Western Alps Adventure - the Wonderland
13. 12. 2023
Greg Drevensted, Chief Editor of Rider Magazine, joined us this past summer on our Western Alps Adventure and he called it “Wonderland”.
More on our BlogThis spectacular motorcycle tour combines some of the best scenery you can find in Slovenia with rugged Adriatic coastline and high alpine passes in Italy and Austria. It's a great way to experience gentle coastal riding, more challenging mountain twisties and everything in between.
On three days, riding is optional; relax in the hotel or the scenic surrounding, or go for a ride on your own or with the guide. It's your choice!
It's a tour in which you can swim in the nicest European sea, sample some exquisite wines, and taste local food amongst the rolling hills of southeast Slovenia. Explore castles and underground caves, ride some of the highest passes in Europe and much, much more.
After we get you settled in the hotel, just take it easy - rest in the hotel, see the town. We'll meet at the hotel at 2 pm for the introductory briefing and take a short introductory ride afterwards to get accustomed to the bike. In the evening we meet for a special welcome dinner and have an informal chat to discuss the format of the tour.
We ride up the valley of the river Kokra to arrive at Jezersko from where we cross to Austria for a couple of kilometers. After crossing back to Slovenia we descend to the Logarska valley, one of the most beautiful glacially formed Alpine valleys in Europe, surrounded by peaks over 2.200m high. We'll cross into Styria, the mountainous part of eastern Austria, and tour the meandering roads through an area famous for its vineyards and castles.
The roads will be kinder and gentler today, and we'll pass picturesque fruit orchards and vineyards dotted with scenic small lakes and quaint medieval towns. We head north passing Graz, returning south toward Slovenia into the northernmost corner, the Prekmurje region, slowly descending into Jeruzalem, surrounded by scenic vineyards. Jeruzalem was named by the Crusades when the beauty of the hilly landscape and its wines enthralled them on their way to the Holy Land.
It is a region of forests, vineyards, rolling hills, scattered farms and a large number of castles. Riding over these hills is an absolute delight and a real feast for your eyes. We stop at the Podsreda Castle and have a picnic lunch with a view of this remarkable fortification. In the afternoon we do some more riding, passing Otocec castle, which is one of Slovenia's loveliest and most complete fortresses that dates back to the 16th century. Finaly we arrive at Dolenjske Toplice. A quiet small spa resort popular with Slovenians.
We then cross the border into Croatia and first ride to Krk Island, the biggest island in the Adriatic. After a short ferry ride, we reach Losinj Island, and in the afternoon after a long and exciting ride, finish the day with a dip in the hotel's pool, or better, in the crystal-clear Adriatic sea.
You will most probably want to ride to Mali Losinj and Veli Losinj, two delightful little towns on the southern end of the island. Today they are more or less tourist resorts, still retaining a lot of their fishing-village character. A walk along the harbour, packed with boats, cafes and local craftsmen is something you shouldn't miss. A great way to spend the day is a boat trip to the beautiful islands of Susak or Ilovik. Tiny Susak is unique for the thick layer of fine sand that blankets underlying limestone and creates delightful beaches.
Some great riding on open roads with several curves and breath-taking scenery will upgrade the experience by introducing the cultural and historical highlights. The Roman ruins lovers will be pleased to stop in Pula and visit the impressive Roman Amphitheater, overlooking the harbour northeast of the old town. Designed to host gladiatorial contests and seating up to 20,000 spectators, it still serves the mass-entertainment needs of the local populace in the shape of concerts and film-festival screenings.
After crossing back into Slovenia, we explore the Skocjan caves which, with their 100 meter deep underground canyon and many vast chambers, have no comparison in the world and are included in Unesco's World Heritage Site list. We finish the day in the Brda region and spend the night in a pleasant B&B, which is set in the middle of vineyards and offers superb local food and wine.
As we ride through the wide valleys of Friuli, Italy's northeastern region, we start seeing high mountains in the distance towards the west. We enter the region of the Carniche Alps and soon find ourselves on the first serious mountain passes. We ride past Cortina d'Ampezzo and soon reach the Falzarego and Valparola passes. Today we won't go any higher as we are already at the elevation of 2.200 m (7.200 ft). In the afternoon, we get to Arabba, a nice little town set amidst the high mountains.
