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About This Tour
Where We Go
Tour Highlights
Tour Cost
Brief Tour Description
Key Dates
Minimum Number of Tour Members
How To Book This Tour

ABOUT THIS TOUR

My “Alps Select” tour picks the crème de la crème of Alpine riding highlighting outstanding scenery along with wonderful towns, lakes and cultural attractions. Most Alpine motorcycle experts, including John Hermann (“King of the Alps”) consider the Andermatt region in Switzerland and the Dolomites of Italy to be the “must ride” roads of the Alps. In between these two motorcycling Mecca’s we conquer 3 of the highest passes in the Alps including the famous switchback laden Passo di Stelvio, the wild and beautiful Passo di Gavia and the Umbrail pass. We can expect to ride 50 – 60 passes. It really is the best of the best.

This tour also includes the beautiful town of Riva on the northern edge of Lago di Garda on the southern edge of the Alps. Riva and the surrounding area are definitely Italian with a very different feel from the Germanic regions to the north. Here we can enjoy dinner by the lake, nightlife in the old town or take a boat tour on the lake. The riding in the surrounding high hills and mountains overlooking the lake is pretty special too. Many Tour Members consider Riva to be a major lighlight of their tour.

WHERE WE GO

ALPS SELECT Swiss/Italian Loop

• Day 1 – Thusis (S)
• Day 2 – Corvara (I)
• Day 3 – Corvara (I)
• Day 4 – Corvara (I)
• Day 5 – Riva del Garda (I)
• Day 6 – Riva del Garda (I)
• Day 7 – Riva del Garda (I)
• Day 8 – Pontresina (S)
• Day 9 – Pontresina (S)
• Day 10 – Ulrichen (S)
• Day 11 – Thun (S)

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

• Special Places – Pieve, a small town overlooking Lago di Garda (Garda Lake) – spectacular views. The road up is magic
• Lunch at a high Dolomite Mountain Hut (via 5-minute cable car ride) with unforgettable panoramic views of the Dolomites
• A snack on top of one of the highest cable cars in Switzerland with panoramic views of St Moritz and surrounding area
• Major Passes – (#10), (#8) (#7) and the incomparable Passo Stelvio (#3) + more
• Smaller Passes – Wurzjoch, Croci Domini and many more
• More than 50 passes in total

MOTO-CHARLIE reserves the right to alter the exact route at his discretion.

TOUR COST

The cost for this tour at the current exchange rates will be:

• Single rider in a single room
• $5,860 – ALPS SELECT

• Passenger sharing a double room
• $3,565 – ALPS SELECT

• Couple riding two-up sharing a double room
• $9,425 – ALPS SELECT

These numbers cover your direct tour costs including motorcycle rental, all hotels, all meals, gas and my fee. May vary depending on the currency exchange rates in effect during the time of travel.

BRIEF TOUR DESCRIPTION

This tour focuses on three main areas with a little bit of Switzerland thrown in. The first area is the Tyrolean region of Northwest Italy, which includes some of the highest passes in the Alps including Stelvio and the Timmelsjoch. We then head southeast for three days in the Dolomites (my favorite area by a whisker) with their unique look, great twisty roads and multitude of passes. Our 3-night stay in the beautiful Italian lake town of Riva del Garda can be enjoyed as rest time, riding time or both. Our ride back to Thun via Pontresina, close by to St. Moritz, gives us two more days of high, classic Alpine passes before our adventure ends back in Thun.

Most people like to arrive at least one day ahead of time to help with jet lag, see the local sights or get acclimated to their motorcycle, the roads and Euro riding in general via the free 1/2-day ORIENTATION DAY offered to all Tour Members. I’ll be more than glad to help you plan whatever activity might be of interest to you.

• Day 1 – Today we head straight for some of Switzerland’s most famous high passes located in the Andermatt region, including the Susten pass. From here we have the option to ride either the “new” Gotthard pass with its excellent pavement and wide sweeping turns, or the “original” Tremola pass road constructed in the early 1800’s and built in its current cobblestone configuration in 1951. With 24 hairpins and unique views it is Switzerland’s longest historical roadway. From there we take the Lukmanierpass and then go over some of my favorite high valley roads with beautiful views to the valley below, passing by the watershed start of the Rhine River as we do so. We spend the night at a cozy Swiss hotel in the town of Thusis.

