This tour is really for more experienced riders capable of coping with 300 mile days.
The daily mileages quoted here are about right but may be slightly higher on the day.
There will be plenty of breaks though to stop you getting too saddle sore!
The daily mileages quoted here are about right but may be slightly higher on the day.
There will be plenty of breaks though to stop you getting too saddle sore!
Day 1 -
Our 13 day tour starts off from Dover on the Sunday morning when we board our Norfolk Line ferry for the hour and a half crossing to Dunkerque (Dunkirk) in France.
After a mixed ride of motorway and national roads we arrive at our first hotel near Nancy in eastern France.
Day 2 -
The following morning after breakfast, we set off through the Alsace region via St Die, the Bonhomme pass and Colmar before crossing over into Germany where we make our way through the Black Forest down to the huge Lake Constance. We follow the lake round to the Austrian border and into the Alps.
Our second hotel lies directly on the Silvretta-
Day 3 -
Day 4 -
Onwards to our third hotel which is near Linz over in eastern Austria. This is just an overnight stop as we will be crossing into Slovakia the day after.
Day 5 -
After breakfast we set off for Vienna which is shortly followed by the Slovakian border. The capital Bratislava is just over the border but we bypass it easily on the motorway which we stay on for just a few miles before turning off onto national roads towards our destination. You will certainly notice the difference between the west and the old east. For a start once we’ve passed Bratislava and are on the ordinary roads, you’ll soon notice how quiet the roads are. Nice!
As we pass Nitra we are just about half way to Banska and we’ll soon be going into the hilly area which will be our home ground for the next few days.
Included in the price
• Return ferry crossing
• 12 nights hotel accommodation
• 12 Breakfasts & evening meals
• Mine visit and Castle tour
• French motorway tolls
• Austrian road tax vignette
• Travel pack
• John & Jo as your tour guides
Cost of this tour
Rider & pillion sharing. Twin or Double
£880 each
Solo rider in a single room
£975
Solo rider sharing a twin room
£930
£880 each
Solo rider in a single room
£975
Solo rider sharing a twin room
£930
Day 6,7,8 - local
Banská Štiavnica is a Unesco World Heritage town and we’ll be staying in a very nice Pension there for 4 nights.
An old gold and silver mining town with a history going back to the 11th century, the town has lots of very fine buildings, some of which are in a sorry state. But renovation work is in full swing and they are slowly being restored to their former glory.
Although mining stopped here in the 1920’s there is a great mining museum which we will be visiting. The mine shafts are no longer in use so we’ll have to walk in, using one of the old tunnels that the ore carrying wagons came out of. An interesting experience and although we will only be walking (at times crouching!) through about a kilometre and a half of the tunnels, it’s a real eye opener to the conditions the miners working down there through the centuries had to endure.
The town and immediate surrounding area has over 300 km’s of tunnels beneath it!
An old gold and silver mining town with a history going back to the 11th century, the town has lots of very fine buildings, some of which are in a sorry state. But renovation work is in full swing and they are slowly being restored to their former glory.
Although mining stopped here in the 1920’s there is a great mining museum which we will be visiting. The mine shafts are no longer in use so we’ll have to walk in, using one of the old tunnels that the ore carrying wagons came out of. An interesting experience and although we will only be walking (at times crouching!) through about a kilometre and a half of the tunnels, it’s a real eye opener to the conditions the miners working down there through the centuries had to endure.
The town and immediate surrounding area has over 300 km’s of tunnels beneath it!
On the way back from the mine we will stop at a really quirky tea house which is on the ground floor of the Klopacka Tower where the mine bosses used to hammer on a resonant wooden board to announce the start of another working day or if there was an accident down the mine.
The castle is also worth visiting and for those of you interested, we will be organising a guided tour.
The roads round here are in surprisingly good condition, which coupled with the lack of traffic, makes exploring this very scenic area a real pleasure.
For those of you wanting to explore a little further afield, we may have a ride-out up to the High Tatra Mountains at the top of the country. These mountains form the border with Poland and are Slovakia’s main winter sports region. While we are there we could pop over the border and ride a loop through the Polish side of the mountains. Be silly not to!
