Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia guided motorcycle holiday

Today, the Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia guided-motorcycle-tour continues. The mileage will allow us to stay mainly on the back-roads and faster N routes. However, it’ll be easier to use motorways to bypass some bigger towns like Trier and Saarbrücken, it’ll be easier to bypass some bigger towns.

The initial part of the ride will take us over the border into Germany. The first several hours, up to Trier, is all about meandering through the beautiful German countryside. After Trier, there is still another good few hours of zig-zagging through the pleasant rolling scenery to come. As we start seeing the signs for Zweibrücken (Two Bridges), it’ll be a good time to hop on a motorway and head towards France.

En-route we can stop at Bitche in the Moselle region. It has an impressive citadel worth visiting, and it is also an excellent place to have lunch. We’ll round up our ride with a little warm-up climb over the first mountain pass on this tour. Col de la Schlucht in the Vosges Mountains is a beautiful pass that provides a beautiful end to a beautiful ride. 

Our hotel in Munster will welcome us with a comfortable room and a gourmet evening meal.

Today is one of the longer riding days on our Bosnia, Croatia, and Sloveniaguided-motorcycle-tour. But again, it does not mean it has to be a monotonous motorway ride. There are several options we can choose from. 

The most popular option is to have a bit of a ‘double-decker sandwich’ type of ride. Have an early breakfast and aim towards the Black Forest in Germany. Then do a bit of a motorway until we get to Bodensee. After the lake-hop on a motorway again and cross into Austria. Continue and head for the ski resorts of Warth, Lech and Zürs and the Arlberg mountain pass. 

Any of these places is convenient to stop for a break and take some lovely Alpine photos. We usually stop at the Jägeralpe hotel just before Warth. It serves the best strudel and has the best terrace overlooking the surrounding ski slopes. 

After the pass, it will be a straight motorway ‘home run’ to our hotel in Innsbruck. We would definitely recommend this option.

Today is the third and the last day of our’ transit ride’ on the Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia guided-motorcycle-tour. And what a ride it promises to be. Today’s first destination will be a ride over the enjoyable yet not demanding Gerlos pass and stop to see the highest waterfalls in Europe at Krimml. Look out for a Fiat 500 painted in Italian flag colours parked on the roof of a restaurant. The restaurant has a good menu and easy motorcycle parking access. 

From here, our journey continues towards the Großglockner —High Alpine Road. It is one of the most famous passes in the Alps, and time and weather permitting, we’ll make sure we don’t bypass it. We’ll also ride through some well-renowned ski resorts, such as Mittersill, Kaprun, and Sankt Johan im Pongau.

We will mark our passage to Slovenia by riding over a short, steep, bumpy Wurtzen pass. 

If you wish to extend your ride on self guided basis, you can pop to Bled to see the famous church in the middle of the lake.

Today our Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia guided-motorcycle-tour continues heading towards our second destination in Slovenia.

It is not a long ride but a beautiful and occasionally challenging one. We’ll start our journey by “swinging it around” the cobbled hairpins of the Vrsić Mountain Pass. It is the highest mountain pass in Slovenia, with 50 bends and 24 kilometres in length. The ride is filled with breathtaking views and plenty of places to stop and take stunning photos. Our route also includes the ski resorts of Kranjska Gora, Bovec and Tolmin.

We should arrive at our hotel just in time for a well-deserved afternoon drink.

Today, after breakfast we continue with our Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia guided-motorcycle-tour. This is also the day when the Eastern European part of the tour truly begins. From the Otočec Region, we’ll head south through the vineyards, fields and forests of Slovenia towards Croatia.

Our first destination on this day is the stunning Plitvice National Park. It is set in thick, lush woodland featuring numerous lakes connected by hundreds of fast-flowing streams and noisy waterfalls.

Allow some time and spend it strolling along the wooden bridges and pathways that follow and criss-cross countless lakes and streams. This is the World Heritage site and one of the top tourist attractions in Croatia. It is definitely worth visiting. From here, within a short ride, we’ll cross the Bosnian border and arrive at our hotel in Bihac.

