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Trip to Europe 2020- Questions

6K views 31 replies 15 participants last post by  chucksklrst 
#1 ·
I don't know where to post this, so if it needs to be moved to a better location in a forum, I hope someone will let me know.
Jim and I are planning a two week motorcycle trip to Europe next Fall. I already have rental information and now I am planning our itinerary using BaseCamp. I have put little routes all over the place in red indicating all the passes that we are planning to hit.
My question is whether anyone can recommend places to stay in or near the towns I have listed below. We are trying to be economical so we don't need fancy spa like places to stay. Main priority is clean and easy access to the passes. Oh, and if anyone wants to put us up for a night or two, that would certainly be welcomed and appreciated. Just pm me. :)

Here is the list of towns:
Heidelburg, Germany (already plan on staying at Steph's)
Augsburg, Germany
Innsbruck, Austria
Landeck, Austria
Merano, Italy
Lake Como, Italy
Adermatt, Switzerland
Titisee-Neustadt, Germany

After our two week trip we plan on renting a car and heading to the northern part of Germany. I haven't figured out what towns to visit along the way for this portion of the trip yet.

Thanks in advance!
 
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#2 ·
Iris,

FWIW, if I was planning a trip to Europe, I would put Canadian flag stickers on each vehicle,and every piece of luggage. You probably won't fool anybody who actually talks to you, but you might avoid some casual (or not-so-casual) vandalism.

Please don't shoot the messenger. :mrgreen:
.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Iris,

FWIW, if I was planning a trip to Europe, I would put Canadian flag stickers on each vehicle,and every piece of luggage. You probably won't fool anybody who actually talks to you, but you might avoid some casual (or not-so-casual) vandalism.

Please don't shoot the messenger. :mrgreen:
.
Highly unlikely if you come to the UK, don't know about Europe, though.
Many years ago I went to Denmark, with a large GB sticker on the back of my bike, I stoped for petrol in Denmark and the young lad asked, in perfect English but a bit sullen, 'are you German' no, I replied Scottish (very patriotic, me) and his face just cracked into a huge grin. On another trip I was in Barcelona in full leathers and was shouted at in an agressive way as the Spaniard thought I was German, they may get the bad press but actually they can be really nice. Scotland, though, is the best place in Europe to visit and there are no charges for anything !
 
#4 ·
Iris, you and Jim are a great pair and I don't think you'll have any issues.... but that guy who sat next to you at EOM knows where to get some of that Canuck stuff....LOL.
 
#5 ·
Hotel Enzian is THE place for bikers to stay in Landeck (actually I'm slightly surprised that Landeck is on your itinerary, being just 45 miles west of Innsbruck, and I wonder if it's Enzian/biker fame?). However it's certainly not bargain basement, but the atmosphere with other bikers is amazing.

https://www.hotel-enzian.com/en

I've been to most of the other centres you mention, but can't offer anything as regards accommodation. I'd warn you, though you probably already know, that the passes are extremely expensive. It maybe worth checking with hotels in conjunction with booking, as many offer free or subsidised pass access. If you are thinking of maybe going a little further east there's a little gem of a biker hotel that includes a Karnten pass, that includes for example a mountain railway. Mind you, it's a few years since I've been and ownership has changed but they're still focused mainly on bikers. (Other possible German cities worth considering are Nuremberg and Wurzburg.)

https://www.gasthofhochalmspitze.com/

My only other comment is regarding stickers. Maybe I'm way out of it, but I'm really not sure that there's anti-American resentment at grassroots level. Europe is usually very welcoming of all foreigners. However, you refer to 'rentals' and I assume you mean bikes. They'll have European number plates anyway.
 
#11 ·
... I'd warn you, though you probably already know, that the passes are extremely expensive. It maybe worth checking with hotels in conjunction with booking, as many offer free or subsidised pass access.
I and some riding friends recently revived discussions of our dream of riding around as much of Europe as possible in however much time we have available, so I am intrigued by this thread.

My apologies if this is a stupid question, but I don't understand the references to the passes being expensive. I'd welcome more explanation, and a number for what constitutes "extremely expensive". Thank you!
 
#6 ·
After you mentioned the passes being extremely expensive I tried looking for the costs of these.
I’m glad you mentioned it because that is not information that I had.

Is there a list somewhere (that you know if) where the cost of the passes is indicated?
 
#9 ·
The number one tourist attraction in Germany is Neuschwanstein Castle, you should go there if at all possible.

