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Self Guided Motorcycle Tour to Lake Achensee

Join our self guided motorcycle tour to Lake Achensee where you only need to take your time, relax and enjoy.

Our self guided motorcycle tour to Lake Achensee, or if you wish self guided motorcycle holiday, allows you to venture into the heart of Austrian Tyrol.

This is one of those places where it’s so tempting to sit back and soak up the restful mountain atmosphere. However, to do so, you would miss out on riding some fantastic biking roads as well as mountain passes. Therefore, this holiday is designed to balance riding the superb biking roads and relaxing in beautiful surroundings.

During the years, motorcyclists from all over the world have marvelled at the Tyrolean mountain roads and passes. They snake through small villages as well as medieval towns. They also wind through flower-filled meadows and dark green pine forests. And they climb to the high pastures and even higher rugged mountain plateaus.

One of those roads will take you over the narrow and twisty Hahntennjoch and through the stunningly beautiful Lechtal Valley.

From here, you are not a million miles away from other popular biking hot spots and areas of outstanding beauty. You are within an easy ride of Bavaria and the legendary Romantic Road as well as the majestic Neuschwanstein Castle. Also, an extended excursion will take you over the panoramic Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road. And, finally, a more ambitious ride may include the enjoyable Gerlos pass, spectacular Krimml waterfalls and roller coaster Großglockner pass.

Lake Achensee’s area is an inspiring region to explore the rich tapestry of Alpine traditions and customs. This memorable motorcycle journey allows you to venture into the heart of Tyrol and experience its fascinating culture.

While here, you can visit Innsbruck to explore its narrow streets and admire the attractive baroque facades. The most famous tourist attractions are the Gothic-style medieval corner house and the 14th-century city tower. Also, make sure you visit the famous Golden Roof as well.

Another day trip can include a visit to the world-famous Swarovski Crystal Factory. It produces the finest fine-cut decorative glass and jewellery.

To round off your day, you can also visit the charming medieval town of Hall im Tyrol. It is renowned for its medieval alleys and centuries-old townhouses, as well as an imposing 700-year-old fortress.

To explore the lake in a more relaxed way, you can take to waters for a leisurely boat trip. On the other hand, huffing and puffing up and down the mountain on a stem train might be more appealing.

Getting to Austria is relatively easy; however, leaving here might prove to be more difficult. Besides the roads and breathtaking scenery, one of the other main reasons is the superb hotel you’ll be staying at. Your hosts have tastefully created a relaxed splendour of convivial atmosphere with an inviting bar, spacious rooms and gourmet restaurant.

This is a short self guided motorcycle tour with a big heart. It would be easy to place all emphasis on the main destination alone. However, Austrian Tyrol is sandwiched between several other great motorcycling destinations. Your transit journey starts with a gentle ride through the picturesque countryside of Belgian Ardennes as well as Luxembourg. Then there comes an exhilarating ride along the legendary B500, scenic Bregenzwaldstraße and the enjoyable Arlberg pass. You’ll mark the start of the return leg with the Silvretta pass and a second helping of the Black Forest. And finally, a gentle ride through the lush vineyards of the Champagne region of France will take you home.

For more day-to-day information regarding the self guided motorcycle tour to Lake Achensee, please spend some time studying the tour itinerary below.

PLEASE NOTE: On rare occasions, the itinerary might slightly change depending on hotel availability.

For an alternative to the self guided motorcycle tour to Lake Achensee, please use this link: Austrian Tyrol self guided motorcycle holiday.

If you require a motorcycle rental for the self guided motorcycle tour to Lake Achensee, please get in touch with our partner, RoadTrip.

Please visit our Facebook page for up-to-date information about the self guided motorcycle tour to Lake Achensee.

When to go:

May to September

Price

Includes

7 nights b&b accommodation
7 evening meals
Return Eurotunnel crossing
GPX routes
Trip check list
Daily itinerary
Suggested tourist attractions
Emergency services numbers

Excludes

Countries:

Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, France

Motorcycle rental:

Available

Book now:

Tour highlights

3*** and 4**** hotels with leisure facilities
Arlberg Pass
Gerlos Alpine road
Day trip to Bavaria
Thurn Pass
Krimml waterfalls
Optional ride - Großglockner pass
Ski resorts of Kitzbühel and Mittersill
Visit to Swarovski Crystal factory
Visit to Innsbruck
Boat trip on Lake Achensee

Self Guided Motorcycle Tour to Lake Achensee Itinerary

Day 1 – Folkestone to Luxembourg (Approx. 250 miles)

Today your Lake-Achensee self-guided motorcycle tour starts! A morning channel-tunnel crossing will take you under the water to Calais. From there, you’ll be heading into Belgium.

The first part of the route will be on the motorways. They might not be the most prefered types of roads, but they provide speedy access to more enjoyable routes. In the afternoon, you’ll be winding through the rolling hills and green fields of the pretty Belgian countryside.

If your interests lay in military history, then Bastogne is an excellent place to visit. There is the War Museum, Mardasson Memorial, Bastogne Barracks and a little tank parked in the town centre. Bastogne is where we usually stop for a bite to eat and drink on our guided tours. The town centre has a big car park surrounded by cafés and restaurants.

From here, it is only a short but pleasant ride to your hotel in Vianden – Luxembourg.

“Luxembourg is the only remaining Grand Duchy in the world with a Grand Duke as head of state”

Day 2 – Luxembourg to Black Forest (Germany) (Approx. 240 miles)

The next morning your Lake-Achensee self-guided motorcycle tour continues. After a hearty breakfast, you’ll take a nice relaxing ride through the heart of Luxembourg before crossing into Germany.

