13 Day Exploring Northern Lakes, Alps, and Dolomites - Premium Guided Motorcycle Tour in Italy

Overview

The tour is excellent for skilled riders who are more interested in feeling the tarmac beneath their wheels than visiting, with fewer tourist visits but the bonus of a magnificent Alpine backdrop. Mainly set on mountain roads, this tour in the majestic Italian Alps stretches over 11 full days in the saddle on a west-east route from Piedmont across to South Tyrol. It’s a ride through breathtaking high-mountain landscapes and enthralling passes, with the odd raid back into civilization. This tour is entirely on tarmacked but often highly challenging mountain roads that will reach the altitude of 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) above sea level. There will be many tight bends and hairpins with very narrow and difficult sections of road. But the many beautiful lakes in the program and the last days in a "gentler" context, packed with amazing towns to visit, will conquer your romantic and artistic m

Highlights

• Starts and ends in Milan
• Experiencing the majestic Alps on the bike
• Riding on the spectacular Stelvio Pass and Gavia Pass
• Enjoying beautiful northern lakes and the Dolomites
• Venturing in 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• Ski resort of Ortisei and Cortina visit
• 12 nights accommodation

Itinerary

1. Day 1: Meeting in Milan

   You will meet up in the afternoon at Italy on Motorbike’s hotel in Milan and pick up the rental bikes. You will all meet up before dinner and get to know each other through a welcome aperitif and a short but important briefing, the time to explain a few simple rules for organizing and synchronizing things, thus ensuring that everyone has a safe holiday that is unforgettable for all the right reasons. - Overnight: a four-star hotel in Milan - Included meals: dinner

2. Day 2: Milan - Lake Maggiore (200 kilometers / 124 miles)

   The tour proper begins and, with it, your ramble through Europe’s highest and most extensive mountain range, with its sweeping, majestic landscapes, the Alps. Its highest peaks have one foot in Italy and the other one in France, leader of the pack being Mont Blanc. First, you will head for Piedmont to visit the Sacred Mountain of Varallo and have lunch on a succulent ‘elephant’s ear’ (that’s a breaded cutlet). Suitably fed and watered, you’ll be ready for some exhilarating views, and the roads up to the village of Orta San Giulio on Lake Orta don’t disappoint. You will press on over the Mottar

3. Day 3: Lake Maggiore - Lake Como (160 kilometers / 99 miles)

   You will rumble on from Lake Maggiore to Lake Como, with a detour into Switzerland to skirt Lake Lugano before returning to the spectacular mountains of Lombardy. You will hop across on the ferry to save time and then motor along the lakeside before tackling the mountains that will see you across the Swiss border. Then, it’s back to Italy to visit Como and marvelous Villa del Balbianello. You will end the day at the tip of the lake. - Overnight: a four-star hotel on Lake Como - Included meals: breakfast and dinner

4. Day 4: Lake Como - Bormio (230 kilometers / 143 miles)

   Today, you are bound for Bormio, in Valtellina, at the foot of the world-renowned Stelvio Pass. As usual, you will take the scenic route, that’s the motorcyclists’ code of honor, along the Lecco branch of Lake Como to reach Bormio from the north via San Moritz in Switzerland, scaling heights of 2,000 meters above sea level. You will chug onto the picturesque duty-free town of Livigno, a shopping paradise, and finally to your hotel in Bormio, where you’ll spend two nights. - Overnight: a four-star hotel in Bormio - Included meals: breakfast and dinner

5. Day 5: Bormio (150 kilometers / 93 miles)

   Today’s ride packs a bunch of highlights into just 150 kilometers. First up is the mouthwatering Stelvio Pass, the highest road pass in Europe at 2,758 meters, with its breathtaking views and hair-raising hairpins, 40 on the way up, 48 on the way down. You will skirt the Austrian border at Lake Reschen, with its famous submerged bell tower, before crossing into Switzerland and girding your loins for another “succulent” pass. That takes you back to Italy, where you will have lunch in a lakeside refuge. Suitably nourished, you will return to the hotel. To wind down in style, Italy on Motorbike h

6. Day 6: Bormio - Ortisei (190 kilometers / 118 miles)

   Leaving Lombardy behind, you will embark on a route lined with stupendous scenery and sumptuous mountain passes, bound for the Trentino-Alto Adige region, the Dolomites, and the famous and lovely ski resort of Ortisei. Your route takes in the stunning Gavia Pass, a firm favorite among riders as much for its beauty as for its technical demands, with some pretty tight hairpin bends to look forward to. Now there’s challenge to relish. - Overnight: a four-star hotel in Ortisei area - Included meals: breakfast and dinner