• Day 2 – We start by heading towards Davos, before turning off for the climb up the Abula Pass at 2,315 meters (7,595 feet) high. It is a fun climb, and the top opens up to a high flat landscape with lunar looking mountains on either side, unique views. From there we ride through Zernez to the Ofen pass, one of the brisker paced passes on this tour with excellent pavement, lots of sweepers and scenery more like the forests of New England than Switzerland. Along the way we stop for lunch in the small historic walled town of Glorenza, right out of a fairy tale.  After a focused ride along the main valley road to Bolzano we circumvent the city and make our way to the Val Gardena Valley, start of the Dolomites. Our first introduction to these famous passes takes us over the Passo Gardena and down into our home for the next 3 nights in Corvara.

• Day 3 – There are more passes in this area than we can cover, even in 2 days, so we pick the best. Today we ride the classic dolomite passes which look like a figure 8 on the map – the Sella Ronda route, a minimum of 5 passes. Every pass is beautiful and unique and demands a photo stop. We’ll also do Passo di Giau, one of my all-time favorites and look down on the gorge at Sottoguda. If the weather is good, we can enjoy a mountain hut lunch via cable car at more than 2,700 meters with spectacular 360-degree views of the Dolomites.

• Day 4 – Yesterday we rode the classic Dolomite passes. Today we ride some of the lesser-known narrow, one lane passes and high valley roads that make this region of the Alps so special – another day of 5 or more passes. Many of these roads feel like we’ve stumbled onto a windy narrow one lane private driveway with unbelievable scenery. We’ll stop for a snack at Lago di Misurina, a little gem of emerald colored glacial water framed by a stunning Dolomite background. We then head back east over the Wurzjoch, a similar style road but a definite pass with some unforgettable Dolomite massif views. It’s a great way to enjoy our Dolomite visit.

• Day 5 – We head south over four more passes including a narrow un-crowded gem Passo Lavaze, a free-flowing pass that can be ridden for the scenery or way more briskly for sport. We then ride some more twisty Alpine roads, fast flowing valley roads and roads that ride the rims of deep, wide canyon-like landscapes as we work our way to the southern edge of the dolomites before arriving at our lakeside hotel in Riva on the shores of Lago di Garda. Riva is a great example of an Italian lake’s region town. There is a lot to do including shops, cafes, people watching, water sports and more. You can kick back for the balance of the day and enjoy the town or join me for a ride along the shore and up into the adjacent hillside. Don’t worry; we’ll be back in time for dinner.

• Day 6 – Riva is definitely Italian, whereas the Dolomites, which were Austrian before WWI, are a mix of Germanic and Italian influences. If it’s sunny the Italian lakeside activities, café life and people watching will all be in full swing. Riding can be split into two loops, one in the morning and other in the afternoon. Today lends itself to a number of choices including a whole day away from the bike, a morning ride, which highlights the famous Strada della Forra, an amazing narrow road carved into and through the mountain (which takes us to a hillside hotel/café overlooking a panoramic view of the lake and Riva below) or an afternoon loop through the hillside, which few Americans get to see. It’s a good day to recharge your batteries, buy a few souvenirs and soak up some Italian culture.

• Day 7 – Another day where you have many choices to indulge in Italian lake life, perhaps go for a boat ride, shop for leather goods, enjoy a tasty gelato or hike up into the hills to enjoy beautiful lake views below. If you want to ride, there are wonderful options for that too. Today’s ride will focus on the hills and low mountains on the northeastern side of the lake, looking across from the side we rode yesterday. This side is home to Monte Baldo at over 1,800 meters (6,000 feet). The ride will take us up along high one and two lane roads with frequent views to the lake below as well as stunning mountain views and valley pastures below. Stops might include the Ferrara di Monte Baldo, a church constructed right into the side of a mountain cliff, the Funiva Prada Costabella, a unique open single-person cable car, or the more well-known Funiva Malcesine-Monte Baldo enclosed cable car. There is a leisurely ride partway back along the shore of the lake through small villages and lakeside resorts before arriving back at our hotel in Riva.

