Dolomites and Lake Garda self guided motorcycle holiday

Next morning you’ll leave Ardennes behind and continue with the Dolomites and Lake-Garda self-guided-motorcycle-tour. Your suggested route will follow the rural country roads towards your next destination. For several hours you’ll follow the river Meuse. This is not a very touristy area, so if you feel like stopping for a break, try to use the first opportunity you come across. There might not be that many places to choose from.

If you are interested in military history, then your first port of call could be the War Memorial at Verdun. As you continue winding through traditional villages, cultivated fields and green forests, the landscapes will gradually become more hilly and mountainous.

Gérardmer is the gateway to the Vosges Mountains and a perfect place for one last break before arriving at your destination. There are several places to eat and have a drink with plenty of parking. 

Your comfortable hotel in Munster will welcome you with a cosy room and a delicious evening meal.

You’ll continue your Dolomites and Lake-Garda self-guided-motorcycle-tour along quiet rural roads through the Black Forest from Alsace. The whole day you’ll be riding the open roads of the German countryside. 

For your first break, you can stop at Titisee in Germany. It is a pretty little lakeside town and a popular biking destination. There is a nice promenade with many places to eat and drink. The best place to park is at the train station car park. It has allocated motorcycle bays, a changing room with coin-operated lockers for your biking gear and toilets. 

As you progress, the vistas will slowly change, and the landscapes will become first more hilly and then Alpine. The Bavarian Alps are incredibly beautiful and are home to many famous buildings and castles. Even the famous Sleeping Beauty castle is claimed to have been inspired by the magnificent Neuschwanstein. Time permitting, you might decide to swing by and visit before checking in to your hotel.

Today is the day of the Dolomites and Lake-Garda self-guided-motorcycle-tour, where you ride your first alpine mountain passes. As a matter of fact, there are three of them.

You’ll start with the Fern pass and cross into Austria. Then continue over the famous Timmelsjoch Pass. Here you can stop for lunch and also visit the highest motorcycle museum in Europe. The biker café next door serves proper biker food such as burgers and chips, hotdogs and pizzas. However, if you fancy something traditional Austrian, you can opt for a goulash soup, spätzle or strudel. One of our regular clients and habitual strudel edict went to such an extent that he even created his own ‘European Strudel Map’ on his GPS. And this café is highly rated on his list.

You’ll complete your daily mountain pass trilogy by crossing into Italy and riding over the Jaufen (Giovo in Italian) pass. You’ll arrive at your hotel in Corvara just in time to unpack, have a drink and get ready for your gourmet evening meal.

Today is the day when it all happens on the Dolomites and Lake-Garda self-guided-motorcycle-tour.

Sellaronda is perhaps one of the most famous rides you can ride in the Dolomites. It includes four mountain passes back to back; Gardena, Sella, Pordoi and Campolongo. If any biking route can be called a “roller coaster ride”, this is definitely the one.

One of the day’s highlights is a spectacular cable car ride to the rocky plateau at the Pordoi pass. From the top, you’ll get some of the most breathtaking views of the entire Dolomite mountain range.

You can also stop at the ski resort of Arabba as well as Sella and Gardena passes. It can be quite busy at the top of each pass, especially during weekends, making it difficult to park. However, there are many other beautiful mountain hats along the way with glorious vistas and great menus. Look out for traditional ski chalet type restaurants as they are often a good choice.

A good option for your second-day trip is a ride to Cortina D’ampezzo and Lake Misurina. The lake is a beautiful spot to have a drink or lunch. You can return to your hotel via Falzarego pass, Arabba and Campolongo pass.

Lake Misurina is one of our favourite places to go for a day ride. We usually have lunch at Locanda Al Lago restaurant by Lake Misurina. If you are interested in military history, you can take an alternative spin to the Marmolada Great War Museum. It is accessible only by a cable car that will take you to dizzying heights of above 3000 meters.

Here you can see the range of WW1 exhibits as well as walk around some of the mountaintop trenches and installations. However, if you feel like doing nothing, then there are plenty of other things in Corvara that’ll keep you entertained. Just pick up a tourist info leaflet from the hotel reception and have a good browse. 

This is about the halfway point of your Dolomites and Lake-Garda self-guided-motorcycle-tour.

You’ll leave the Dolomites behind via the Campolongo and Pordoi pass. If you get your navigation right, there should be no motorway riding at all. The mileage is not great, so take your time and enjoy the ride. You’ll be passing through many ski resorts and traditional villages with plenty of restaurants and cafés to stop for refreshments and breaks.

