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Self Guided Motorcycle Holidays
Self guided motorcycle tours to Europe and UK. RideWithUs in your own time and at your own pace.
Self guided motorcycle tours to Europe and UK.
We have extensive knowledge of Europe, especially the Alpine, Central and Eastern European regions. We use our insider knowledge of the areas to plan self-guided motorcycle tours for individuals, private groups or clubs.
On RideWithUs self guided motorcycle holidays, we carefully select the best places for you to stay and show you the most rewarding places to visit. We also know the best way for you to get from A to B (without missing out on C).
Self-guided tours offer you total flexibility regarding times, dates and points of departure from the UK. If you wish, it is possible to add extra days as well as combine some tours.
The self guided motorcycle holidays include hotel accommodation with all breakfasts and most evening meals. GPX files will make navigation as easy as possible. They have detailed daily itineraries with suggested tourist attractions and points of interest. A comprehensive trip checklist is there to help you with the legalities and practicalities of travelling abroad.
Cross-channel departure from Folkestone, using Eurotunnel, is included as standard on all RideWithUs self guided motorcycle holidays. However, if you prefer a different departure point or mode, please let us know, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
Let’s go touring the RideWithUs way!
If you require motorcycle rental for any of our self guided motorcycle holidays / self guided motorcycle tours, please use this link: RoadTrip.
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Routes & tourist attractions
So many of the unique insights and special memories from RideWithUs motorcycle tours and holidays come from the tourist attractions we visit and the people we meet. With this in mind, we pay special attention to providing the right balance between riding the best roads and allowing enough time to explore and experience each region. This includes visits to the main tourist attractions, national parks, museums, monuments, local farms and vineyards or even boat and train day trips.
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Channel Crossing
We predominantly use the LeShuttle to cross the Channel for our guided motorcycle tours and holidays. This eliminates any potential complaints of seasickness, makes boarding and disembarkation much quicker, and the crossing is not affected by adverse weather conditions. Another important factor is flexibility. On the return leg of our motorcycle tours and holidays, if we arrive back to the check-in area at Calais before our scheduled departure time, there is always a realistic possibility of boarding the first available train. With its own motorway junction (11a M20), access to the Passenger Terminal couldn’t be simpler. Prior to boarding the shuttles, you will pass through both UK and French frontier controls, which means on arrival in France, you simply drive off the shuttle onto the European motorway network.
Hotels
As we specialise in organising motorcycle tours and holidays for smaller groups (12 bikes max.) and individuals, we have more choice in selecting the types of accommodation we use. We usually opt for family-run hotels where the owners extend a genuine welcome to motorcyclists. They are often situated in rural out-of-town locations, offer excellent customer service, and provide a homely ambience. However, pending on tour, we also use good quality elegant town hotels that are conveniently located near the city centres and tourist attractions. Our chosen hotels are mainly four-star with secure motorcycle parking.
Food
Authentic experience is a big part of any holiday, and guided motorcycle tours and holidays are no exception. Each region we visit on our tours offers its own unique selection of historical, cultural and social aspects. And often, the best way to experience all of these aspects together is through the local cuisine. Wherever we stay on our motorcycle tours and holidays, we make it our priority to include the local guest houses, restaurants, taverns and eateries that serve traditional home-made specialities.
It is essentially the same as a guided tour. The difference is that you pick the departure and return dates and you self navigate. We provide a comprehensive tour pack that contains hotel bookings, return crossing, day-by-day routes and GPX files. If you require motorcycle rental we arrange that as well.
It is not essential, but we recommend it. If you have never toured before, it’s a good way to find out if you like it or not. Also, it might be worth considering joining a guided tour first. It will help you to ‘acclimatize’ for your next self guided trip abroad.
There is no limit. However, as we use the same hotels as for our guided tours the normal numbers for self guided tour are anywhere between 1-15 bikes.
The most you would ride in one day is about up to 300 miles. However, most of the days it is about 250 miles. It also depends on what kind of roads you ride. If it is a motorway then you cover a longer distance. If you ride the A and B roads, then it is usually a shorter mileage.
It is entirely your choice who you decide to book with. Please spare some time to read our itineraries and how we run our tours. If we tick the boxes, then there is your answer and we will welcome you.
If it is a shorter tour where comfort and luggage are not an issue, then any bike over 400cc will do. For a trip that is longer than 4-5 days, and you have a pillion as well, then a larger capacity machine would be more advantageous.
Not sure about the average age but the range tends to be between 35 and 60+. But age is not important, everyone is welcome.
It is not just that we welcome female riders, but we also try to encourage them to join our tours
Yes. Anything can be organised. If you have special requirements regarding departure ports, please get in touch.
Yes. There are pillion riders joining our tours. In average perhaps more than half of the bikes on a tour are with pillion riders.
On self guided tours it all depends on your exact requirements. You choose the dates.
Yes. Please let us know at the time of booking and will add extra days to your holiday. We will advise on the best places to add to your itinerary if needed. Also, some tours can be combined into one long trip. Often our overseas clients combine self guided tours with guided tours. Usually they would start with a guided tour to get used to riding in Europe and then continue on a self guided tour after we return back to the UK.
You do not have to have a SatNav but we would recommend it. It makes life much easier when you are on the road. Nowadays most people have SatNavs. Without one you will not be able to take full advantage of our GPX routes.
Good quality 3 and 4 star.
Secure parking is one of the main criteria regarding our accommodation selection.
On riding days all breakfasts are included as well as evening meals. On days off we usually allow people to make their own eating arrangements. This gives you an opportunity to explore the area.
Yes. Please let us know at the time of booking.
Most of our destinations we visit ourselves at some point during our private touring or skiing holidays. Some of them came about from various races we do such as ultra marathons, triathlons, duathlons and Iron Man. We also get lots of ideas and requests from our clients, other riders and write-ups from touring magazines.
No, you do not have to ride every day especially during the longer tours. We try to include as many days off as possible. We try to give you enough free time to explore and enjoy the destinations. Also, you can extend any tour by adding extra days to your itinerary.
The free days are included for you to do whatever you wish. You might decide to rest, wander around, or visit some local tourist attractions. However, we always have a suggested riding option available if anyone fancies a ride. For more information please refer to the trip itineraries.
You need your riding licence, passport, roadside recovery, travel insurance and bike insurance. Also please check the visa requirements for each country you’ll be visiting during your tour.
This all depends on the type and the seriousness of illness or injury. Your travel insurance should cover your hospital treatment and bike insurance should cover the cost of shipping your bike back to the UK. If it is a relatively short illness or non-serious injury, we (RideWithUs) will do our best to assist you in re-joining the rest of the tour as soon as possible.
Each tour page has a Book Now button. Fill in the booking form and we’ll take it from there.
This really depends on how long before the departure date you cancel (please refer to our terms and conditions page).
We accept all above. However, credit cards and PayPal incur a charge so most people opt for bank transfers.