The border crossing involves riding over the dam on the river Rhine. This was the first hydroelectric power station built on the Franco-German post-war coalition. It is a masterful fit of engineering. Therefore if you are fortunate enough to be able to park your bike, it is definitely worth seeing.

Bad Bergzabern is a typical German sleepy spa town with not much going on. However, that’s what makes it the perfect place to have lunch. Your route will take you through the centre of the town. There are several cafes and restaurants with beautiful pavement tables and accessible parking facilities.

The rest of the day, you’ll spend riding pleasant country routes that can include a section of the legendary Schwarzwaldhochstraße – B500.

If you wish, extra days can be arranged to extend your stay in the Black Forest.

“After the British and Irish, the Germans consume the most beer”

Day 3 – Black Forest to Lake Achensee (Austria) (Approx. 260 miles)

Departing from the Black Forest, your route will take you to your first destination of the day in Switzerland. The magnificent river Rhine waterfalls in Schaffhausen is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the region.

It is an excellent place to have a break, walk to the magnificent Laufen castle or go on a short boat ride. From here, the Rhine will guide you to the shores of the lake Konstanz. This is a beautiful part of the journey through miles and miles of perfectly cultivated orchards. The scenery will gradually 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. Warth, Lech as well as the Arlberg pass are all convenient places to stop, stretch your legs and take some stunning photos.

Your base in Achensee will be a traditional chalet-style hotel surrounded by stunning lake and mountain views.

“The Red Bull energy drink company is based in Austria”

Day 4 – Free day (Approx. 150 miles)

Today is your first day off of the Lake-Achensee self-guided motorcycle tour, and you are free to create your own agenda or follow our suggested itinerary. You can ride over the enjoyable yet not demanding Gerlos pass and stop to see the highest waterfalls in Europe at Krimml.

If you really wish to make this great ride even greater, you can extend it to include the iconic Großglockner pass. The High Alpine Road is the highest surfaced mountain pass road in Austria and is one of those must-do rides. You will also pass through some more famous ski resorts such as Mittersill, Kaprun and Sankt Johan im Pongau.

Another popular day trip is to ride over Hahntennjoch pass. It is one of the smaller passes in the area but quite narrow, twisty, often cold and occasionally demanding. It takes about a few hours to do. And usually, that’s just enough. Combined with a lovely traditional lunch, it always turns out to be a good day.

“Swarovski Crystal was created in Austria in 1892”

Day 5 – Free day (Approx. 120 -200 miles)

Today is usually an easy day. You can ride to Innsbruck and take a stroll around the old town. You can also visit the famous Swarovski Crystal factory and the town of Hall in Tyrol.

This proved to be a popular choice amongst many of our clients. There is also a nice walk around the lake leading to the cable car that will take you to the top of the mountain. Here you can test your courage on an adrenaline-pumping zip wire ride between two mountain peaks. There are many excellent traditional restaurants everywhere serving a great selection of local dishes. Pike or trout with potato salad always work for us.

If you happen to be a bit of a train-spotter, than a steam train journey might appeal to you. Or on the other hand, you can just have a long lazy breakfast and do nothing for the rest of the day.

“English King Richard the Lionheart was captured and held for ransom while passing through Austria on his return from one of the Crusades”

Day 6 – Tyrol to Black Forest (Approx. 200 miles)

Today you can reroute your ride to include Silvretta pass into the return leg of your self guided motorcycle holiday. This would be your last mountain pass in the Alps as well.

Silvretta is a famous biking road. One side is easy, relaxing and beautifully scenic. However, the other side is like a roller coaster in a spaghetti ball. The lake restaurant at the top of the pass is a good place to stop for a bite to eat and drink. The rest of the journey will take you through some picturesque scenery of the German countryside.

Your hotel in the Black Forest will welcome you with a comfortable room and a delicious evening meal. The mileage is not that great, so you will have plenty of time to enjoy the ride and stop as often as you like.

If you wish, extra days can be arranged to extend your stay in the Black Forest.

“When JFK visited Berlin, he infamously said “Ich bin ein Berliner,” which also translates to “I am a jam doughnut”

Day 7 – Black Forest to Champagne Region (France) (Approx. 240 miles)

You wouldn’t be blamed if you assumed that there are no more mountains at this stage of your journey. But this is not precisely correct. There is still one more mountain to cross on this fantastic Lake Achensee self-guided motorcycle tour.

The Schlucht pass in the Vosges Mountains is another popular biking route. It is slightly different from the Alpine passes, but it is a beautiful ride. It is equally frequented by bikers from both Germany and France. The rest of the journey towards the Champagne region is usually the most peaceful ride of the entire tour.

Your comfortable hotel in Troyes is located only a short distance from the town centre. The main square is designed in the shape of a champagne cork and branches out to many medieval cobbled streets and narrow alleys. It also has a bustling bar and restaurant scene, making it a perfect place to celebrate your last night of the tour with a glass or two of bubbly.

“The French Army is the only one in Europe still having travelling pigeons in its ranks”

Day 8 – Champagne Region to Folkestone (Approx. 250 miles)

Sadly it is time to leave, catch your afternoon euro-tunnel crossing and go home. You all must have kids, cats and dogs and must be keen to see them again.

We hope that you enjoyed this fantastic self guided motorcycle holiday as much as we enjoyed organising it.

Thank you for RidingWithUs, and we also hope to hear from you again soon.

“Stay healthy… keep travelling”

What our customers say

“Everything about the holiday was absolutely first class. Many thanks.”

N & R Allen

Edinburgh, Scotland, 2019