Guided Motorcycle Tour to Austria and Switzerland

On the second day of the Swiss-Alps and Austrian-Tyrol guided-motorcycle-tour we’ll be leaving the Ardennes Region behind, and following some scenic rural country roads head towards our next destination in the beautiful Vosges Mountains. This is an enjoyable and relaxing ride off the beaten track, so we’ll take our time and enjoy it. Our first port of call could be the War Memorial and Museum at Verdun if you are interested in military history. As we continue winding through the Loraine National Park dotted with traditional villages, cultivated fields and green forests, the landscapes will gradually become hilly and eventually mountainous.

If we wish to stop for lunch, there are several convenient towns. When we start feeling peckish, we’ll just lookout for a café or boulangerie, and we can’t go wrong. Charmes and Gérardmer are both convenient places to stop. Charmes is a lovely quiet riverside town and has several places to eat and have a drink. Gérardmer is the gateway to the Vosges Mountains and a perfect place for one last break before arriving at our destination. On most of our guided tours, we usually stop by the lake just to stretch our legs and have a quick look around. A beautiful and easy climb up the Col de la Schlucht will take us to our destination. We can also take a spin along several other famous and twisty mountain passes; Route des Cretes and Col du Grand Ballon.

Our comfortable hotel in Munster will welcome us with cosy rooms and a delicious evening meal.

Today, after leaving the Vosges Mountains, we might split our day by visiting various tourist attractions. And there is no shortage of those on today’s journey, so without further ado, let’s have an early breakfast, hit the road and continue this fantastic Swiss-Alps and Austrian-Tyrol guided-motorcycle-tour.

After departing from our hotel, our bike engines will not even have enough time to warm up before arriving at our first optional port of call – the historical city of Colmar. Its half-timbered houses, cobbled streets, riverbanks of Little Venice dotted with cafés and restaurants are brimming with the typical Alsatian charms.

Continuing with our Swiss-Alps and Austrian-Tyrol guided-motorcycle-tour along some great biking roads, we’ll cross the German and Swiss borders and arrive at the spectacular Rhein waterfalls in Schafhausen.  And from there continue on Lake Konstanz’s Swiss side towards our destination.

Schafhausen itself is part in Germany and part in Switzerland. The Rhine Falls are Europe’s largest waterfalls and a top-rated biker destination. We can take a short walk to Laufen Castle and take some stunning photos of the waterfalls from one of many viewing platforms. We can also go on a bumpy boat ride that will take us to the waterfalls’ base. If we are still feeling adventurous, we can climb a small rocky outcrop right in the middle of the falls. There are plenty of dedicated motorcycle bays making parking at the waterfalls very easy.

A relaxing ride along the twisty L200 will give us our first flavour of riding in the Alps. The Bregenzerwaldstraße is one of the most popular and scenic biking routes in this part of the Austrian Alps. Often on this day, we might get tangled with the locals moving the cows to the higher or lower pastures. It can be annoying and occasionally mucky, but it is something we don’t see every day, and it’s definitely worth a bit of patience. Also, there are many cafés, bakeries and restaurants along the route, so if we have to stop and wait…well be it. There are worse places in the world to get stuck.

Our traditional hotel in the beautiful Tyrol will welcome us with comfortable rooms and 360° mountain vistas of snow-capped peaks, pine forests and flowery meadows.

There are two riding options that you might consider today. With the first suggested self guided option, you can point your bikes in the direction we came from and have a go at the famous Arlberg Pass, the little-known mini-thriller – Faschinajoch and the legendary Silvretta Alpine road.

Both Arlberg and Silvretta are famous mountain passes with many well-cumbered hairpins and excellent restaurants along the way. Faschinajoch Pass will take us through the heart of the little-known yet stunning Vorarlberg region. As you may already gather, this fantastic mountain pass might not be regarded as ‘one of the big ones’ like some other passes in the region. However, this Alpine road definitely can stand on its own in terms of natural beauty and breathtaking scenery.

