Swiss Alps - we aim to ride all 5 passes - 10 day trip at least to cover the trip overall - Woukd Andermatt be a great place to base ourselves

[Neil W]

if you are not shy about moving around on a daily basis , we did a trip in 2015 where we went down through Germany taking in the Dams ,down to Austria , then worked our way back taking in the Grossglockner , Plocken Pass , Timmelsjoch , Arlberg , Silvretta , Oberalp , Grimsel, Furka, Susten and B500 plus a few museums in a reasonable easy 10 days

 

[yoppo]

if you are not shy about moving around on a daily basis , we did a trip in 2015 where we went down through Germany taking in the Dams ,down to Austria , then worked our way back taking in the Grossglockner , Plocken Pass , Timmelsjoch , Arlberg , Silvretta , Oberalp , Grimsel, Furka, Susten and B500 plus a few museums in a reasonable easy 10 days

Thanks Neil

That sounds great, we rode the black forest a couple of years back and loved it, sure that was the B500, Austria would be a another excellent option to add in to the trip, I'll look at those but yes, we certainly enjoyed Germany.
Lots of different options to ponder over, impressed with the knowledge shared by everyone.

 

[Wapping]

Just take care that you don’t start adding in all the ‘Must do’ things, or you’ll be away for more than 10 days…. Or is it eight…. Especially if you are a ‘I never take a motorway’ merchant.

Rember, you intention is to ‘Do Switzerland’.

 

[GTMorgan]

I’m coming back via Switzerland from Italy in a few weeks, I’m aiming to clear the country in a day to avoid the beer/hotel costs Did the same a few years back, I will stop there one day!

 

[yoppo]

Just take care that you don’t start adding in all the ‘Must do’ things, or you’ll be away for more than 10 days…. Or is it eight…. Especially if you are a ‘I never take a motorway’ merchant.

Rember, you intention is to ‘Do Switzerland’.

Great point, We've 10 days so we'll aim to visit some stunning places in Switzerland. We don't want to sit on motorways every day just to get to places, I'd like a few rest days in between the hustle and bustle.

 

[yoppo]

I’m coming back via Switzerland from Italy in a few weeks, I’m aiming to clear the country in a day to avoid the beer/hotel costs Did the same a few years back, I will stop there one day!

Wowsers, that sounds a long day. Out of curiosity, which way do you intend to ride. Good luck

 

[GTMorgan]

Wowsers, that sounds a long day. Out of curiosity, which way do you intend to ride. Good luck

Probably stay in Tirano Italy then ride north, 7-8 hours scenic riding to clear it.

 

[Neil W]

Bit of advice f you also want to cover places further afield , if you put in a couple of motorway days and go to the furthest point from your ferry or the Chunnel then work your way back over so as you tick off passes , museums or whatever you are getting closer to where you leave the continent it saves the ridiculous last day scenario when you have to put in a 500 plus miles day to catch a ferry

 

[Wapping]

I'd like a few rest days in between the hustle and bustle….. We don't want to sit on motorways every day just to get to places….

Then maybe start to look at your 10 days.

Subtract the time taken to get from home to the coast of Europe and then back from there to home. You appear to live in Yorkshire, which might mean a day lost doing just that, at either end. Let’s say it does, that leaves eight days. Then say, two rest days, is six days. Now factor getting to Switzerland from wherever it is you arrive on the mainland and getting back again. Say a day, if you don’t swerve a motorway or two (longer if you do) that leaves four days of moving about in Switzerland and doing ‘stuff’.

 

[yoppo]

Then maybe start to look at your 10 days.

Subtract the time taken to get from home to the coast of Europe and then back from there to home. You appear to live in Yorkshire, which might mean a day lost doing just that, at either end. Let’s say it does, that leaves eight days. Then say, two rest days, is six days. Now factor getting to Switzerland from wherever it is you arrive on the mainland and getting back again. Say a day, if you don’t swerve a motorway or two (longer if you do) that leaves four days of moving about in Switzerland and doing ‘stuff’.

Looking at it that way, I may have to consider extending our trip to cover the extra miles getting to and from the ferry terminals. Would be great to explore and enjoy a couple of easy days at least, thinking that maybe we'll have to plan a couple of long days in the seat to get to those far out places.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Dolomites are better
Much better than Switzerland

 

[Wapping]

Looking at it that way….

Time is the big decider and often forgotten (or ignored) in all the excitement.

 

[G&T]

Don’t forget to allow for weather. We got stuck in Bormio 2 nights because of weather in early June this year.

Did these over 10 days inc ferry. Stayed in Freiburg, Andermatt, Bormio, Lake Como, Innertkirchen, Thionville. Ferry:Hull to Rotterdam.

