Highlights – Gorges de l’Ain; Col du Berthiand; “Route des Grands Alps”; Cormet de Roselend; Col de Meraillet; La Rosiere; Petit St Bernard Pass; Maloja Pass; Julier Pass; Lenzerhide Pass; Oberalp Pass; Susten Pass; Col de Mosses; Col de la Forclaz; Col de Montets.
Optional: Bernina Express (train ticket included); Bernina Pass; Stelvio Pass; Ofen Pass; Furka Pass; Grimsel Pass; Nufenen Pass; St Gottard Pass;
Sunday 17 – Thursday 28 August 2025
Our view: As one of our customers once said “more hairpins than a 40’s hairdo!” and we couldn’t have put it better ourselves. This tour is for experienced riders only – you must be comfortable with really twisty roads and so many hairpins we lost count…the reward though is stunning scenery…you will be blown away by the riding and the sights on this tour. Although a long tour there are 4 rest days to either relax or join an optional ride-out.
The tour starts and finishes in Caen – Ouistreham.
The first day we have an early start to clear Normandy before passing through the Loire valley to our 3* hotel with outdoor swimming pool where dinner is included tonight.
The next day we ride through the Bourgogne vineyards and the Jura region over several cols before arriving at Annecy with its lovely old town & lake. Our hotel is ideally placed to explore the cobbled back streets on this a free night.
Day 3 sees us following part of the Route des Grands Alps, so many twisties, hairpins & fabulous views. Stopping for lunch on top of one of the passes we then cross into Italy to our 3* hotel with outdoor swimming pool on the edge of Lake Maggiore where we stay for the next two nights. Dinner is included the first night here.
Day 4 is a complete day off the bikes. Take a boat trip to the islands known as the “Pearls of Lake Maggiore”. A short walk will take you into the old town where there are plenty of cafes and restaurants to choose from on a free night.
The next day we have coffee on Lake Lugano followed by lunch on Lake Como. We then ride our first Swiss Pass up to our hotel near St Moritz where again we stay for 2 nights with dinner included on both nights.
We then have another day off to walk to a nearby mammoth glacier (the 2023 Testimonial shows just how much this has changed over the years!). A train ticket on the Bernina Express is included for those who wish to explore further alternatively join us on a ride-out to take in the Stelvio Pass.
Day 7 we’re back on the bikes riding many more Passes with a surprise at morning coffee stop. A late afternoon arrival at our next 3* hotel with indoor swimming pool, sauna and stunning views over Lake Briensee. Dinner is included tonight and we stay here for three days allowing us to schedule the optional ride-outs.
Day 8 & 9 depending on the weather, we either visit the Trummelbach Waterfalls, Grindelwald with views of the Eiger, Monch, & Jungfrau mountains, possibly a helicopter ride (amazing – see 2019 review for photos) or ride more of the fabulous mountain passes – the Grimsel, Furka, Nufenen and others. Alternatively relax on a boat trip on the lake, visit Interlaken, the local wildlife park or enjoy the hotel facilities. These two nights are free for you to explore the town, there are several restaurants to choose from.
Day 10 we ride over several more Cols heading back into France. With afternoon coffee stop at Chamonix we then pick up the Route Blanche to our next 3* hotel. Again this is a free night with many restaurants on our doorstep.
The next day we ride back through the Loire area to a lovely 3* hotel with outdoor swimming pool. Dinner is included on this our last night either in the hotel or a local restaurant.
Day 12 we head back to Caen, Ouistreham, with coffee & lunch stops en-route.
This will be a fully guided motorbike tour with a luggage van – following the same route as the bikes – included in the price. The routes have been extensively researched and as we stop every hour and a half for coffee, lunch or fuel pillions will not be too long in the saddle. We always use a “second man drop off” marker system with a tail end rider so you will not need to refer to maps or sat-navs and as we limit the number of bikes on the trip to a maximum of 15 no-one is kept waiting too long.
The hotels we have chosen are all independent and rated 3*. Many have swimming pools, most have secure private parking. Full details will be provided in the Tour Pack which is sent out 3 – 4 weeks before the trip.
Riding stats; Total 1700 miles or 2000 with optional rides; longest day 274 miles; 235 miles of peage
PLEASE make sure you have sufficient tyre tread to finish the tour.
Price: £2395 per person in a shared room, £3290 for a single room – includes:
- 12 days fully escorted tour led by experienced British guides (who speak French)
- Hotel accommodation with en-suite facilities and breakfasts for 11 nights
- Evening meals on 6 nights – 2 in France and 1 in Italy with wine included, 3 in Switzerland but no wine included
- Luggage van
- Tour Information Pack – which includes a detailed itinerary, hotels, explanation of marker system, road signs etc
Your ferry/tunnel crossing, peages (approx 50 euros per bike), local ferry (approx 10 euros), any entry fees and meals/drinks other than as stated above are not included in the price.
We shall not be using any motorways in Switzerland so you will not need to purchase a “Vignette” (50 Swiss Francs) and we are not using the Mont Blanc Tunnel (30 euros).
A deposit of £295 per person is payable upon booking with the balance payable 8 weeks before departure.
We need a minimum of 12 guests to run this Tour.
All bookings are subject to BN European Tours Ltd Terms & Conditions.
It is important when considering whether to book on this Tour that you are happy to ride to the speed limits where appropriate to do so – this means 130km/h (approx 85 mph) on motorways. In addition you MUST be comfortable with riding really twisty roads in any weather conditions.