Regensburg is also a nice town and outside of it are several remarkable monuments: Valhalla, the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial, and the Befreiungshalle.

Nuremberg if you are interested in the Nazi background and want to see the stadium that Hitler held the famous rally that you see in old films of that era.

I would also go to Munich to have a meal at the Hofbrauhaus at least.

There's not so much of interest in Northern Germany and it is flat. Leipzig has the Battle-of-the-Nations monument celebrating one of the bloodiest battles in the Napoleonic Wars. In the northwest is Herman's Denkmal celebrating the famous battle of 9 AD where the Germans completed destroyed 3 Roman legions.

Linking Neuschwanstein and the medieval town of Rothenburg is the Romantic Road.

You probably don't have time for all this, LOL.
 
#20 · (Edited)
The number one tourist attraction in Germany is Neuschwanstein Castle, you should go there if at all possible.
Only if you have tons of time coming out of your ears. Think Disneyland on steroids for crowds. At some point in the tour I was so saturated with gold, glitz, and royalty I was ready to take an ecape route (they exist). If you must get a dose of King Ludwig II, go for Linderhof. IIRC there are only 6 rooms on display. It's enough to get a sense of Ludwig II's world. One small gem in the area is Wiesenkirche. It's about as fine an example of baroque churches as exists. It's not big, and sits in part on the edge of a large meadow. (wiesen - the church's name translates to "meadow church")

Regensburg is also a nice town and outside of it are several remarkable monuments: Valhalla, the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial, and the Befreiungshalle.

Nuremberg if you are interested in the Nazi background and want to see the stadium that Hitler held the famous rally that you see in old films of that era.
Meh - your pick. FWIW seeing Nazi places is more than a little chilling. Keep in mind, too, that German law prohibits so much as the tiniest swastika hidden somewhere. IMNSHO life is too short to spend on this horror.

I would also go to Munich to have a meal at the Hofbrauhaus at least.
Hofbräuhaus ("hoe-f BROY house) is, in great part, a tourista thing. If you've got time, try it on. The interior is huge. the deal with seating is simple. Grab an open place on a bench. If someone doesn't want the space taken, you'll find out - no hurt, no foul. There are other places, less well known, but have the same feel. Try Augustiner Stammhaus on Neuhauserstrasse (main shopping road in the area). Also worth a stop is the Viktualienmarkt - a huge farmers market.

My particular vice in Bavaria is weisswurst, literally white sausages. They're small and done in hot water. Served right, they'll come in a bowl of hot water, on the plate is killer mustard and whacking big pretzel. Tradition says "no weisswurst after noon". The idea is these puppies are made early in the morning and spoil in the afternoon. That said, almost anywhere will serve them at any time.

There's not so much of interest in Northern Germany and it is flat. Leipzig has the Battle-of-the-Nations monument celebrating one of the bloodiest battles in the Napoleonic Wars. In the northwest is Herman's Denkmal celebrating the famous battle of 9 AD where the Germans completed destroyed 3 Roman legions.
????? Flat, yes, nothing to see. Not the last time I looked (three years ago).

Linking Neuschwanstein and the medieval town of Rothenburg is the Romantic Road.

You probably don't have time for all this, LOL.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber (the Rothenburg on the Tauber River - there's more than one Rothenburg - ditto for Frankfurt BTW)... It's medieval alright. It's walled alright. It's worth a walk-around off season. On season... nah.

There's a low mountain chain the begins basically south of Frankfurt (am Main - on the Main ("mine") River). That includes Odenwald and goes to Schwarzwald (Black Forest). Talk about twisties and ups and downs.

Pick an area and spend time there rather than trying to go from Munich to Berlin to Hamburg to Wherever.
 
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#16 ·
When I last toured Europe a former Brit, Royal Marine lectured me on history and other subjects at a pub where I was camped near Winchester. His most memorable comment went like this: "You yanks think everyone hates you, it's not true, you'll find everyone likes you". Everywhere I went I drew positive attention and conversation. I took my bike with me and the license plate drew people to me as did my awkwardness in various situations. Everyone likes to practice their language skills and I spent many nights at the homes of people I met. Wear the US flag and throw in your state flag to start conversation.
 
#19 ·
That is one **** of a big agenda. At the end of two weeks you'll be so cross-eyed tired you won't remember your name. DAMHIK

You need to decide whether you want to see stuff or go pass hunting. You just can't do both. Passes take more time than expected.

