 With
A Swiss Flavor
June 26 - July 5, 2010
10 Riding Days
This trip is for those people who want to ride the high Alpine passes,
many of which are in Austria, Switzerland and the northwest corner of
Italy, which was formerly part of Austria prior to World War I. Many of
the passes are well above the tree line, which gives you a wide open,
panoramic view of the mountains and valleys. However, there are great
views to be had from high on top of a wooded pass looking down into valleys
or lakes. I've never specifically checked it out but it appears that the
tree line stops around 1,600 to 1,700 meters. Either way the view is beautiful.
When most people think of the Swiss Alps they think of high sweeping vistas
similar to the pictures in my "Photo Album". However, Switzerland
has some outstanding, smaller passes that traverse high alpine valleys
and meadows showcasing the back roads and less traveled parts of Switzerland
and this trip spends time enjoying several of those as well.
Switzerland has great roads, excellent food, friendly people, and the
postcard picture perfect vistas that you expect.
Please check out the Photo
Album for a glimpse of what the view will be like. Note that tabs
1 and 2 show pictures from both tours while tabs 3 and 4 show scenes from
the Swiss and Italian tours respectively.
Note - Short Tour
If you want to tour the Alps but only have 6 - 7 days instead of ten days
or two weeks this tour can meet your schedule. Our Swiss tour route essentially
circles our home base in Thun. It is very easy to peel off from the group
after the 6th day. Thun is an easy, short 3 - 4 hour ride from Andermatt,
which would get you back in plenty of time to have a late lunch, turn
in your motorcycle and pack up your gear for departure the next day. If
you want to do a shortened tour please let me know. It's no problem to
arrange it for you.
WHERE WE GO
The 10-day total tour includes 8 nights away from our base in Steffisburg.
There are 6 nights in Switzerland (S) and 2 nights in Austria (A). The
schedule of overnight stays is as follows:
- Saturday - Thun (S)
- Sunday - Klontaler See (S)
- Monday - Imst (A)
- Tuesday - Imst (A)
- Wednesday - Pontresina (S)
- Thursday - Pontresina (S)
- Friday - Pontresina (S)
- Saturday - Andermatt (S)
- Sunday - Andermatt (S)
- Monday - Thun (S)
- Tuesday - Fly Home
A basic list of the passes that we might go over each day would
be:
- Saturday - Free Day - The bike
is yours all day. There's lots of great riding nearby.
- Sunday - Schallenberg, Glaubenberg,
Klausen
- Monday - Pragel, Ibergeregg,
Satellegg, Furka Joch, Hochtannberg, Hahntenn Joch
- Tuesday - Timmelsjoch, Brenner,
Kuhtai, Haiming Joch, Bieler Hohe (Silvretta), Flexen
- Wednesday - Piller Hohe, Ofen,
Fluela, Albula
- Thursday - Forcola di Livigno,
Bernina, Julier, Lenzerheide,
- Friday - Bernina, Mortirolo,
Gavia, Stelvio, Ofen
- Saturday - Maloja, Splugen,
Oberalp
- Sunday - Susten, Grimsel, Furka,
Lukmanier, St. Gotthard
- Monday - St. Gottard, Nufenen,
Grimsel
MOTO-CHARLIE reserves the right to alter the exact route at his discretion.
BRIEF TOUR DESCRIPTION
This tour focuses on three main areas, which are the high Swiss and Italian
passes near St. Moritz, the South Tyrol region west and south of Innsbruck
and the Andermatt region (considered by many motorcyclists to be the number
1 Alpine riding area).
Most people like to arrive a day ahead of time on Friday. The motorcycle
is usually available to pick up on Friday afternoon. If the entire group
arrives on Friday we usually plan two group rides on Saturday, one in
the morning and one in the afternoon. You are welcome to come on both,
one, or none of the Saturday rides. I'll be more than glad to help you
plan whatever alternate Saturday activity might be of interest to you.
-
Saturday - Pick up the motorcycle. There are many wonderful
sites to see in the immediate area, either by motorcycle or public
transportation. Go visit the neat town of Interlaken located between
the Thun See ("see" is the german word for lake) and the
Brienzer See or take in Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald and gaze upon
the Eiger. Or just hang out in Thun or Steffisburg. You're welcome
to just relax in the morning, post jet lag, and partake in a short
group ride in the afternoon to get used to the bike and the roads.
