- Black Forest and B500
- Großglockner pass
- Lake Bled and Lake Bohinj
- Vrsic mountain pass
- Vintgar gorge and Savica waterfalls
- Predjama castle
- Postojina caves
- Triglav National Park
- Italian Dolomites
- Vrsic mountain pass
- Vintgar gorge and Savica waterfalls
- Predjama castle
- Postojina caves
- Triglav National Park
- Italian Dolomites
Day by day tour itinerary
This day is the start of your Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour. After an early morning channel-tunnel crossing, you’ll make your way to the bubbly Champagne Region of France. At Reims, you’ll come off the motorway and continue your journey riding the country back roads.
As you arrive in this area, it will be the right time to start looking for a place to have lunch. Both Épernay and Sézanne are convenient places to stop. Épernay is one of the World’s most famous wine and champagne producing towns. Therefore if you fancy yourself as a bit of a sommelier, you can stop by at Champagne Avenue to visit some of the wine houses. As this is the only first day of your tour, go easy on the ‘sampling the produce’ part of the visit.
Located in the middle of woodlands, your hotel will welcome you with a comfortable room, gourmet meal, terrace and outdoor swimming pool. The hotel is also attached to a golf course, so if you fancy a bit of exercise before your evening meal, you can ‘kick a bucket or two’ on a driving range.
From here, the Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour continues. You’ll travel to one of the most scenic and popular regions in Germany. The Black Forest is an area of vast forests, green pastures and rolling hills. If you wish, your route can include a section of the famous B500. It is one of the best biking roads, certainly in Europe and some would argue even the World. The most convenient place to have lunch is the first petrol station restaurant after crossing the German border.
Your family-run, biker friendly hotel is situated just a short ride from Titisee. It is a lively lakeside town and a perfect place to go for a little pre-dinner stroll. The sunset boat trips around the lake are quite popular amongst our clients. Try to park your bike at the train station car park. You can store your surplus biking gear in the coin-operated lockers.
If you wish, extra days can be arranged to extend your stay in the Black Forest.
Departing from the Black Forest is when the Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour gathers a true holiday spirit. Your route will take you to your first en-route destination in Switzerland. The magnificent river Rhine waterfalls in Schaffhausen is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the region. Here you can walk to the superb Laufen castle, go on a short boat ride to the base of the waterfalls or just have a drink.
From here, the Rhine will guide you to the shores of the lake Konstanz. The scenery will change to Alpine, and you’ll be heading towards some major Austrian ski resorts and several mountain passes. Your route will pass through Warth, Lech and Zürs. And also over the twisty Bregenzwaldstraße and the enjoyable Arlberg pass. Both Warth and Lech have many cafés and restaurants to stop for a break.
For the next night, you’ll be staying in a traditional chalet-style hotel surrounded by stunning mountain views.
Today is one of the longer riding days of the Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour. And it also includes quite a bit of motorway riding as well. Therefore, to fit everything in, it would be a good idea to have an early frühstück (breakfast) and leave for Slovenia.
You’ll head deeper into the Austrian Alps, following the route that will take you via the enjoyable Gerlos and impressive Großglockner pass. On Gerlos pass, you can stop to see Krimel waterfall and have lunch. On our guided tours, we usually stop at the restaurant with a Fiat 500 painted in Italian flag colours parked on its roof.
With a slight deviation from the Großglockner pass, you can go to see the magnificent Pasterze Glacier. With the big passes behind, you’ll continue towards the Julian Alps entering Slovenia via a short and bumpy Wurzen pass. The hotel is situated only a short stroll from the majestic lake Bohinj.
Your friendly host will welcome you with a cold drink, a comfortable room and a delicious evening meal.
Today you have many choices regarding what to do, and therefore some “serious” decisions to make. If you prefer not to ride, you may opt to walk along the lake to the spectacular Savica waterfalls.
If you do not fancy walking all the way, you can take a boat across the lake and walk the rest. You don’t have to have an Olympic standard level of fitness for this walk. It is quite an easy and beautiful trail. On your way there or back, you can take a cable car to the Vogel ski area.
On the other hand, if you fancy only a short ride, then visits nearby Lake Bled and Vintgar Gorge will work well. In Bled, the ‘must-see’ attractions are the iconic isle church and the stunning clifftop castle overlooking the town and lake. Vintgar Gorge is a spectacular canyon that includes a two-mile-long wooden walkway built on stilts.
Today is about the halfway point of your Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour. If you like a challenge, then head towards Kranjska Gora and “swing it around” the cobbled hairpins of the Vrsić Mountain Pass. It is the highest mountain pass in Slovenia, with 50 bends and 24 kilometres in length. The ride is filled with breathtaking views with plenty of places to stop and take some stunning photos.