Assuming you want some pass hunting, lose Augsburg, Innsbruck, Merano, and Lake Como. Titisee is... meh.

Landeck (if it's not too late, look into Prutz - Landeck is a city short on charm and general tourista value) is the gateway to a number of passes, including Stelvio. Andermatt is a center for a number of passes.

If you want to play tourista, Lake Como, Lake Garda... knock your socks off. Ditto Innsbruck, and, heck, Augsburg.

Going north... so many places, so little time. I don't know whether to spit or go blind on listing places. I'd pass on Hamburg. It's mostly a big port city.
 
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#21 ·
Speaking of tolls... Austria and Switzerland have autobahn toll stickers. Nobody will chase you down for not having one. Get stopped for something else and... add it to the bill. Austria is nice - they have 10 day stickers at +/- $10. Switzerland wants your money and will get it - year passes only, +/- $40. Have a nice day. Note the speed limit on both is 120 km/h or a blazing 70 mph. Woohoo.
 
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#24 ·
I got fined in Austria for speeding (60 mph in 50mph tunnel). It was a con, a trap deliberately laid to catch unwary drivers, and the fine was about €30? I didn't have a vignette and the fine for that was €65! Mind you the fine covered a 48 hour period so it meant we didn't then need to buy vignettes (yes weird). We were warned that had this happened in Switzerland we'd have been fined around €2000 for the no toll sticker, and speeding can risk the bike being impounded there and then.
 
#22 · (Edited)
IMHO, Stelvio is a one time thing. Go, get your merch, impress your friends, and call it done. Coming from the east, through Trafoi, there are 48 hairpins. The maximum grade on the road is 14%. Hairpins are typically only 7%. Somewhere around #20, it turns to being work. Traffic can s**** you over. See my video. That's 7 minutes behind the camper. The K1600 overheated in the process. There was no place to stop.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRwH774IEsRujAkOpTZFIf3cj-JX-UDC

Going between Timmelsjoch and Jaufenpass is the town of St. Leonhard in Passeier. In the town there is an inn/cafe called Sandwirt. Go. Eat a killer strudel in the sunny outdoor cafe. Consider yourself blessed. And ask where the name comes from. It explains local history and why many streets have the same name.
 
#25 ·
I hadn't thought about it, but you're right. Any tolls I saw were Austrian. Good point!

My trip through Grossglockner was, in part, close to a survival experience. Coming east from Cortina, a serious rain storm built up behind me. I thought I could outrun it and then head north over the pass to get well away from it. It never got me, but the notion of sitting out in the wide open for what looked to be an ugly storm... not so much fun. It's a shame, because there really is a lot to see other than "just" the mountains.

Spendy? Yes. Worth it? Yes.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I know this is an old thread but here are some of my tips anyway. I was over in Southern Bavaria and northern Austria last Aug 2019. Rented a V-Strom 650 and visited the areas that I grew up in. You will find that the distances are not that long but the time to travel those distance is quit a bit longer. Case in point. I ride 250 miles here in Colorado in half a day. I Europe a 200 mile ride is an all day adventure and some what tiring at the end of the day. My best advise to myself was not to make many reservation and just look for Zimmer Frei signs for lodging in the evenings. If you make reservations then you are tied to a schedule. Of course I knew the area and enough of the language to do fine on my own. As as said before Neuschwanstein Castle is a place to see, and also Berchtesgaden and then into Salzburg, Austria. Garmisch, Germany is also a beautiful place to see, with the highest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze. Of course I am a bit fond of Garmisch, as I grew up there as a teenager. Here are a few of pictures that I took. Best advice is to stay off the Autobahn when possible. Take the back roads, much more euro culture to witness.

PS I also took a tour with Blue Rim Motorcycle Tours in which we covered many passes in 5 countries. Something to look into as everything was laid out with no hassles. My recommendation if you have never been to Europe, is take a moto tour, then go back the next year and freelance on your own.
 

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#30 ·
PS I also took a tour with Blue Rim Motorcycle Tours in which we covered many passes in 5 countries. Something to look into as everything was laid out with no hassles. My recommendation if you have never been to Europe, is take a moto tour, then go back the next year and freelance on your own.
This IMHO is some of the best traveling advice in this thread or anywhere else for that matter. It's exactly what I do when possible even here in the States. The last time was when Ken the HD Guy and I visited Philadelphia. Many large cities have something along the lines of Big Bus Tours. Flat rate, hop on/off all day. Very knowledgeable drivers. I learned this from my parents and still do the first day(s) guided to get the overall experience then home in on my own on those points I found the most interesting. Unlike the olden days, today we have helpful, experienced forum members like in this thread so we're not trying to figure out the more rural places on our own any more.
 