In the evening please feel to join the other tour members for a group
dinner or head off on your own for a quiet, private meal. It's all
your choice.
-
Sunday - Today is full of smaller one-lane passes like the
Glaubenberg, forested and less traveled in a quiet part of Switzerland.
There are numerous spectacular views of the lakes below. In the early
afternoon we have lunch lakeside at Beckenried before taking the ferry
across the lake. From there we take the road south to Altdorf, made
famous by the legend of William Tell before we head east over the
highest pass of the day, the Klausen pass. This is a major Alpine
pass with the photo ops to prove it. We spend the night at a cozy
Swiss hotel on the edge of the Klontaler See.
-
Monday - We spend the morning enjoying three more smaller,
narrow road passes including the Pragel and Ibergeregg that are a
treat to ride before stopping for lunch at a restaurant high up on
the rock face with an excellent view of the Walen See immediately
spread out below. From here we head north into Austria crossing the
Furka Joch and Hochtannberg before finding our way to our night's
hotel in Imst. This hotel has great views of the Austrian Alps and
a wonderful large outdoor patio to enjoy them. We'll be here for two
nights.
-
Tuesday - Today provides the opportunity to sight-see, ride
or do both. Our hotel is an easy loop ride to three famous castles,
all related to Bavaria's famous King Ludwig. You can go visit the
castles Linderhof, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Linderhof is
the only castle that Ludwig completely finished before is death and
is famous for its extensive fountains and waterworks. Hohenschwangau
and Neuschwanstein are nearby to one another. The latter formed the
basis for Disney's famous trademark castle. If you would rather ride
there is a great loop over the Timmelsjoch (9th highest pass in the
Alps), Brenner, Kuhtai, and Haiming Joch. This route will take us
into Italy and back into Austria. If time permits we can do another
loop afterwards that includes the Bieler Hohe (Silvretta), Flexen
and Hahntenn Joch passes. All in all a great day of riding.
-
Wednesday - We start the day off by heading south over another
quiet back road pass called the Piller Hohe. Once down from that we
head south into Switzerland where we can crisscross over the Graubunden
region on some high Swiss passes including the Ofen, Fluela, and Albula.
We end up at our most excellent hotel in Pontresina. We'll stay here
for three nights. Pontresina is a small, neat little town. Our hotel
has a nice outdoor sitting area by the main street where you can enjoy
some refreshment while watching the world go by. There is also an
excellent pastry shop diagonally across from the hotel. There are
plenty of non-motorcycling activities to do in this area including
hiking, bicycling, horseback riding and roller-blading. St. Moritz
is just a short 10-minute motorcycle, bus or train ride away.
-
Thursday - Today all the passes are high alpine passes with
panoramic views and postcard perfect villages. Start the day by riding
through a solid rock tunnel for a quick run into Italy, through the
free trade anomaly of Lavigno before looping back into Switzerland
over the Bernina Pass. Those tour members who ride all day will get
to go over five great passes. The routes are designed so that members
can ride all day, or just ride in the morning and peel off close to
the hotel before the afternoon loop. The roads are two-cars wide,
the tar is good, with plenty of turns and switchbacks to keep you
happy. You also get classis Swiss Alpine scenery all day long.
-
Friday - Today we head over to Italy for two of the highest
passes on the trip and five passes in all. By mid-day we will have
ridden two of today's passes and should be heading up Passo di Gavia.
At 2,621 meters this pass is the 7th highest Alpine pass. This is
a prelude to the next pass, Passo di Stelvio, which comes later in
the day and is considered by many riders to be the "must ride"
pass of the Alps. At 2,758 meters it's the third highest pass in the
Alps. It is perhaps the most famous and photographed pass in the Alps.
With close to 40 switchbacks on each side, year round skiing at the
top, and the carnival like atmosphere at the pass itself there is
nothing else like it in the Alps.
