Alps Trip

Sin_Chase

Sin_Chase

Sin_Chase

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Joined
13 Jan 2004
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So, being the lazy bum I am, I have left planning to buzz over to Europe on the motorbike until the last minute. But hey, it will be fun nonetheless!

Looking to depart from St. Malo and head down through France. Having done a brief Google the "ROUTE DES GRANDES ALPES" seems like a good Alps route with lot's of pre-compiled info on accommodation (which is bike friendly) and things to do/see ideas.

From there I might pop into Italy and then the route back through Switzerland/Germany potentially.

I'm ordering down some SW-MOTECH stuff for the S1000R and already have a TomTom Rider which can accept some GPX routes.

Basically looking for any tips/advice/dos/donts and otherwise. I know I should have probably spent a long time planning this but I've not! Ideally I would pre-plan accommodation but this might be tricky as I do not know how long I will travel in each day nor how long I might spend in any given area. Is it feasible to do such a trip without pre-booking?
 
When are you going? The Tour de France is at the end of July so avoid then!
One thing I would say from past road trips is if you pass somewhere to stay mid afternoon it's worth checking that there are going to be places to stay further down the road. The "I'll just do another hour, there's bound to be somewhere else soon" mentality has caught me out more than a few times!
 
Hmm, looking at the Tour De France website it is running throughout all of July. Will need to check which stages are in the areas I am looking at on which dates.

Edit - Seems the tour is there from 21st July onwards, I wont be in that area then!
 
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Some of the best trips are the unplanned ones. Firstly it's worth heading here if you haven't done already, (also get the BBR app).

Depending on what country you're visiting you'll need to carry certain bits with you, for instance (and a lot of this is grey area) breathalyzer kit, reflective stickers on crash helmet, bulb kit and hi-viz bib/jacket for France. http://www.lazymotorbike.eu/riding/europe/ Lot of info there on local traffic laws etc.

Switzerland and Austria you'll need to purchase vignettes, you can pre-order them here and have them delivered before you go or pick them up at petrol stations in and around the neighboring borders.

Other than that the usual things like breakdown cover that includes 'return to home' or similar. Making sure your bank/credit card companies know you're taking your cards abroad or they may possibly block them due to fraudulent activity.
 
unKle said:
Switzerland and Austria you'll need to purchase vignettes, you can pre-order them here and have them delivered before you go or pick them up at petrol stations in and around the neighboring borders
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Cheers. Is it relatively easy to pick them up prior to entry in the garages etc?

Kreeeee said:
If you pass through Switzerland you can kip here for the night.
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Top banana :cool:
 
Soft panniers, tank bag ordered. Hoping my HP levers come down in time also. Pretty sure I can fit enough clothing and kit into them, possibly might take my Kriega backpack also.

Need to work out how I am going to store camera footage from microSD elsewhere. Only really see 2 options at present -Take a laptop/tablet device with reader capability or take lots of microSD cards (which seems like an expensive option)

That or might look in to a portable USB HDD and using my mobile phone with an OTG cable.

Kreeeee said:
Vignettes are available at the border and in post offices in Switzerland, quite a few garages too.
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Cool, basically - If I want to ride in Switzerland I need one, many? Are there more than 1 type or different depending on length of stay/roads ridden?

On a separate note for those of you who have toured before. What is a comfortable miles/day target? Probably not looking at any more than 10 days total and intend to get down from St. Malo to the Alps. Ride a couple of alp stages and see what route back can be comfortably done.
 
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There are no tolls on Swiss motorways, you just have the one off fee for the year.

Unless I don't understand your question...
 
Started to look at some roads/routes. Spent a few hours and have drafted a really really rough route to try get an idea of overall distance.

2,215 Mile Route

The above includes:
French Alps - France
Stelvio Pass - Italy
Klausen Pass - Switzerland
Route 500 - Black Forest Germany

From there I just pinged a destination back to the ferry to get an idea of total distance.
 
Personally I'd say 200 - 350 miles pe day is comfortable. Depends on the bike and if you want to stop and look around things
 
I'd agree with that. We nudged 400 miles on a couple of our days on our Pyrenees trip earlier this year, and it can turn into a bit of a slog. Even worse if the weather turns nasty.
 
Think I'll likely average out 220-250 miles per day over 10 days. Initial drive down through France will be more in one go I imagine, less in the areas of interest and more on the route back. Seems feasible.

Going on a 1 way ferry ticket so can always add or remove a day here and there.
 
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