The Alpine Passes Tour

Saturday 15 August to Sunday 23 August 2026

9 Days, a fully guided tour crossing:

France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy

Highlights: Ride some of the best roads through the Black Forest to Switzerland to find and conquer the best Alpine Passes found

Tour Leader: Toby Barnes-Taylor

Distance: 1945 miles

Ride Difficulty: 8/10

Countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy

Tour Start Point: Folkstone, UK

Tour End Point: Folkstone, UK

Summary: Possibly the best Alpine Pass tour through the Rhine Valley, Black Forest, Grossglockner Pass, Great Dolomites Road, Stelvio Pass, Grimsel Pass to name a few!!

In this 9-day fully guided tour we discover these extraordinary roads:

Rhine Gorge
German "Romantic Road"
Grossglockner Pass
Great Dolomites Road
Stelvio Pass
Grimsel Pass
Black Forest Routes of B48 and B500.

Starting early on a Saturday morning, we return the following Sunday afternoon having covered the most revered roads in the Alps. Imagine how you will answer when friends ask you, "what did you get up to last week?"

Description

The tour has everything you could wish for! Our routes include riding great roads through gorges beside rivers and lakes, through rolling hills, forests and alpine passes where the scenery is simply extraordinary. You will go from sitting back enjoying the panoramic views to being challenged on switchback passes all in the same day. Throughout the whole tour we are staying in comfortable 3 and 4 Star Hotels.

We have tied together some of the most beautiful scenery and extraordinary roads to ride that you can imagine. Each day is different, each with an extraordinary highlight, please see the daily itinerary to see what's in store. We have condensed the trip and daily routes into the space of a week, so you will return home exhausted but with the biggest smile on your face! This isn't a trip to be missed.

You may have heard the names of the Passes, but not considered that you can find them. Let us lead you on the ultimate motorcycle 'bucket list' conquering tour Let us take away all the stress so you can enjoy the whole experience.

Map

Itinerary

DAY ONE (Saturday 15 August)

The Tour starts as we meet up to catch the early Eurotunnel train on Saturday morning from Folkstone to Calais. Today's roads will be a mix of Dual Carriageway Roads to get into Belgium, ultimately heading for the historic town of Koblenz. Todays's route is 194 miles.

This evening we all dine together, the meal and first drink being paid by HD-Tours.

DAY TWO (Sunday 16 August)

Setting off this morning we find and follow along the west bank of the Rhine Gorge, with sweeping forest on one side and the river the other. Leaving the Rhine behind us at lunch, we head east to Wurzburg. A shorter ride today of 174 miles.

DAY THREE (Monday 17 August)

We head south from Wurzburg following the "Romantic Road" through 12 Bavarian town sprawled with historic interest. You will see baroque palaces, gothic houses and rococo fountains along the route, finishing with the spectacular fairy-tale castle that is Neuschwanstein perching on the top of the hill. We ride a total of 236 miles today.

DAY FOUR (Tuesday 18 August)

More awesome roads! Departing the Romantic Road, we find the German Alpine Road as it snakes along the Austrian Border, passing no less than 8 lakes and a waterfall where we stop for "kaffee und kuchen". Turning south we head for Zell am See for the night. We cover 239 miles today.

DAY FIVE (Wednesday 19 August)

Zell am See just happens to be the entrance to the Grossglockner Pass, 41 miles of the most extraordinary scenic drives in Europe. The mountain pass includes 26 turns and panoramic views of numerous mountain summits, including the 3789m Grossglockner. Pausing for coffee in the visitor's centre, you will have the opportunity to see Chamoix, Eagles, Ibexes and Vultures.

If this isn't enough, we head further South West to find the Great Dolomites Road, boasting some of the mightiest granite peaks of Europe. From the 2239m peak The Great Dolomites Road drops down along a magnificent valley to the Lago de Carezza, Andraz Castle before we continue on to our destination in Bolzano. Riding 197 miles today.

DAY SIX (Thursday 20 August)

Departing Bolzano, we head west to find the Stelvio Pass, 30 miles of the highest and most dramatic mountain passes to drive in the Alps. There is no wonder this is listed as one of the most scenic roads in the World.

From the Stelvio Pass we turn to head for the old town of Chur for the night. Riding 195 miles today.

DAY SEVEN (Friday 21 August)

Whilst now heading for home, the riding is no less spectacular. Leading Chur, we find the Grimsel Pass before lunch to admire the stark beauty of the smooth granite rock formations, glaciers and blue lakes.

Now leaving the Alps behind us we head back to the Black Forest and the spectacular ribbons of tarmac that is the B500, riding through dense pine forests, pastures and historic towns as we head back to Baden-Baden for the night. 211 miles today, but roads are becoming more graceful in their curves.

DAY EIGHT (Saturday 22 August)

Departing Baden-Baden early we continue north along the second spectacular ribbon of tarmac in the Black Forest, the B48 to find the Rhine Gorge once again to Koblenz, this time following the east side fo the gorge, our ultimate destination being Liege. a total of 307 miles today.

This evening we all dine together one last time, the meal and first drink being paid by HD-Tours.

DAY NINE (Sunday 23 August)

Setting off from Liege, we set off for Calais, whilst 195 miles, we cannot avoid the main arterial roads as we close in on the Eurotunnel check-in desks. Just over 4 hours' riding, we should be able to catch the 4pm train, which brings us back to Folkstone for around 4pm BST.

The tour ends when we pass through UK passport control at Folkstone.

What's included

Outbound and return channel tunnel crossing
Three and four star accommodation in terrific locations
Breakfast every day
2 evening meals on our journey
Entry to all passes
Well researched routes to provide you with fantastic roads to ride
Experienced tour guide to lead the tour
A back marker / sweep
HD-Tours T-Shirt
Comprehensive tour itinerary
GPS routes for your sat nav (if you want them)
Tips for riding in Europe guide

What’s not included….

Accommodation before the tour starts, or after it ends
Petrol (gas) you use
Road tolls where payment is made at the time
All other meals and drinks
Motorcycle rental, should you need it.

Information

Our group sizes normally range from 10 to 14 motorcycles.
Each day, we normally start riding at 8.30am and aim to be at our day's destination by 5-6pm having covered in the region of 200 miles. We try to avoid motorways wherever possible and only use these when there is no real alternative or where making progress gets us to better roads.
We take mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks and of course find somewhere for lunch
We use good quality hotels – normally 3 and 4-star.
We ride at a pace to suit all of the riders. We stick to all speed limits as this is the best experience to keep the group together. 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. IF the weather is truly biblical we may turn off the scenic routes and onto motorways. 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.
Payments – we require a £400 deposit to be paid when you book a tour, with the balance to be paid in four equal payments, 8, 6, 4 and 2 months before the tour starts. If you prefer, you can pay the balance of the cost of the tour earlier than this.
*Ride Difficulty Rating. All our tours are rated for skill/difficulty; this tour is rated RED*.
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.
If you are at all unsure if your riding ability is good enough for this tour, please contact us by telephone or email to discuss.

PLACES AVAILABLE

Prices

Prices For: 2025 Prices

Two riders sharing a room, price each £2,500

Single Rider in their own room £2,975

Rider and pillion sharing a room £3,850

Prices include the Eurotunnel train to and from France, all hotel accommodation (3 and 4 Star), all breakfasts, two evening meals and entry to the Passes.

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