7. Day 7: Ortisei

   After the exploits over the last few days, today is all about relaxing and giving the bikes a rest. Putting your feet up and enjoying the comforts of the hotel sounds like a good plan, but if you fancy something a little more active, here are some ideas: - Walk the peaks to savor the dreamy Dolomites in all their beauty (with various routes from the challenging vie ferrate, climbing 600 meters in 3 hours, to the soft option of a chairlift) - Take a helicopter ride for a bird’s eye view of the magnificent mountain scenery that has earned UNESCO World Heritage status - Rent a bicycle and explore

8. Day 8: Ortisei - Cortina d’Ampezzo (185 kilometers / 115 miles)

   Today, it’s your camera that will be taking the strain. The Sella and Marmolada massifs await you in the heart of the mountains. If you had only one day in the Dolomites, you’d want it to be this. The scenery here is quite unlike the western ranges, and the ramblings will be rewarded with a succession of the gorgeous landscapes that the Dolomites have to offer. After a lakeside coffee break, you will conclude the day by rolling into another mountain gem, the famous ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo. - Overnight: a four-star hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo area - Included meals: breakfast and dinner

9. Day 9: Cortina d’Ampezzo (200 kilometers / 124 miles)

   On this tour, every day is spectacular, a feast for the eyes meets pure motoring pleasure. On today’s ride, you will discover a rather special swathe of the Dolomites, exploring the beauty and history of one of their most legendary landscapes. You’ll be visiting two old border towns and their castles, enjoying a traditional lunch in a refuge by one of the area’s most delightful lakes, and admiring the ultimate symbol of the Dolomites, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the three peaks of Lavaredo) which is simply breathtaking. Dine where you please. - Overnight: a four-star hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo a

10. Day 10: Cortina d’Ampezzo - Trento (200 kilometers / 124 miles)

    Today, you will weave your way along curvaceous roads and gorgeous passes to the gentler side of the Dolomites in the Trentino “lowlands” (relatively speaking). This ride is every bit as magnificent as the previous days’, as you explore the charming city of Trento with its delightful old centre and the magnificent Buonconsiglio Castle. For dinner, you will eat together in an elegant traditional restaurant in the old quarter. - Overnight: a four-star hotel in Trento - Included meals: breakfast and dinner

11. Day 11: Trento - Lake Garda (190 kilometers / 118 miles)

    Your last night at large will be beside a lake again. But before that, an endless feast of twists and turns awaits along a road clawed from the rock by the Austro-Hungarian soldiers during World War I, via one of the most impressive fortifications in the Trentino region. Then, you power into the Veneto, arriving in the splendid Renaissance city of Verona (another UNESCO gem) for a look around its famous Roman arena followed by Juliet’s house of Shakespearean fame. Your final destination for today is Lake Garda, Sirmione, to be exact. This beautiful Roman town with the Grottoes of Catullus and

12. Day 12: Lake Garda - Milan (200 kilometers / 124 miles)

    On the road back to Milan, you will stop to visit marvelous Mantova and its Palazzo Te, the mannerist masterpiece built as Marquis Federico II Gonzaga’s pleasure palace. You will have one last stop to make, in Cremona, the city of Stradivari and world hub of violin making. There is a fine museum and the world’s most famous school of lutherie that dates back centuries which is part of the UNESCO Heritage. Finally, you will roll back into Milan and check-in to your original hotel. After taking the hire bikes back a lavish dinner provides a fitting end to your adventure together. - Overnight: a f

13. Day 13: Farewell in Milan

    Italy on Motorbike will say goodbyes after breakfast, leaving you free to go home or explore further the magic of Italy on your own. There are plenty of opportunities to continue your trip that Italy on Motorbike can help you planning! - Included meals: breakfast

Ride Details

Terrain

asphalt

Bike

personal or rental bike

Mileage

2,000 kilometers / 1,245 miles

Daily rides

between 150 - 230 kilometers / 95 - 145 miles / 6 - 8 hours

Riding gear

not included: helmets, GPS, protective gear, rain suits, gloves, etc.

Meals

12 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 8 dinners

Accommodation

Your accommodation will be in an en-suite room with buffet breakfast in hand-picked, classy, and charming first-class hotels (4 stars) that will satisfy even the most demanding guests, for it is emphasized to all the aspects that go into making a luxury holiday. Wherever possible, Italy on Motorbike will choose high-rated hotels with top facilities and excellent food in historic and scenic settings, often in exquisitely beautiful villages offering inviting backdrops for a romantic dinner or evening walk.

Food

Italy on Motorbike will serve you 12 buffet breakfasts, 4 super lunches in typical restaurants, and 8 super dinners at hotels or external restaurants at walking distance. A typical Italian welcome aperitif will be also included. All meals are chosen à la carte by the customer, no fixed menu.

Getting There

The technical difficulties of this tour for expert riders will be widely compensated by great emotions for the amazing sceneries and the pleasure of riding on exhilarating bikers’ roads. There will be over 30 passes on the route, king Stelvio obviously, and many more legendary names such as Gavia, Bernina, Falzarego, Tonale, Sella, Pordoi, Giau, and about 15 lakes including Maggiore, Como, Garda,