I'm losing my cherry with a little 4500 mile 'bimble' around Europe over July and August. The rough route is as follows: Channel Tunnel to Calais -> Amsterdam -> Lippstadt -> Berlin -> Prague -> Krakow -> Budapest -> Vienna -> Zagreb -> Venice -> Milan -> Monaco -> Bordeaux -> Caen -> Calais. At the moment, the only things set in stone are that I land in Calais on the morning of the 23rd of July and I'm booked into a hotel in Amsterdam for that night. At present the plan is to camp between the cities and the hotel it when I get to each city, so I can dump riding gear and mooch about like a 'proper' tourist. I have no fixed return date, although I do need to be back in the UK by Sept 4th. I'm going solo and don't envisage this being a problem. I've been through a lot of threads about what to take and I think I've got it all covered. I have all the paperwork I need and the bike has just been serviced and a new rear tyre fitted less than 1000 miles ago. What I'm hoping for are any camp sites or hotel/B&Bs along that route I've mentioned, that anyone can recommend, or places of interest ( interesting WW2 stuff maybe ? ) that are worth a detour of a day to visit, please. TVMIA for any ideas/help
Here is a list of motorcycle and motorcycle friendly camp sites and hotels. http://www.motobotc.co.uk/ The only other tip I can give you is to enjoy yourself
If you are in the Salzburg, Eagles Nest, Großglockner, Nockalmstraße area try this place http://www.pensionhausmaria.com
Don't forget the tent space thread, there are a few in Europe. http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=869519 You could also sign up for Horizonsunlimited http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ Then ask questions about places to stay or of interest if the place you are headed to next has an HU community http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/community/contactEnglish.shtml This is also a good source of information about motorcycle related events, bike servicing and help with other problems.
hey, check out http://alpineroads.com/ they have listed most of the passes in the alps. if you want some advice about riding around vienna, ask me and i can help you looking for nice routes here in eastern austria. cheers josef
Looks like a great route I see you have Monaco on your list, Just an FYI, there are no camp sites in or near Monaco, (I tried last year) And that late in the season, hotels are going to be expensive. Dog
Thank you, josef. So far I have booked hotels up to Budapest. The route back will involve Vienna and some of Austria, so i'll PM you nearer the time :)
Cheers Dog I have included Monaco purely as a reference point when mapping, but thanks for the tip/warning. I have been told it's worth avoiding it altogether and sticking closer to the Alps and riding the roads round there instead. My only fixed point after Milan, is Caen, so how I get between the two is very 'fluid'
you've got lots of cities in there. riding in europe is about riding the mountain passes as well. don't forget to ride from Venice to and through the Dolomites in Italy....some of the most enjoyable riding in the alps. Milan is not all that fun. big city and crowded with traffic. unless, it's on the hit list, why not continue west past the Dolomites into Switzerland. Passo di Stevio and others. drop south from San Moritz and head to Chiavenna and then back door into France over the Col d' Montegenvre down to Gap via the Col d' Izoard....then if you have to go through Monaco/Cannes you're in a great area and have avoided alot of autoroute/autostrada. lots of great options. have a great time.
Thanks for the suggestions :) The cities are mostly only for waypoints and to give an indication of where I'm going. Unless I'm really pressed for time, I'll be avoiding all the motorways and sticking to rural roads, so as to see much more of where I am. I'm already looking at dropping Monaco and Bordeaux ( they were only there as points along the route to Caen anyway ), instead going up from Milan...over the Grand Route St Bernard to Lake Geneva, then along the shore for a bit and onwards to Lyon...etc etc The tour is very fluid and I've no doubt there will be many last minute changes
plan to spend more time as possible in the Dolomites, the ride are the best on earth, and the views too. apert the hotels, there are several mountain huts where is possible to lodge . If you like history and war places, don't miss the Lagazuoi tunnel and museum - best way to savor, sleep at the Rifugio Lagazuoi - outstanding panorama and sunsets - easy to reach with the cable car This place... http://www.rifugiolagazuoi.com Then go down through the WWI war tunnels - a breathtaking experience They have restored the mine and trench works, where for two years the italians fought beneath and over the austrians
+1 - if you're pressed for time and can't make the cable car rides, there's a "new" museum in an old WWI fort on the Passo Valparola. It provides a glimpse of what they went through and is well worth the visit. No war is nice, but the Italian-Austrian mountain war of WWI was particularly nasty. The trenches in France & Belgium get all the press, but they were a picnic in comparison.