Your route also includes the ski resorts of Kranjska Gora, Bovec and Tolmin. All three towns are beautiful places to stop and have a little wander around. Also, just outside Kranjska Gora, with a slight deviation from your route, you can pop to see Planica. It is one of the biggest ski jumping hills in the World.
A popular place to stop for lunch is the Brunarica Slap restaurant just outside Podbrdo. Here you can have fish and chips – Slovenian style. This restaurant often proved to be the highlight of the day amongst our clients.
Today if you fancy another ride, then you can visit the Postojna Caves. The cave system is more than 15 miles long and the only tourist attraction of this kind in the world that operates a mining train to carry the visitors. Postojna Cave is also the only place in the world where one of the most mysterious and reclusive species of subterranean salamander (Čovječja ribica in Slovenian) can be found.
Only five miles down the road from the caves is another famous tourist attraction worth a visit. Predjama Castle is one of Europe’s most dramatic castles. It is built in the gaping mouth of a cavern halfway up a 150-meter cliff. The whole ride is about 170-180 miles long.
Alternatively, you can opt for a shorter ride to Ljubljana – the capital city of Slovenia. It is one of the cleanest and most beautiful cities in Europe with plenty to see and experience.
This day is the start of the return leg of your Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour. You might be leaving the Julian Alps behind, but you are certainly not leaving the mountains all together yet. Your passage to the Dolomites will include exiting Slovenia via Triglav National Park (Three Heads in English). It will be followed by a gentle ride over an enjoyable Mauria pass.
There are many lovely places along the route to stop for a break or lunch. The most popular place amongst our clients appears to be Lake Misurina. It requires a slight deviation from your route, but it is definitely worth an effort. We usually stop at Locanda Di Lago restaurant. It has an excellent traditional menu, great views, and it is easy to park. Your route will also take you via the glamorous ski resort of Cortina D’Ampezzo and over the superb Falzarego pass.
Your chalet-style hotel for the next night is located in the ski resort of Corvara. The town is surrounded by the “Pink Peaks”, thick pine forests, flowery meadows and ski slopes.
In our opinion, today’s ride is the best one so far on this fantastic Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour. Your journey will take you over Campolongo Pass, Pordoi Pass, Tonale pass and Bernina pass.
Winding your way towards Switzerland, the scenery will not change that much. It will go from dramatic and rugged to slightly less dramatic and rugged. But what will noticeably change is the temperature. It will go from very hot and hot around Bolzano and Mezzocorona to not that warm and even cold on top of Bernina pass. So be prepared to shed the layers on and off as you progress with your journey.
Good places to stop are the Jolly Bar in Edolo and on top of both Tonale and Bernina pass. Bernina pass affords some of the most panoramic views of the glacier and Diavolezza mountain top.
The Engadin Valley is a beautiful place, and your hotel is located just outside the glamorous ski resort of Sankt Moritz.
Today you’ll be leaving the beautiful Engadin valley and head to France. Weather permitting, your route can include a ride through the Swiss ski resorts of Valbella, Parpan and Churwalden.
All of these towns have plenty of cafes and restaurants where you can stop for breaks and refreshments. Your journey will also take you to the Jura Mountains National Park. The Jura Mountains and the Aargau region are often overlooked as attractive biking destinations. However, once they arrive there, most people would agree that this is a fantastic riding area.
Your comfortable hotel is located in Munster town centre in the beautiful Vosges Mountains. It will welcome you with a spacious room and a gourmet evening meal.
The hotel is only a short walk from the town centre so if you wish you can take a stroll to explore it before the evening meal.
Today you will leave the Vosges Mountains and descend into the French countryside via the twisty Schlucht pass. There are many lay bays and viewing points to stop for photos and selfies. On the top of Schucht pass, there are also several cafes and a toboggan ride if you fancy swapping the modes of transportation.
You’ll follow the traffic-free rural roads and wind your way towards the Ardennes Nature Park. The route will also include the Loraine National park passing through traditional villages and picturesque landscapes. You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy this fantastic ride. On our guided tours, we typically stop about midday for lunch. It is usually a boulangerie that happens to be open.
Time permitting, you might also opt to stop in Verdun to visit the Ossuaire De Douaumont Mémorial. Your hotel for this evening is a converted medieval fort in Sedan. It has comfortable rooms, a fantastic restaurant and a great atmosphere.
Today is the last day of this fantastic self guided motorcycle holiday. To celebrate it, have a delicious French breakfast and take one last leisurely ride through the Ardennes region. Allow some time to stop in Givet for one last drink before joining the motorway to take you back to the UK. Your channel-tunnel will be booked for afternoon crossing.
Thank you for joinig our Slovenian Alps self-guided motorcycle-tour and RidingWithUs.
We hope you had a great holiday and we also hope to hear from you again soon.
What our customers say
“This was the most beautiful biking holiday we have ever had. Thank you first for suggesting it and second for organising this tour for us.”
J & R Rush and D & G Collins
Kendal, UK, 2019