Top of the Alps

We'll make time to visit one of the famous King Ludwig's Linderhoff, his private retreat near Garmisch. We'll begin encountering some gentle sweepers and then increasingly challenging passes as the snow-topped Bavarian Alps give way to the Austrian Alps. We'll end Day 2 unwinding in the charming, cozy ski resort town of Lech, 1300m high in the Alps.

Once across the Swiss border, we can enjoy the quiet, forested area around Walensee Lake, before scaling our first major pass of the day—the Klausen. From there we'll continue west through the valley, making a turn in Wassen to ride over another beautiful pass – Sustenpass, before settling on the top of the Grimselpass, our base tonight.

First, we'll scale the other end of Furkapass and the famous Gotthardpass. After lunch and a short break, we'll be ready to test our riding skills on Passo del Bernardino and then Splugenpass, with one end in Italy and the other in Switzerland. After a short ride through Italy, we'll reenter Switzerland via the spectacular Maloja Pass, passing the ski resort town of St. Moritz and south over the Berninapass to the Italian tax-free paradise of Livigno, our base tonight.

It enjoys special tax status as a tax-free zone, which makes it very attractive to buy goods at substantially lower prices, especially tax-free gasoline. Today, you can decide to take the day off and do some shopping, hiking or ride some more, taking one of the riding loops we've prepared in the area. Loop over Ofen Pass and Umbrail Pass is just one of the options.

Our next challenge, Stelvio Pass, will make these first two seem like mere warm-ups. At almost 2800 m, Stelvio is one of the two highest rideable mountain passes in the Alps! And what a ride it is-- switchbacks galore, and, if you dare look up from the road, some of the most beautiful high mountain panoramas in the world. The route to our last major pass of the day, Passo di Gavia, inspires with its lakes, narrow chicanes, and wildness. We will end our day in the middle of the fabulous Dolomites.

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 in the medieval town of Lienz and say good bye to the 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, anyone looking for some exposure to Austrian culture and history may detour to medieval Salzburg for a coffee and bit of exploration. From here, much our ride back to Munich will be through the spectacular Alpine foothills of southern Bavaria. The German Alpine Road, Grande Dame of Germany's scenic byways, will carry us over a landscape dotted with castles, baroque churches, viaducts, and abbeys. By late afternoon, Munich will greet us once more. That evening, we'll meet for our farewell dinner.

If you have an afternoon flight planned, you can walk the Old Town and enjoy the local sites and tastes once more before returning home filled with great memories.