In order:

Grimsel Pass
Furka Pass
OberAlp Pass
Fluela Pass
OfenPass
Umbrail Pass
Stelvio Pass
Gavia Pass
San Marco Pass
Gothard Pass
Susten Pass

 

[yoppo]

Don’t forget to allow for weather. We got stuck in Bormio 2 nights because of weather in early June this year.

Did these over 10 days inc ferry. Stayed in Freiburg, Andermatt, Bormio, Lake Como, Innertkirchen, Thionville. Ferry:Hull to Rotterdam.

In order:

Grimsel Pass
Furka Pass
OberAlp Pass
Fluela Pass
OfenPass
Umbrail Pass
Stelvio Pass
Gavia Pass
San Marco Pass
Gothard Pass
Susten Pass

Thanks G &T, interesting list . Didn't even think about the weather, one presumes as it's summer all will be good.
I'll stick those into the sat nav along with the other members great ideas from the thread.
Certainly plenty to think about.

 

[yoppo]

Dolomites are better
Much better than Switzerland

Could I ask you what makes the dolomites better, places to visit, cheaper, less crowded, daily mileage

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Could I ask you what makes the dolomites better, places to visit, cheaper, less crowded, daily mileage

Passes are just as good
Mountain formations & colours are more stunning
More history - mountain forts from WW1 and Austria-Hungarian campaign
Stunning forests too
Good food and hotels at more reasonable prices
Done Swiss passes many times over last 30 years and they’re ok, but lots of better areas in Europe
Have you been to Dolomites?

 

[Wapping]

Could I ask you what makes the dolomites better, places to visit, cheaper, less crowded, daily mileage

They are very different to the Alps. In basic terms, the Alps are pointed mountains, often huge. The Dolomites are smaller and look as if they have had their tops ‘smashed off’.

Not least the area is much smaller than say, the Swiss or Austrian Alps, making the trip compact.

There is some marvelous ‘light’ illuminating the mountains and some tricks of perspective, where it feels like you can reach out and touch them. Lots of WW1 ‘stuff’ too, if that’s your thing, tunnelled deep into the mountains, where the Italians (our allies) fought terrible battles against the Austrians. Not least, it’s the home of the iconic, Stelvio.

 

[stever1]

Looking at it that way, I may have to consider extending our trip to cover the extra miles getting to and from the ferry terminals. Would be great to explore and enjoy a couple of easy days at least, thinking that maybe we'll have to plan a couple of long days in the seat to get to those far out places.

Obviously the answer is to sail from Hull as your in York.

 

[wessie]

Thanks G &T, interesting list . Didn't even think about the weather, one presumes as it's summer all will be good.
I'll stick those into the sat nav along with the other members great ideas from the thread.
Certainly plenty to think about.

any road that rises to 2000m can have several feet of snow in July and August, although it will probably melt quickly. The Susten pass is often closed on the NE side until late June and closes again in October.

 

[Wapping]

Didn't even think about the weather, one presumes as it's summer all will be good

Expect the best, prepare for the worse. That’s all you need to do. To give you an idea, these two pictures (both taken by me) of two very different passes were taken a day apart:



They closed the road to vehicles coming onto the pass, shortly after I got to the top. Unsurprisingly, I had everything to myself on the way up, at the top and then shortly after I took the picture, on the way down the other side. From memory it was -3 C and very windy on top of tge Timmelsjoch. The time stamp says, 10:45 AM. Shorts and T-shirt on the other day, on top of the Stelvio, the day before.



These are the average weather figures in July, by way of example only:

The average weather in the Swiss Alps in July features warm valley days and cool, rapidly changing conditions at higher altitudes.

Temperatures by Altitude

• • Valleys and lower areas: Daytime highs average around 65°F to 79°F (18°C to 26°C).
  • High-altitude resorts (e.g., Zermatt): Daytime temperatures average around 48°F to 59°F (9°C to 15°C), dropping to lows of 37°F to 41°F (3°C to 5°C) at night.

Precipitation and Conditions

• • Rain: Afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms are common in the mountains. Higher elevations can see frequent rainy days (up to 18–25 days of partial or measurable rain per month locally).
  • Daylight: Days are long, with the sun rising before 6:00 AM and setting after 9:00 PM.
  • Variability: According to community discussions on Facebook, users agree that mountain weather is highly unpredictable, shifting rapidly from sunny 30°C days to chilly 8°C foggy spells

18 to 26 C is nice motorcycling. As when skiing, in the direct sun, it may well feel much hotter.

It drops cold at night, not least as the sun drops down behind mountains, so you lose some light early.

Layers and light waterproofs is probably the best, especially if you can take clothing that doubles up. For example, a fleece that can be worn under a bike jacket or in the pub in the evening.



PS If you listened to half the dire weather predictions (and moans) on these pages, you’d never go anywhere.