If resting is not your idea of spending a holiday in the Alps, then numerous rides around the Dolomites motorcycle playground await. Exhilarating mountain roads lead in all directions. You can ride all the way to Lago di Garda or even conquer Passo Stelvio, the highest pass in Italy. Your guide will help you set the route that is best for you and probably come with you as well. It's really all about riding as you will have a hard time finding better motorcycle roads anywhere in Europe.
This high altitude playground for motorcyclists and bicyclists exists today because of the road building efforts of Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces along what was a bitterly contested front through here in WWI. We’ll end our day across the border in Austria, spending the night under the intriguing Grossglockner, saying good bye to Dolomites, the ultimate riding destination.
Running through the heart of the Hohe Tauren National Park to Austria’s highest peak, Mt Grossglockner (3798m), this classic twisty throws 36 curves into your path over 48 km up to an altitude of 2504 m! Once off the mountain, we cross to Italy heading toward Slovenia, to end the day in beautiful alpine resort of Bovec, where we stay for the next two nights.
Have a free day to discover the town and surrounding areas, walk one of many trails around Bovec, take a cable car to the Kanin ski station, play golf, go fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, swimming or visit the WWI Kobarid museum, the best European museum in 1993. Go whitewater rafting or kayaking with experienced guides on the untamed Soca River, or if you feel really adventurous, go for a tandem parachute jump. You can also ride the highest mountain road in Slovenia to Mangart Mountain and visit the Kluze fortress on the way. Stay overnight in Bovec.
With its emerald-green water, picture postcard church on an islet, medieval castle clinging to a rocky cliff, and some of the highest peaks of the Julian Alps as a backdrop, Bled is Slovenia's most popular resort. We continue the ride on twisty roads, passing the attractive historic towns of Kropa and Skofja Loka to arrive in Ljubljana late in the afternoon.
Depending on the time of your flight back home, you may have time to climb the staircase to the 16th century fortification of Ljubljana Castle that dominates the town before heading out to the airport.
Motorcycle | 2024 Price for the RIDER * Based on sharing a double / twin room |
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5.920 € |
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6.130 € |
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6.390 € |
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6.760 € |
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6.970 € |
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7.620 € |
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Your own motorcycle | 4.980 € |
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Passenger | 4.400 € |
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610 € |
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Book a single room with your tour. |
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7.50 % |
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Purchasing trip cancellation insurance allows customers to receive a refund for a tour when a customer must cancel a tour for reasons covered by this insurance. Trip cancellation insurance costs 7,5% of the total listed price of the tour, including supplements like motorcycle upgrades, single room requests, and passenger costs. |
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325 € |
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VIP & Super VIP Insurance For a fixed cost of 25 EUR per day VIP Insurance lowers your security deposit for the motorcycle, while Super VIP Insurance reduces your security deposit to zero (0 EUR) and costs 40 EUR per day. VIP and Super VIP Insurances are available on all our tours and rentals of 7 days or more. Riders must have at least 2 years of riding experiences and must be at least 25 or less than 75 years old to obtain VIP or Super VIP Insurance. Riders with less than 2 years of riding experiences are responsible for full motorcycle value. See the chart below:
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520 € |
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VIP & Super VIP InsuranceFor a fixed cost of 25 EUR per day VIP Insurance lowers your security deposit for the motorcycle, while Super VIP Insurance reduces your security deposit to zero (0 EUR) and costs 40 EUR per day. VIP and Super VIP Insurances are available on all our tours and rentals of 7 days or more. Riders must have at least 2 years of riding experiences and must be at least 25 or less than 75 years old to obtain VIP or Super VIP Insurance. Riders with less than 2 years of riding experiences are responsible for full motorcycle value. See the chart below:
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Air ticket, dinners on 3 rest days, most lunches, drinks, gasoline, personal spending, and tips.
Tour Cancellation Insurance: more information HERE.
* 2025 prices will be set in October 2024. If the increase compared to the 2024 prices is more than 5%, you can cancel the tour without a fee until Oct 31, 2024.
13. 12. 2023
Greg Drevensted, Chief Editor of Rider Magazine, joined us this past summer on our Western Alps Adventure and he called it “Wonderland”.
More on our Blog03. 12. 2021
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