Enjoy your walk around the Plitvice National Park. But make sure that you do not get pushed into the lake by a pensioner desperate for a toilet or something even more urgent…cup of tea.

Today we’ll continue our Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia guided-motorcycle-tour. And we’ll journey deeper into the Balkans. One of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most alluring aspects is when it comes to food, not much of it comes from the supermarkets. Along our route, many roadside cafes and restaurants are offering an array of traditional dishes. We have a rather long list of personal favourites and recommendations. And it goes something like this:

– Ćevapi (Bosnian kebab) looks like an elongated sausage made from minced beef or mutton.
– Somun is a type of Bosnian flatbread resembling pita bread, which comes with a plate of ćevapi. 
– Begova Čorba, slow-cooked chicken mixed with vegetables boiled into a creamy stew served in a clay pot with sour cream.
– Burek, pastry with either minced meat, spinach, cheese or potato fillings.
– Grah Čorba, Bosnian bean soup found in most traditional restaurants.
– Bosanski Lonac, delicious stew-based dish.
– Baklava, a sweet dessert filled with nuts and honey.
– Bosnian coffee (kava in Bosnian) maybe a drink and not a dish, but it’s such an integral part of the culture it needs to be mentioned.

Our route will also take us through the town of Jajce (Small Egg in English). This beautiful town is nestled at a junction where the river Pliva meets the river Vrbas. This is also where we’ll find the only waterfall in the world located in the city centre. Our final destination on this fantastic day is the historic city of Mostar. It has long been known for its old Turkish houses and Old Bridge (Stari Most in Bosnian), after which it is named. If we are fortunate enough to see any cliff divers jumping off the bridge, please be generous with tips. They work very hard to provide this spectacular but extremely dangerous entertainment to visitors.

Most of today’s route is classified as a motorway. Well, if this is a motorway, then we’ll take it any day. As we depart from the hotel in Mostar, our route will take us through an area of rough and rugged but outstanding beauty.

As we wind our way through the hills and mountains, we’ll pass one of the largest man-made lakes in the Balkans. Alongside its natural beauty, the real treasure of the Bileća Lake lies hidden below its shimmering surface. Underwater the lake hides the ancient secrets of entire villages that have been submerged to create the lake. Even if it is not a huge mileage day, it would still be worth having an early breakfast and covering some distance before the heat builds up.

It would also be worth arriving early at our next hotel just outside Dubrovnik. It is situated in a beautiful sheltered bay surrounded by fragrant Leander and conifer trees. Here we can explore the narrow streets of the old town and get a first feel of the magical Adriatic.  

This is our free day so we can spend it any way we fancy. But most people take a taxi boat to Dubrovnik for a morning stroll around the Old Town to explore the narrow streets before the heat builds up.

Some of the main tourist attractions are the Old City Walls, Stradun, Cathedral and Treasury, the City Gates and Loggia Square. Lately, the Game of Thrones walking tour of Dubrovnik is one of the most popular things. It takes in many of the key locations used in the filming of the show.

Then when we had enough, we can retire to the beach or the pool and return to the town again in the evening. There are many restaurants, bars and shops to keep us entertained.

Today we just sit back and enjoy the ride. It is a longish day, but don’t see it as a chore! Just ride and marvel at the unforgettable landscapes we are about to pass through. From Dubrovnik, we’ll ride along the fantastic Dalmatian coast to the beautiful coastal resort near Zadar.

The Dalmatian coast is perhaps still one of the best-preserved coastal regions of Europe. It is full of history, and we’ll see the Roman ruins, Venetian towns, traditional fishing villages, azure Riviera vistas and hundreds of islands dotted along the coast. This is a journey to be savoured, so we’ll take our time.

On today’s day, we’ll ride the second half of the stunning coastal road. Our route hugs the coast most of the way to the historic town of Porec on the other side of the Istrian peninsula. Beautiful landscapes and a breathtaking coastal panorama as far as the eye can see will follow us during the entire ride.

