Alpine Adventure West Overview
- Countries: Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy
- Ride the Col de l'Iseran, the highest pass in all the Alps
- Relax on the shores of the cleanest lake in Europe
- Visit the castle where St. Bernard was born
- Explore Germany's Black Forest
- Cross many of the passes that are part of the Tour de France
- Visit historic cities: Gruyère, Annecy, Freiburg, Aosta
- Conquer dozens of unforgettable mountain passes
Prepare for the big! Big scenery, big riding days and, of course, big passes. The Alpine Adventure West is a tour for riders who want to toss a boast or two around.
Find out what the roads of the Black Forest are all about. Ride the highest pass in the Alps. Relax on the shore of the cleanest lake in the European Union. Visit the castle where St. Bernard was born. Take fresh "Swiss" cheese. This combination of possibilities is unique to the Alpine Adventure West.
With the focus on towering, majestic mountains, our adventure kicks off in the Old Spa Town of Baden.
Complete with castle ruins overlooking the old town, a river flowing through the middle, an impressionist art gallery, a most engaging cafe culture and a wealth of nightlife, these two days in Baden are filled with possibilities. One of which is to begin tackling mountain passes right away! Albispass, Pragelpass, Sattelegg, and Glaubenbergpass all offer magnificent views from the top and an exciting ride to get there.
Switzerland's Pragel Pass is just one of Rob's "little white roads"
The Journey begins with a bit of Switzerland and a corner of Germany
The Danube flows at its head and the Rhine babbles at its feet. Germany’s Black Forest is set in impressive natural splendor and is the focus of the first day on the road. This wonderful, unspoiled region encompasses ravines and torrents, dense woods and impressive hills. Landscape, nature, climate, especially the people, and the unique agricultural products, are but a few of the things which comprise the wealth of the Black Forest.
Our exit from the hills of Germany across the Rhine river takes us to the French Jura. The terrain is very similar to America's Smoky Mountains, featuring easy riding through picture-perfect villages. Vive la France—great scenery and riding without the annoying crush of tourist traffic.
The Jura - rural France at its best
Our departure from the Jura region is by crossing another of Europe's great rivers, the Rhône.
Double overnight on the shore of Lake Annecy
The French are proud of their—well—Frenchness: Champagne, Chanel No. 5, camembert, croissants. No wonder when we speak of the joy of life, it’s in French: “joie de vivre.” The French believe they have the franchise on culture, cuisine—and especially—romance. You’ll probably agree when you set eyes on Lac d'Annecy, a crystal-clear, turquoise mountain lake in the heart of the Savoie region.
One of the most beautiful towns in the Haute Savoie region, Annecy is a gracious town that is still the quiet joy of provincial France and a perfect example of romance in both location and architecture. Bustle about the shopping core of Annecy or sit in the marvelous lakeside park and commune with nature at its best. Total relaxation on the grass by the lake, a boat ride, a visit to Mont Blanc and a ride up the mountain on Europe’s highest cable car, or perhaps a visit to the ancient castle of Menthon or the Museum of the French Resistance movement; our double overnight here offers something for everyone.
The French Vercors
Certain ranges in the Alps have a way of taunting puny humans. The Vercors is one. Atop the massif is a tranquil, forested, high plateau. The 20th century loggers had product, but no way to get it to market. Their answer was to construct "balcony roads," which were literally blasted out of the vertical mountainside. Today these roads are great motorcycle routes! Getting up to the plateau is a pleasant challenge, one made much more enjoyable by your BMW motorcycle—the perfect machine for this adventure.
The number of passes in the Vercors National Park borders on the absurd. We spend two overnights, and the majority of three riding days in the park to make the most of that absurdity!
Spring from valley to valley
Travel through appealing Alpine scenery with conifer woods, grasslands and some very impressive mountains on the way to a double overnight stop in the Mercantour National Park. The next highlight on the tour is up. Way up, at the top of the highest loop in the Alpine chain. Col de la Bonette stands at 8,907 feet above sea level. Grab that selfie and enjoy the ride down. Ah, the magic of the French Alps!
Our last day in France means... twisty Alpine Roads
The border between France and Italy is punctured by notable roads—small, very high, and traffic-free. Far from the congestion of the valleys, these roads take you to amazing heights. A picnic on a hillside, with a million-dollar view of the whole world spread at your feet, will put any restaurant patio seat to shame!
The Italian side of the Col Agnel
One of the most amazing things about the Alpine Adventure West is that now, many days and many miles into it, the riding continues to get better, and the scenery even more impressive. From the top of the Col Agnel the views seem to go for a hundred miles, south into Italy and north into France.
These are the sort of vistas that are inevitable to run across while riding in the mountains. The stunning aspect of the French Alps is the fact that they are everywhere. Day in and day out, not once, but dozens of times a day the only reaction one can manage is "wow!"
And like clockwork, on the way up the next pass, the Col d'Izoard, comes another "wow" moment when you come around the hairpin and the world opens up to a view that makes you feel quite small.
We are not done with France as yet. There is still the climb up the Col du Galibier for an up-high view of the remarkable glaciers of the Ecrins National Park. The road is quite a bit of fun, too! The highest Alpine pass to roll beneath your wheels is the Col de l'Iseran. Jet black rock outcroppings contrast with glistening blue glacial ice as you climb ever higher.
In 2023 Rob took Gretchen over the Cormet de Roseland for the first time. After 200,000 miles in the Alps, she is hard to impress, and she wasn't. Blown away better describes her reaction. She made it a personal mission to be sure we returned in 2024. (It's a tough job...) ;)
Back to Switzerland
Hannibal's route though the Alps, 2,200 years ago, is a mystery hotly disputed by historians. In the interest of due diligence in following his trek we cross the delightful Petit St. Bernard into Italy, as it is a possible route used by the warrior, his legion, and his elephants.
It is certain that Napoleon made a winter crossing of the Grand St. Bernard. While we won't be crossing in the winter, we will follow his footsteps all the same. After all, having a theme for a day's ride is a great excuse for having fun.
We enter Switzerland once again on the north side of the Grand St. Bernard where a little detour, up an obscure "Rob road," gives us another chance to get away from traffic and simply enjoy motorcycling.
The top of the Grand St. Bernard Pass, in Napoleon's footsteps
The last two riding days are a romp through the Swiss Alps, with views of the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau off our shoulder, and great Swiss pavement under our tires. The most impressive passes in the entire country take you up, down, and up again through mountain scenery that is unforgettable!
Miles and miles of twisty roads, a spread of culture, architecture, food and scenery, and as always, the freedom of a Beach tour combine to make the Alpine Adventure West a challenging, delightful, big ride. It is one you will, quite rightfully, boast about for years to come.
