This is an incredible tour that includes some of the very best of Italy, Austria and Croatia.  The route include 3 amazing riding roads – the stunning Adriatic coastline in Croatia (often compared with US Highway 1 in California), the amazing Grossglockner Pass and the wonderful Timmelsjoch Pass in the Austrian Tyrol region.  We will have a whole day exploring Split in Croatia and we will also visit two of the most famous cities in Italy: Venice where we will have a whole day to visit this magical city, and Florence, where we will have half a day exploring the sights.

We also ride through some of the Dolomites Mountains in the Alps, with its wonderfully twisty roads set amongst the tall craggy mountains.

Depending on where you are from, you could ride your own bike on the tour, or rent one from one of the Harley-Davidson dealers in Munich (see ‘Rentals’ tab at the top of this page).

Day One – Monday 31 August

The tour officially starts in Munich.

You can either (a), make your own way to Munich on your own bike and meet us there, or (b), ride on your own bike with us from Folkestone, UK, leaving on Sunday morning to get to Munich on Monday afternoon, or (c), you could fly to Munich and rent a bike there.  We can help with the arrangements for any of those methods if needed (let us know when booking).  For specific information about renting a motorcycle for this tour, see the ‘Rentals’ tab at the top of this page.

However you choose to get to Munich, you need to be at our hotel, with your bike, late afternoon on day 1 of the tour to meet your tour leader.

The hotels we stay at vary in size and quality, and where possible, we only use hotels with good off-road parking. All are 3 or 4 star. We don’t use large chain hotels in larger towns, but prefer smaller remote locations. On two of the nights on the tour, your evening meal is included within the tour price and on the rest of the evenings, you are free to eat where you like. Often, we will eat as a group, but it is really up to you.

Day Two – Tuesday 1 September

Amazing roads await so we first use the autobahn to get away from the less interesting roads around Munich, but soon we are in riding heaven!

We join the southern end of the Deutsche Ferienroute Alpen-Ostsee (German holiday-route) as it heads its way south into the Alps. The views get more dramatic as we ride and the mountains tower in front of us. Just beyond Melleck we cross the border into stunning Austria.  Soon we ride along the beautiful Saalach Valley and we have the Kitzbühel Alps to our right side.

After the town of Zell am See, we reach the main highlight of the day, the stunning Grossglockner Pass. Often quoted as one of the best riding roads in Europe, this high alpine road is the highest paved road in Austria and it rises to 2,428 m (7,966 ft).  As we near the top of this stunning road, the views are amazing, especially from the Edelweißspitze viewpoint at the top of a side road.  The viewpoint has arguably one of best views in the world from a cafe!

After Grossglockner, we continue to head south and just a short distance before we get to the Austrian southern border we stay the night in an alpine hotel in the Gailtal Alps.  We will have ridden 205 miles / 330 kilometres to get there.  It will have been an amazing first main day of riding.

Day Three – Wednesday 2 September

Today we travel from the mountains to the sea.

Soon after leaving the hotel we cross the border into Italy and ride out of the mountains. We are soon on the Italian flatlands as we approach Udine and next we see the Adriatic Ocean which will be our constant companion for the next few days.

We ride along the small length of Italian coastline as we approach the old city of Trieste, a port city which dates back about 3,000 years. Just beyond Trieste we enter the third country on our tour, Slovenia, which are are in for just a short period as our route bisects just the very western edge of the country.

Soon we cross another border, into Croatia, where we ride one of the most beautiful roads in the world – along its coastline.  The road is stunning, as it hugs the coast for hundreds of miles. The result is a twisting road that is a joy to ride, with the azur blue water of the sea ever-present to our right side.

We stay the night in a small town on the coast.  Our ride today will be 200 miles / 320 kilometres.

Day Four – Thursday 3 September

We continue to ride the fantastic Croatian coastline today.  Rugged and unspoiled, there are few places to stop along the coast, so we will find places for our refreshment stops in small fishing villages.  We have 185 miles / 300 kilometres today and much of that is done alongside the Adriatic Ocean.

We stay the night in the historic city of Split.

Day Five – Friday 4 September

We take it relatively easy on day 5 as this is a rest day, spent exploring Split. There is much to see, including the Diocletian’s Palace, built for the Roman emperor in 305 AD.  You could also walk around the narrow streets of the old town, or visit a local winery. or any one of the dozens of this things unique city has to offer.

Subject to confirmation once the summer schedules are confirmed, we will be catching an overnight ferry from Split to Ancona in Italy.  The ferry normally sails at about 8pm and docks in Italy at about 9am the next day.

Day Six – Saturday 5 September

After departing the ferry, we head south for a short period through the Del Monte Conero park.  We then ride inland to ride the central part of Italy, along the Apennine Mountains which form the spine of the middle of the country. We go to Assisi and then on very scenic mountain roads to Chianciano, where we spend the night.  We will have ridden 160 miles / 260 kilometres today.