However, with the second self guided option, you can point your bikes in the opposite direction – towards Italy and Switzerland. This round trip will take you over the Reschen, Ofen, Umbrail, and of course, the one and only… Stelvio pass. After all, this is the main reason why most come on this tour.

You can stop at the Reschen pass in Italy to take photos of the submerged village. Only the church tower is visible above the water. Just down the road, it is worth stopping at the medieval walled town of Glorenza. And then it’s all the way up the Stelvio pass. It’s quite a challenging ride, but the stunning views and great sense of achievement definitely outweigh the effort. The cream on the cake is the roller coaster descent to Switzerland via the narrow and twisty Umbrail pass. The Ofen pass is an exhilarating ride suitable for a coffee break and taking photos before returning to our hotel.

On day five of the Swiss-Alps and Austrian-Tyrol guided-motorcycle-tour, if the weather is favourable, you could typically split yesterday’s self guided ride into two separate day trips. However, if the weather decides not to play, you coulould head towards Bavaria. This is not a demanding trip and does not include any major high mountain passes.

Bavaria’s splendid surroundings have long inspired people to build some of the most opulent buildings, abbeys and castles. If you wish, you’ll be able to visit three magnificent creations of the Mad King Ludwig II and his father. Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein (Disney Castle) and Linderhof Castle are very close to each other and worth seeing. Also, they are all situated in beautiful settings surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens and parks. Queen Mary’s Bridge (Marienbrücke) over the Pöllat river offers unparalleled views of Neuschwanstein Castle. You might have to battle the crowds to get your ideal shot of the castle, but the postcard-perfect views are worth it. However, it involves a bit of walking, so make sure that you have spare capacity in your panniers to store some of your biking gear. Alternatively, you might choose to visit only one castle and spend the rest of the day as you wish.

On the return leg of your journey, you can take a faster route via Fern Pass and along the Inntal Valley that tightly hugs the Inn river. Or you could partly retrace your tracks along the beautiful Lechtal valley and take a spin across the narrow, twisty, occasionally bumpy, often cold but incredibly scenic Huntenjoch Pass.

Today, the Swiss-Alps and Austrian-Tyrol guided-motorcycle-tour heads towards our next destination. The quickest and most straightforward route from Lech to Interlaken is to stick it on motorways and faster main roads. However, the question is, why would we want to do that? Why, indeed, when we could loop it around a bit, extend our ride and include a section of the legendary Arlberg Pass, the twisty Klausen Pass and the iconic Susten Pass.

Today, we’ll start with a relaxing früstück (breakfast) in Austrian Tyrol, followed by a leisurely Mittagessen (lunch) somewhere in the Alps and conclude with a gourmet Abendessen (evening meal) in Switzerland.

The best Alpine road, the most scenic ride, exhilarating hairpins, and incredible views – are synonyms often associated with Arlberg Pass. This beautiful pass is one of the best-known Tyrolean motorcycle touring routes. It is a popular biking destination, and we are likely to come across many other bikers there. If you remember, as we ride from Lech towards the Arlberg pass, pay attention to the tunnel/gallery we’ll be riding through. It is a marvellous mountain engineering feat affording breathtaking views of the surrounding mountain peaks and the valley below.

Klausen Pass is an incredibly scenic and popular biking road. It is about 29 miles long, and some of its 136 bends and hairpins can be relatively tight, twisty, testing and challenging. But the breathtaking views of the granite cliffs, cascading waterfalls, flowery meadows and thick pine forests make it a price worth paying. The Klausen Pass might not be among the highest alpine passes, but it offers a great ride. And as a little bonus/reward for our efforts, the Klausen Pass restaurant at the top serves a delicious selection of traditional dishes and has a big car park.