Good places to stop are Canazei and Pozza di Fassa’s ski resorts and later on somewhere around Lago di Santa Massenza or Lago di Toblino. It is worth noticing as you descend from the ski resorts towards Trento, there is usually a noticeable increase in temperature. Therefore be prepared to shed some layers off.

Your biker friendly hotel will welcome you with a comfortable room and a delicious evening meal. If you check in early, take a walk to the town, have a drink in the square and stroll by the lake. 

Time for another day off on your Dolomites and Lake-Garda self-guided-motorcycle-tour, and you are free to organise your own agenda. Some of the popular things to do are various boat trips on the lake, visits to local tourist attractions, vineyards and wine tasting houses. 

The numerous boat excursions seem to be the most popular choice amongst our clients. The tours include visits to some of the most beautiful towns such as Riva del Garda, Malcesine and Limone. 

If you prefer to spend your day riding, then a round trip to Molveno, Cles, Madonna di Campiglio and back to the hotel is a good option. Madonna di Campiglio is one of the most glamorous ski resorts in Italy. However, in the summer, it is a popular biking destination. It is surrounded by beautiful rocky mountain peaks, green meadows and ski slopes that wind through the pine forests. 

As a non-biking option, today, most people opt for a train trip to Verona or Venice. Verona is less than forty miles from your hotel. It is claimed this city is a place of myths, spirits as well as magic. It is also the scene of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The sight of the famous balcony is impossible to miss. Every year thousands upon thousands of romantic dreamers visit the ‘City of Love’ for this reason alone. 

The lagoon city of Venice is a little further down the rail tracks but definitely worth a journey. Venezia is the beautiful city where the Merchant of Venice fought for his wealth, the wealthy merchants built lavish villas, and Giacomo Girolamo Casanova enthusiastically entertained the wealthy merchants’ wives. This is a unique opportunity to take that ‘always wanted to do’ gondola tour along the maze of narrow city canals.

However, alternatively, you can go for a spin around three lakes if you fancy a ride. You can set off from your hotel and follow Lake Garda to Salo, traverse to Lago Di Idro, continue to Lago Di Ledro and return to the hotel.

Leaving Lago di Garda behind, you’ll point your bike towards Switzerland. Your ride will include Passo Del Tonale and Bernina pass. During the summer, Passo Del Tonale is covered by green pastures and flowery meadows. But also it is one of the most popular biking roads in this part of the Alps. 

In comparison, the Bernina pass is quite bare, but it is a top-rated biking road as well. It also offers the best views of the magnificent Morteratsch glacier. 

Good places to stop are Madonna di Campiglio, Passo Del Tonale, Edolo, Aprica and Bernina pass. We usually stop at the Jolly Bar in Edolo and top of the Tonale, and Bernina passes on our guided tours.

Winding your way through this spectacular scenery, you’ll arrive at your comfortable chalet-style hotel near Sankt Moritz. The Engadin Valley is one of the most photographed places in Switzerland and for a good reason too. 

Our suggested route for today takes you over one of the most enjoyable mountain passes in Switzerland.

Flüela pass is a high mountain road that will take you to the famous ski resort of Davos. The restaurant by the lake on top of the pass serves the best hot chocolate and nusstorte ever.

Other good places to stop en-route are Alt Sankt Johan and the Schaffhausen Waterfalls. 

The Black Forest is a region of rolling hills, dense forests and perfect biking roads. You’ll be staying in a traditional family-run hotel just outside Titisee. The lake is just a short ride away from your hotel. So it is worth checking in early and exploring this charming little town. The promenade is lined with rows of timber-framed houses, making it a perfect place to spend a few hours before your evening meal.

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

Departing from the Black Forest, you’ll ride a mixture of motorways and rural roads. You’ll make your way towards your next destination, the chalky hills of the Champagne region.

En-route you’ll enter the forested area of the Des Ballons National Park in the Vosges Mountains. This area is perhaps one of the best-kept biking secrets in Europe. There are several cafes and restaurants dotted at various places on the top of the mountain. Wherever you choose to stop, you’ll be afforded fantastic views as far as you can see. 

Your hotel today is situated in the heart of the Champagne Region. Troyes is a charming town with rows of timber-framed houses, narrow passages and cobbled alleys. With its famous champagne cork shaped town square and fantastic winemaking heritage is just a place to celebrate your last day of the tour with a glass or two of bubbly.

After breakfast, your route will take you through the sleepy French countryside. At Reims, you’ll join the motorway and ride back to the channel-tunnel for afternoon crossing. 

Thank you for joining our Dolomites and Lake-Garda self-guided-motorcycle-tour.

We hope this fanatastic self guided motorcycle holiday met your expectations and you had a great time with RideingWithUs. We also hope to hear from you again soon.