Day Seven – Sunday 6 September

We have a short 100 mile  / 160 kilometre ride today all on scenic roads.  We arrive in Florence early afternoon in time to do some sightseeing of the great places the city has to offer.

Day Eight – Monday 7 September

More great riding roads await on the morning of day eight as we continue our journey north through the mountains of Italy.  In the afternoon, we use motorway to get to the wonderful city of Venice.  We stay just outside the city itself.

Day Nine – Tuesday 8 September

This is  a rest day, spend exploring the glorious city of Venice.  We use a local train to get into and out of the city.  While there, you can visit Saint Marks Square and see its Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sigh’s, the Grand Canal and much more.  You could even ride in one of the world-famous Gondolas.

Day Ten – Wednesday 9 September

This is the first of two days riding back north to get back to Munich. Today, we ride 190 miles / 305 kilometres and the roads include really enjoyable twisty roads in the Dolomites as we re-enter the Alps Mountains.  We will also stop to look at the wonderful Karer See.

Day Eleven – Thursday 10 September

The last day on the road see us another of the Alps great passes – Timmelsjoch. On the border between Italy and Austria, the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road crests at 2,474 metres / 8,117 feet and is both remote and stunning.  After Timmelsjoch, we use a combination of autobahn and scenic roads to reach out hotel for the night in Munich.

For everyone on the tour, we will stay in a hotel in Munich tonight.

Day Twelve – Friday 11 September

For those who rode to Munich on your own bikes, you will start your journey home this morning. For those who rented motorcycles, you can either ride back to the Harley-Davidson dealership in Munich today (subject to their opening days /times), or later depending on your onward travel plans.  The tour officially ends after breakfast this morning.

• Three and four star accommodation in terrific locations
• Breakfast every day
• 2 evening meals
• Well researched routes to provide you with fantastic roads to ride
• Experienced tour guide to lead the tour
• A back marker / sweep
• Ferry from Croatia to Italy
• Guided tour of Florence
• Getting into and around Venice, 4 September
• Tour1 T-Shirt
• Comprehensive tour itinerary
• GPS routes for your sat nav
• Tips for riding in Europe guide

What’s not included….

• Getting to / from Munich. You can either 1, make your own way to Munich on your own bike and meet us there, or 2, ride on your own bike with us from Folkestone, UK, leaving on Tuesday morning to get to Munich Wednesday afternoon, or 3, you could fly to Munich and rent a bike there. If you want to ride to Munich (and back) fully supported by the tour leader, back-marker, or maybe both,  let us know and we will advise of the separate arrangements for you. There will be no additional Tour1 charges for this service beyond that of the normal travelling expenses, which you pay yourself.
• Accomodation before the tour starts, or after it ends
• Petrol (gas) you use
• Motorway tolls
• Other road tolls, including mountain passes (allow €50)
• All other meals and drinks
• Motorcycle rental, should you need it (we can help arrange this – see RENTALS tab at the top of this page)
• Entry into the Basilica in Assisi (It’s an optional visit)
• Travel costs in and around Venice, 5 September (it is very cheap)
• Entry into the Timmelsjoch Motorcycle Museum (it’s an optional visit)

Our group sizes normally range from 10 to 14 motorcycles.

Each day, we normally start riding at 8.30am sharp and cover in the region of 150 to 200 miles.  We try to avoid motorways wherever possible and only use these when there is no real alternative.  We take mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks and of course find somewhere for lunch.  Our plan is to normally arrive at that evening’s hotel by around 6pm.

We use good quality hotels – not super luxury and not bottom end, but mid-range – normally 3 and 4-star.

We ride at a pace to suit all of the riders.  We stick to all speed limits in towns, but in rural areas we ride at, let’s call them ‘more appropriate’ speeds.  We generally ride in staggered convoy on straighter roads.

As we have pre-booked hotels and a schedule to stick to, we ride in all weathers.  During any exceptionally inclement weather, we will pull over for short periods.  We could experience a range of different types of weather, so bring waterproofs, just in case.

We like these tours to be about having a real adventure, riding on great roads with like-minded people. For that reason, we do not use a support van, but we always have a back-marker.

*Ride Rating

Each of our rides has a difficulty rating and this tour is rated as ‘moderate’.  That means this tour is not recommended for new riders.  You should have at least four years of riding experience on large motorcycles.  You must have ridden on the right-hand side of the road before and you must be comfortable with travelling in a group of riders and be able to keep a good pace within that group.  We do not ride fast, but at the same time, it is better if riders do not go too slowly.  While there is not much motorway riding on the tour, as a guide, the group will be riding at speeds of 75mph on motorways.  You must be confident of riding in rain and on wet roads.

Each day’s riding will be around 9 hours, with breaks.  You must be able to ride all day.  If you are at all unsure if your riding ability is good enough for this tour, then you must contact us by telephone to discuss.