#28 ·
Grüß Gott, chucksklrst!

All of the following is IMHO:

Wiesbaden to the ferry terminal at Dagebüll (Germany - West central to almost Denmark) is easier than attempting the same distance much south of Munich. No question there!

It depends on the time of year to look for Zimmer Frei. End of June through end of August - good luck! It's peak season!

I wouldn't touch Neuschwanstein with the proverbial 10 foot pole. A quicker dose of Ludwig II's excess grandeur can be found at Linderhof. The tour's shorter, the rooms are every bit as over the top. It's an easy ride to Wieskirche, a superb example of Baroque church architecture. It's all the more impressive for finding it on the edge of a large meadow (Wiese in German - the name is literally "meadow church").

The German autobahn system is a help in getting to the edge of Somewhere Interesting. The Austrian and Swiss autobahn systems, with their 120 km/hr (~70 MPH) speed limits are not. The German autobahns are not "no speed limit" everywhere, but there are stretches that unlimited. Note about the Austrian and Swiss autobahns - a toll sticker is required! The Austrians sell a 10 day sticker. The Swiss sell only 1 year stickers (+/- $40 USD). Violations aren't easily laughed off...

I can't speak for Blue Rim - I took an Edelweiss tour and did not have a fun time. Way too many, even by Edelweiss' stated policy, bikes, with only two groups "stupid slow" and "anything less than WOT is cheating". Having "been there, done that", I went back the next year and covered some of the same territory (e.g., Stelvio, Timmelsjoch) and some Swiss passes (e.g., St. Gotthard, Nufenpass). I tried to pack way, way too much into the trip. Bad idea. See this playlist for almost every pass and one "just poking through the Austrian countryside":

I didn't grow up in Germany, but my German's pretty good. NTL not speaking German is rarely a problem. Finding someone who speaks English isn't difficult.
 
#29 ·
Iris, the only piece of advice I would offer is this one. Don't rent a really large bike.

I did two weeks in the Alps with Edelweiss in September 2018 and had a terrific trip. We did 55 passes in that time and rode in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Italy. I rented a BMW R1200RT. If I had it to do over again, I would ride an F850GS. I'm 6'-0" tall and weigh 200 lbs. The RT is great for the long, wide roads here in the States. However, on the passes, the roads are barely as wide as your driveway and the turns are 180-degree switchbacks that would be much easier and much more fun on something smaller, lighter, and less ponderous than the RT. The 850 will have all the power you need over there. And don't be afraid to filter...they expect it.

I expect your plans have changed since you first posted this due to the virus. But don't let that prevent you from going next year. My father was in the Air Force when I was young and we travelled extensively through Germany. It is a beautiful country. I have come to the conclusion that I will not live long enough to spend as much time there as I would like.
 
#32 · (Edited)
In 2017 I took a Moto Tour with Blue Rim Tours. A small company. The owner was riding sweep. Our leader was an Austrian Moto Cop that takes vacation time to lead this Five Country Tour. Was great. I think we had only 10 bikes + the 2 leader and sweep. Any way after the tour I rented another bike and did a week on my own, riding in Southern Bavaria. During the guided tour, two weeks, not a drop of rain. My Solo week rained 6 out of the 7 days. Make sure you take a good rain suit, with rain booties and rain gloves. How do you think those Alpine Meadows stay so green during the spring and summer. Anyway my experiences of that trip led me to go do another three weeks solo on my own in the summer of 2019. Had to cut the trip short as I became ill after two weeks and had to come home early. I was planning to go back again this past summer and finish my trip but Covid 19 got in the way. I am getting older and running out of time. Maybe next summer I can complete my trip. For my trips I rented a F800GS both for the 2017 tour and solo part, and for the 2019 trip I rented a V-Strom 650. Bikes were less expensive than the liter+ machines and powerful enough, and light enough for the hundreds of switchback I rode. Here are a few pictures of the 2017 tour.

PS. also did a River Cruise with the family that year. Budapest to Nurnberg along the Danube. Highly recommend that company. Viking River Cruises.
 

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