Another good ride from the hotel would be south to Šahy about 30 miles away where we cross the border into Hungary, and then carry on to the town of Vác which is just north of Budapest. It is located on a big bend in the river Danube and is a good spot to have lunch at the waterside before heading off back to Banska using some interesting minor roads through the mountains.
We’ve planned this tour to coincide with an old festival held in the town every year.
It features a traditional Salamander* parade which dates back to the days of the towns famous Mining Academy.
Well, we’ve been here for 3 days now and hopefully you’ve been able to see quite a bit of how life was like behind the old iron curtain, but now it’s time to head off back home.
Day 9 - 280 miles
Today we leave Slovakia and head into the Czech Republic on the first stage of our homeward journey.
As we will be passing Brno anyway, why not stop at the MotoGP circuit for a look. We’ll have a late lunch here before carrying on to Prague and our first over night stop. Why not have a ride round the town and see a few of the sites before going to the hotel for dinner and bed.
Day 10 - 230 miles
We leave Prague behind as we cross over into Germany and make our way to our next hotel.
Another bikers hotel this one and very nice it is too. Typical German hospitality accompanies the typical German food. Hope you can still move after your meal and a few of their lovely beers!
Day 11 - 250 miles
After breakfast we set off to cross the last bit of Germany and head for our last hotel in the Luxembourg Ardennes. It’s such a lovely place to stop, surrounded by forests and overlooked by a castle, that we will be having a day off here too. A tiny country with loads to see and really beautiful countryside to explore if you wish. Or you could just have a day off from riding and explore the town on foot.
That’s what Jo and I will be doing.
Day 12 - local
Day 13 - 250 miles
Our last day and we cross over into France for our final leg back to Dunkerque and the ferry to Dover.
We catch a late afternoon sailing getting us back onto home ground at about 7pm and the end of a fantastic holiday.
*The Salamander parade gets its name from local legend and The Salamander (a lizard) is the town’s symbol.
For those of you wanting to explore a little further afield, we may have a ride-
Another good ride from the hotel would be south to Šahy about 30 miles away where we cross the border into Hungary, and then carry on to the town of Vác which is just north of Budapest. It is located on a big bend in the river Danube and is a good spot to have lunch at the waterside before heading off back to Banska using some interesting minor roads through the mountains.
We’ve planned this tour to coincide with an old festival held in the town every year.
It features a traditional Salamander* parade which dates back to the days of the towns famous Mining Academy.
Well, we’ve been here for 3 days now and hopefully you’ve been able to see quite a bit of how life was like behind the old iron curtain, but now it’s time to head off back home.
Day 9 -
Today we leave Slovakia and head into the Czech Republic on the first stage of our homeward journey.
As we will be passing Brno anyway, why not stop at the MotoGP circuit for a look. We’ll have a late lunch here before carrying on to Prague and our first over night stop. Why not have a ride round the town and see a few of the sites before going to the hotel for dinner and bed.
Day 10 -
We leave Prague behind as we cross over into Germany and make our way to our next hotel.
Another bikers hotel this one and very nice it is too. Typical German hospitality accompanies the typical German food. Hope you can still move after your meal and a few of their lovely beers!
Day 11 -
After breakfast we set off to cross the last bit of Germany and head for our last hotel in the Luxembourg Ardennes. It’s such a lovely place to stop, surrounded by forests and overlooked by a castle, that we will be having a day off here too. A tiny country with loads to see and really beautiful countryside to explore if you wish. Or you could just have a day off from riding and explore the town on foot.
That’s what Jo and I will be doing.
Day 12 -
Day 13 -
Our last day and we cross over into France for our final leg back to Dunkerque and the ferry to Dover.
We catch a late afternoon sailing getting us back onto home ground at about 7pm and the end of a fantastic holiday.
*The Salamander parade gets its name from local legend and The Salamander (a lizard) is the town’s symbol.
Not included in the price
• Any other meals or drinks
• Breakdown/Recovery insurance
• Medical insurance
• Any fines incurred
• Fuel
• Breakdown/Recovery insurance
• Medical insurance
• Any fines incurred
• Fuel
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