-
Saturday - We head for Andermatt, famous with bikers for the
six high, unbeatable passes in the immediate area. Some bikers would
argue that it is the premier region to ride in (I'm always torn between
Andermatt and the Dolomites - that's why I run at least two tours).
But first we go over several high passes to get there including one
of my favorites the Splugen Pass just over the border into Italy.
This pass has it all, tight narrow twisty roads, two-lane panoramic
views, Italian espresso on one side and Swiss hospitality on the other.
At the bottom of the Splugen there is a great, nicely paved road that
dances through the forest on our way to Thusis. We come into Andermatt
on the Oberalp pass, considered by many motorcyclists to have the
finest set of sweepers that there are to ride. Nice tar, wide turns,
great sight lines, its super. Andermatt is a fantastic, quintessential
Swiss town and we stay right in the village for two nights.
-
Sunday - All of the passes we ride today are spectacular.
The Susten, Grimsel, and Furka passes make up one loop. The afternoon
goes backwards over the Furka and up over the Nufenen (Switzerland's
highest) and Gotthard passes before coming back into Andermatt. You
can see numerous glaciers, either from a distance or up close and
personal during today's route. These passes plus a couple of side
trips up some unbelievable dead-end roads make for an unforgettable
day of riding.
-
Monday - We will spend the morning through lunch time in the
Andermatt area. Feel free to ride the passes and high alpine roads
that you did not get to yesterday. Pick your favorite pass from the
prior day and ride it in the opposite direction. I mention elsewhere
in this website that a pass can have a completely different look and
feel coming from the other side. Do some souvenir shopping or take
the gondola in the center of town to the top of the Gemsstock, Andermatt's
famous ski area. On the route back we stop at a lakeside restaurant
for a final struddle or coupe Denmark to toast the end of a super
tour. We get back to Thun in plenty of time to return the motorcycles
and to prepare for tomorrow's departure. Here again, as on the first
night, please feel to join the other tour members for a group dinner
or head off on your own for a quiet, private meal. It's all your choice.
KEY DATES
-
The tour dates are shown at the top of this page. Naturally,
you are welcome to come sooner. I generally arrive on Friday. If you
would like to come sooner, or stay longer, hotel and motorcycle arrangements
can readily made to suit your schedule.
-
When to book your reservation obviously depends on your schedule.
As a rule I suggest at least 3 months in advance of the tour date
in order to ensure that you get the motorcycle that you want and to
secure a place on the tour. There is a limit of 10 motorcycles or
15 people, whichever comes first, per tour. There are approximately
nearly a full line of BMW, Honda and Aprilia models to choose from.
In the case of certain BMW's there are several bikes of the same models
available. In the case of the Honda's and Aprilia's, one of each.
If having a specific bike is a high priority for you then please book
early.
-
The final cut-off date is technically 30 days before the tour
starts. At this point there is enough lead-time for any adjustments
or cancellations as they relate to our motorcycle supplier and related
hotels. If someone contacts me to sign up with less than 30 days to
go every effort will be made to accommodate you. The issue will usually
be the motorcycle availability.
TOUR COST - 10 Days
The cost for this tour at the current exchange rates will be:
- Single rider in a single room
- $3,700
- Single rider sharing a double
room - $3,620
- Passenger sharing a double room
- $1,970
- Couple riding together sharing
a double room - $5,590
These cost numbers should cover your direct travel costs including motorcycle
rental, all hotels and meals, gas and my fee. For a more complete discussion
of the cost of this tour please click here.
HOW TO BOOK THIS TOUR
Please refer to the "Contact Me" section for my telephone or
e-mail address. There is also an e-mail link to me at the bottom of this
page. I am not a paperwork intensive person. So, the process of making
a reservation and getting what I need for my records is pretty simple
once you contact me.
Feel free to contact me to ask any questions about my tours in particular,
or the Alps in general. If I can be of help in any way I'll be glad to
do so.
If you like a variety of small passes and big passes mixed with picture
perfect scenery and classic Alpine attitude, you'll get a kick out of
this tour. It is possible to ride over more than 30 great passes, some
in opposite directions, or more than once. This trip will give you a great
taste of the Swiss Alps, plus a sampling of Austria and Italy, with enough
things to do for pass junkies and non-pass junkies alike.
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