Italian Dolomites self guided motorcycle holiday

The next morning, after breakfast, you’ll continue your Italian Dolomites self guided motorcycle holiday towards the Black Forest. As you’ll be passing by the Mémorial Charles De Gaulle, it will be an excellent opportunity to visit.

You’ll be riding the almost traffic-free country roads that wind through the green pastures and forests. Please note that there might not be many options to stop for breaks and refreshments until you cross the German border. On today’s ride, we normally have our midday meal at the first petrol station restaurant when we cross the border. Around midday or early afternoon, you will cross the mighty river Rhine. And the dark green rolling hills of the Black Forest will start to appear in the distance. 

Your traditional family-run hotel near Titisee will welcome you with a comfortable room and gourmet evening meal. If you wish, extra days can be arranged to extend your stay in the Black Forest. 

Continuing towards the Austrian Alps, you will ride your first mountain pass of this tour. Having said that, you will have a choice of two passes, but it is possible to include only one in your route.  

The Silvretta High Alpine Road is an El Dorado for motorcyclists and is considered one of the most beautiful mountain passes in Tyrol. However, it is a private toll road, and it requires payment. At the restaurant by the lake, you can have your first slice of strudel.

The Arlberg pass is a beautiful alpine road that offers a parade of twisty curves through stunning scenery. It is also free of charge and another good place to have a slice of strudel. 

Also, if you wish, first thing after departing the Black Forest, you can make a diversion to visit the magnificent Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen. Here you can have a drink, walk to Laufen Castle or have a quick boat trip. There is also an allocated motorcycle parking area and toilets. 

Your stylish chalet type hotel in the Dolomites is run by the most glamorous grandmother you’ll ever meet. However, before you get there, you’ll have to face the pleasure of riding the famous Timmelsjoch.

The High Alpine Road leads from the Tyrolean Ötztal Valley to St. Leonhard in South Tyrol in Italy. The pass offers great panoramic views on the Austrian side and challenging hairpins on the Italian side. The pass is also home to the highest motorcycle museum in Europe and a fantastic biker café. So needless to say, ‘another slice of strudel, please.’ 

From here, you’ll continue with your Italian Dolomites self guided motorcycle holiday over one more pass before arriving at your destination. The Jaufen pass (Giovo in Italian) is a typical little Italian number – often narrow, occasionally bumpy, tight and twisty but always enjoyable to ride. And yet another slice of strudel coming up. But of course, this one will taste much, much better because it’s in Italy. 

Your hotel is located in a lively ski resort of Corvara in the heart of the Dolomites. There are numerous mountain passes you can ride from here. The most famous and popular ride is the Sella Ronda.  

This route consists of four mountain passes back to back. From your hotel, you’ll immediately start with the Campolongo pass, ride through the pretty town of Arabba and up the Pordoi pass. Continuing, you’ll tackle the Sella pass before returning back to your hotel over Gardena pass. On the Pordoi pass, you can take a cable car to the top of the mountain and enjoy the Dolomites’ stunning views. All passes have many cafés and restaurants to stop for coffee or lunch.

If you fancy taking a day off on your Italian Dolomites self-guided motorcycle-tour, you can change our suggested itinerary and swap day rides around to suit you. Corvara is a lovely little town, and there are plenty of other activities you can do. Just pick up a copy of the tourist information leaflet from the hotel reception, and off you go. 

Today is your rest day. It will enable you to take it easy and explore the town. However, if you prefer to ride, a good option is to visit Marmolada, the Great War Museum. 

The museum is located on the top of the mountain at an altitude of around 3000 meters. It is only accessible by a cable car from the village of Malga Ciapela near Rocca Pietore. This ride will take you to the heart of the rugged Dolomites peaks. The museum offers interactive multimedia and multisensory tour that demonstrates the way the mountain war was fought. It also shows how the soldiers lived in different weather conditions and at high altitude. 

It is possible to see the galleries, walkways, trenches, and various posts outside the museum, following a Little Ferrata. However, this part of the trip might much depend on your level of fitness, personal courage and adrenaline level threshold.

In the Dolomites, it is nearly impossible to park your bike and just do nothing. There are so many mountain passes here that it is difficult to choose which ones to ride. However, from our own experience, there is one ride that always stands out and appeals to our customers. 

Starting from your hotel, you can take the Falzarego Pass to the famous ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo. Cortina is one of the most glamorous and glitziest ski resorts in Italy. But it is also a popular biker destination. Continue to Lake Misurina, loop it around the mountains and rejoin the Falzarego Pass again to ride the second half of it. 

Lago Misurina is one of our favourite places to stop for lunch. The Locanda Al Lago restaurant always works for us. It has an excellent Italian menu and serves the best ice cream ever. 

Before returning to your hotel, you can stop at Arabba for coffee and perhaps another lunch. 

Leaving the Dolomites, you’ll head towards the Swiss Alps. The entire ride today is one giant zigzag line. It will take you around the snow-capped mountain peaks and through the green valleys dotted with ski resorts and traditional villages.

On your way to the Engadin region, your route includes Passo Del Tonale and Bernina pass. The Engadin valley is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Swiss Alps. It is famous for its traditional mountain villages, strikingly mild climate, proximity to many passes, and the gateway to the Swiss National Park. So it makes it a perfect place for your next overnight destination.

The hotel has everything you need – comfortable rooms, an excellent restaurant menu, safe parking, and above all, stunning 360 degrees mountain vistas. 

Convenient places to stop en route are the Jolly Bar in Edolo and the top of both Tonale and Bernina pass. 

Today’s route takes you over one of the most enjoyable passes in Switzerland. Flüela pass is a high mountain road that will take you to the famous ski resort of Davos. When you reach the top of this magnificent pass, you can stop for a hot chocolate and enjoy the stunning views of Lake Davorsee and its surrounding peaks. 

As you continue with your journey, the other good places to stop are Alt Sankt Johan and, if you missed it on your outward journey, the Schaffhausen Waterfalls.

In the Black Forest, you’ll be staying in a traditional family-run hotel just outside Titisee. With the lake, just a short ride away and the streets lined with rows of timber-framed houses makes it a perfect place to spend a few hours before your evening meal. At Titisee, try to park your motorcycle at the train station car park. It has allocated motorcycle bays and a changing room with coin-operated lockers and toilets.

Following hearty frühstück (breakfast), you’ll head across the rural countryside of Germany and France towards Luxembourg. The ride will be a combination of motorways and country roads. But to keep it more interesting it will include a section of the famous B500 as well as many other scenic back roads.

The good places to stop are Lake Mummelsee and the bakery in Scheibenhardt on the French-German border. Lake Mummelsee is the most idyllic place to have a break and a little wander around anyone can wish for. It also has an excellent restaurant and delicatessen shop well stocked with all sorts of yummy local produce. 

The bakery in Scheibenhardt serves the best and the most generous portions ever. One portion of the fitness salad would easily feed a small country. 

You’ll arrive at your hotel in Vianden just in time to get ready for an evening meal.

Today is the last day of this fantastic Italian Dolomites self- guided motorcycle-tour. So one last time, have a delicious breakfast and take a leisurely ride through Luxembourg, Belgium and France back to the UK. Your channel-tunnel will be booked for afternoon crossing.  

Thank you for RidingWithUs. We hope you had a great self guided motorcycle holiday and we also hope to hear from you again soon.