We’ll pass through picturesque seaside towns and authentic fishing villages with many restaurants and cafés dotted along the seafront. We’ll even get to see the massive Velebit mountain range right next to the road. Senj is a convenient town to stop to stretch our legs and have lunch. However, if we fancy making more frequent breaks, there are many other places worth exploring. 

Watch out for the restaurant “Jure”. This is one of our regular stops situated in a beautiful little cove about 40 miles from Sibenik. In the old days, Baba (grandma in Croatian) used to make pancakes to die for. Unfortunately, Baba is no longer with us (God bless her soul… and her frying pan), but fortunately, the pancakes are still delicious!!!

A good way to make the most of our free day is to take a morning ride and visit the Roman amphitheatre in Pula, Citadel in Rovinj and Hum, the smallest town in Croatia. Most people probably have never heard about it, but Istria is the home to one of the world’s smallest towns. Hum is only 10 metres long and 30 metres wide. Only seventeen people live there, yet it has its own city mayor, post office, church and tavern with million-dollar views.

On the other hand, if we prefer to park our bikes (there is nothing wrong with that), Porec has everything to keep us entertained for a day. The old town has many excellent restaurants, eateries and shops. The jewellery shops appear to be particularly popular.

We usually have a mid-day meal at the Marconi Restaurant and Pizzeria. It is located at the Basilica courtyard and has a great traditional menu, enticing setting and pleasant atmosphere. 

If we prefer to spend a day on a beach, then the Blue and Green Laguna are good options. 

Today we’ll begin our’ transit ride’ of the return leg of this guided-motorcycle-tour. It is a long day, but again it does not have to be a mundane and monotonous ride back to Innsbruck. The best way to swing it via the Dolomites is weather permitting. As we leave Croatia, we’ll transit a bit of Slovenia, brush the Gulf of Venice and head towards the Dolomites.

On our way, we’ll ride some stunning mountain passes. Passo Mauria is an enjoyable little number. It has everything you want from the mountain pass. It has countless well-cumbered bends, many places to stop for photos and all-around breathtaking scenery. We’ll continue our journey towards crystal clear azure blue Lago Misurina. Misurina is also a perfect spot to have a bite to eat. From here, it will be easy to pick up a faster route that’ll take us to a motorway. 

Alternatively, if we wish to continue with mountain passes, we can head towards the famous ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo. This option will include Passo Valparola and Passo Falzarego. From here, we can join the same motorway that will eventually take us to Austria. 

As usual today we’ll have several options to choose from. We can simply partly reverse the day 3 route. This will include the Arlberg pass, the ski resorts of Zürs, Lech and Warth and the enjoyable Bregenzerwaldstraße. We’ll continue towards the Black Forest, ride a short section of the legendary B500 (Schwarzwaldhochstrasse) and cross into France. 

Or we can take the faster route, that will take us via Switzerland.

Today we’ll leave the Germanic part of Europe behind and continue towards your next destination in the Ardennes region of France. It is not surprising that the Vosges Mountains are such an attractive area for motorcyclists. It offers miles of occasionally challenging but mostly traffic-free roads and mountain passes always accompanied by spectacular scenery. 

If everything goes according to the plan and our GPS doesn’t decide to go into a strop, we shouldn’t end up on any motorways what so ever. The en-route scenery is characterised mainly by rolling hills and green pastures. This is the day to meander, stop at a boulangerie or patisserie and have a freshly made jambon and fromage baguette with a steaming cup of coffee. 

Our converted medieval fort hotel in Sedan will welcome us with a comfortable room and evening feast fit for a knight in shining armour. 

So, folks, this is almost the end of the party. And what a gig it has been! Today we’ll cross Ardennes, join the motorway and head towards Calais for our afternoon Eurotunnel or ferry crossing. Bouillon and Givet are both lovely places to stop for one last drink or lunch.

We hope you enjoyed this fantastic journey as much as we enjoyed putting it together and guiding it. 

Thank you for joining our Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia guided-motorcycle-tour and RidingWithUs. And we hope to do another one together soon.