From here, a nice ride along the famous Gotthardstrasse will quickly connect us with the legendary Susten pass. This spectacular mountain pass is a 30-mile-long combination of well-cambered hairpins, stunning tunnel-bridge-tunnel sections and fast-flowing curves.

Our hotel in Interlaken will welcome us with comfortable rooms and breathtaking mountains and lake views.

Today the choice is yours. You might opt to follow our suggested itinerary and head towards Lauterbrunnen. Here you can visit Trümmelbach waterfalls that tumble and cascade down inside the mountain. Another option here is to take a cable car to Schilthorn. The restaurant was one of the locations where some of the iconic scenes from the James Bond 007 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret” were filmed. It overlooks the entire valley and offers the most stunning views of the three highest peaks – Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. It is also a great place to have lunch at the famous Piz Gloria 360° revolving restaurant. Also, the Lauterbrunnen Valley is a famous location for base-jumping. On a nice sunny day, you’ll see many of them honing their skills with their parachutes and wingsuits.

Another popular option to use your free day in Interlaken is going on one of many train journeys. Get a copy of the train timetable, make your choice and off you go. The most popular journey is the Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe. However, many other trips are just as good.

If you fancy a ride, quite a few big mountain passes can be included in your self guided route. The three passes that work pretty well together are the Grimsel, Furka and Susten. If you remember, when you get to Furka pass, look downhill over the car park barrier. There is a colony of jolly marmots forever disciplining the youngsters or sorting out their family disputes. The ride can also be extend to include the legendary Sankt Gotthard pass and a section of the panoramic Sankt Gotthard Strasse.

We hope you enjoyed our stay in the majestic Swiss Alps. Today we’ll be leaving Switzerland and heading towards another, different in character but still beautiful destination in the bubbly Champagne Region of France. As one of the main wine-producing French capitals, Troyes is a bit of an unknown quantity when it comes to motorcycle touring, and many would say a hidden gem. And as it is relatively unknown, it makes it a perfect destination to explore. It has well-preserved medieval quarters with a labyrinth of ancient cobbled streets and narrow alleys lined with restored half-timbered buildings and brightly painted houses. There are many tourist attractions, boutiques, shops and a fantastic bar, cafe and restaurant scene to keep us entertained on our last night on tour.

Leaving Switzerland behind, we’ll follow rural country roads, main fast routes and not too many but some motorways towards our last destination in France. As we continue winding through traditional villages, cultivated fields and green forests, the landscapes will gradually become less mountainous and more hilly and panoramic. If we wish to stop for lunch, there are several convenient towns. When we start feeling peckish, we’ll just lookout for a café or boulangerie, and we can’t go wrong. Belfort, Vesoul and Chaumont are all convenient places to stop for a break or lunch.

As we continue with the Swiss-Alps and Austrian-Tyrol guided-motorcycle-tour, winding through traditional villages, cultivated fields and green forests, the landscapes will gradually become hilly, chalky, and dotted with vineyards. If you are interested in military history, we can use this opportunity to stop at the Charles De Gaulle museum in Colombey-Les-Deux-Eglises. The memorial is visible from a great distance due to the staggering 44 metres high Cross of Lorraine.

We’ll ride through the panoramic landscapes of the Forêt d’Orient Nature Park to round up our journey. The nature reserve is a protected area of grasslands, woodlands and lakes and is crisscrossed with a maze of traffic-free lanes and backroads. On a historic note Hugues de Payens, the co-founder and first Grand Master of the Knights Templar, came from here.

Our town hotel will welcome us with a charming town atmosphere and comfortable rooms.

It’s a shame to spoil the party. And we hope it has been a great party indeed. But even a great party at some point must come to an end. So after a delicious French breakfast, it is time to head home.

Our route will take us north along some great traffic-free highways and byways before eventually joining the motorway back to the Eurotunnel terminal.

Thank you for joining our Swiss-Alps and Austrian-Tyrol guided-motorcycle-tour and RidingWithUs. And we hope to RideWithYou again soon.