• Day 8 – Today we start to work our way back north into the high Alps passes of Switzerland. We begin by leaving Riva via a long tunnel carved right through the mountain and then a fun a ride past Lago di Ledro and through the valley before heading for Bagolino. The fun begins here as the road gets twisty and narrow heading towards the Passo Crocedomini, an out-of-the way Italian gem popular with bikers and the few odd ball cars willing to tackle the tight twisty terrain. There is a small Refugio at the top (1,892 meters/6,207 feet) that has good coffee and strudel. The ride down the other side is more open, scenic and eventually brings us to the main road north to Edolo. From there it’s over the Aprica Pass, where the entire town ski town of Aprica is stretched over the top. After a short bit we cross from Italy into Switzerland and begin the long climb up to the Bernina Pass. This famous Swiss pass tops out at 2,326 meters (7,638 feet) and provides wide open, panoramic views and wide, high-speed sweeping turns all the way down to Pontrasina, where we stay for 2 nights.

• Day 9 – Today our mission is to experience the Passo di Stelvio, considered by many riders to be the “must ride” pass of the Alps. At 2,758 meters (9,049 feet) it’s the third highest pass in the Alps with close to 50 switchbacks on both sides, year-round skiing at the top, and a carnival like atmosphere – perhaps the most famous the pass in the Alps. The scenery is particularly stunning because many of the switchbacks are visible from the top, looking like layered ribbon candy. It is a challenging pass because many of the switchbacks are steep, cambered and oncoming views are often obscured by the stone walls necessary to hold the road in place. Our ride out and back will include 3 or 4 more high passes in Switzerland and Italy. Stelvio is an unforgettable adventure.

• Day 10 – We head to the special high passes around Andermatt, an area many riders consider the epicenter of Swiss pass riding including the Oberalp Pass, well-known to bikers for its view down to Andermatt and its wide, well-paved sweepers. To get there we ride over two high passes including the Splugen Pass at 2,114 meters (6,936 feet), which gives a wild ride up the Italian side to the 3-street town of Montespluga and nice views of the dam and lake before crossing into Switzerland, zig zagging back and forth on a series of layered switchbacks before to the bottom. From there we enjoy the San Bernadino and Lukmanier passes, stop for snack in Airolo and then climb our final high pass and second highest paved pass in Switzerland, the Nufennen at 2,478 meters (8,130 feet). After we stop to take pictures of the stunning scenery, we head down the other side to our biker friendly hotel. Another special day riding 5 of the highest passes in the Alps.

• Day 11 – We head back towards Thun surrounded by great Swiss mountain scenery. We will ride one of my most favorite passes, the Furka Pass with its 2,429-meter (7,969 feet) height, wild views, James Bond – Goldfinger history and the famous Rhone glacier, poster child for rapidly melting glaciers. There is also the Grimsel Pass and the potential for more. Sometimes we visit the Riechenbach Falls in Meiringen where Sherlock Holmes had his fight to the death with Dr. Moriarty. From there we ride along the lakes, past Interlaken and back to the hotel where we unload our gear and head to the rental shop to turn in our bikes. We wrap up a great tour with a group dinner at a lively old town riverside restaurant and say our farewells, until the next tour 🙂 to our newfound friends.

• Next Day – Many possibilities – Rest Day before next tour, continue on with other Euro travel plans, fly home

KEY DATES

• If you would like to come sooner, or stay longer, hotel and motorcycle arrangements can readily be 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 to ensure that you get the motorcycle that you want and to secure a place on the tour. There is a limit of 7 motorcycles or 10 people, whichever comes first, per tour.

• The final cut-off date is technically 30 days before the tour starts.  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.

MINIMUM NUMBER OF TOUR MEMBERS

5 riders or 7 Tour Members

HOW TO BOOK THIS TOUR

Please “Contact Me” by telephone or e-mail to book your spot on this tour. 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.

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.

Final Thought – “Alps Select” – The Best of the Best. We ride the famous Andermatt area, enjoy the incomparable highs of Passo Stelvio and Gavia, revel in the beauty and unmatched riding of the Dolomites and then get some R&R in the Italian Lake region before our final blast back to Thun. You get to sample Switzerland and really appreciate Italy. You might even wind up determined to go home and buy your own Ducati or Moto Guzzi – it’s happened before.