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

[glenn2926]

Have a great time, that'll be a fab experience

It’s a regular trip for us as our son lives in Chamonix. We go at least three times a year visiting. It does help that he has a brewery and a bar. Big Mountain is the name of both the brewery and the bar. French vehicle insurance differs from here in that once the vehicle is insured then any with the licence can drive/ride it. This means I can use his bikes.
The bar has a 5 bedroom apartment that is available on air b&b at Big Mountain Basecamp.

 

[yoppo]

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?

Morning Johnny

I haven't no, that's sounds tremendous tbh, much more aligned with what we would like to see. We have completed many rides across Europe visiting WW1 sites.
Certainly food for thought.

Thanks

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Morning Johnny

I haven't no, that's sounds tremendous tbh, much more aligned with what we would like to see. We have completed many rides across Europe visiting WW1 sites.
Certainly food for thought.

Thanks

Don’t rush to Switzerland then

Go over the Brenner and down to Vipiteno, turn left along the stunning Austrian Tyrol valleys towards Bruneck and up into Altia Badia and Val Gardena, in the Dolomites

Dolomites are my favourite mountain range in the whole of Europe and when asking lots of European bikers ….it’s theirs too

PS - you see WW1 from a whole different perspective too, when you take a cable car up to the mountain forts

 

[Wapping]

Dolomites are my favourite mountain range in the whole of Europe

You have clearly never seen the Beckton Alps.

 

[yoppo]

Don’t rush to Switzerland then

Go over the Brenner and down to Vipiteno, turn left along the stunning Austrian Tyrol valleys towards Bruneck and up into Altia Badia and Val Gardena, in the Dolomites

Dolomites are my favourite mountain range in the whole of Europe and when asking lots of European bikers ….it’s theirs too

PS - you see WW1 from a whole different perspective too, when you take a cable car up to the mountain forts

That sounds great tbh, we're interested in visiting the war sites and saving a few pennies along the way. Our original plans were to head to lake Como if possible.

I'll ask AI to come up with a route plan and compare against the Swiss Alps.
Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Rasher]

10 days is a good amount of time, assuming 2 days each way that leaves you six days, and personally I would be tempted to spend a couple of nights somewhere else either on the way, or another location in the Alps.

You can do all 5 of the famous passes with a couple of nice excusrions up dead end roads in a (admittedly busy) day;

Number 9 is not the best detour (IMHO) pretty enough, but the other two are prettier, and the restuarant at the end of it is ££££, the Restuarant at the end of Panoramastrasse Oberaar was very reasonable last time we were there in 2018, a lot can change in that time however, and the accomodation was also pretty cheap by local standards (but you are really out of the way!)

I think there is 3 good full days riding out of Andermatt, assuming good weather (it is not always good) so having 5-6 days there does leave you some wiggle room, but I would look to have maybe 4 days there, leaving you 3 each way out and back, or blast in two and free up 2 days somewhere else? or 3 out two back etc leaving an extra night somewhere....

I would consider couple ofthings:

Either a longer run out and back stopping in Luxembourg / Black Forest / Vosges, maybe for 2 nights somewhere

Or add this in:-

A stunning 7 pass run around Mont Blanc:

* 2-3 Days to somewhere on that looping ride out.
* 1-2 days to ride that loop and maybe a lazy day, or another ride out if stopping for 2 full days?
* 1 day to Andermatt
* 3-4 days around Andermatt
* 2-3 days to blast home

The options are endless, I have some mates that almost refuse to stay in the same Hotel 2 nights on the trot, I prefer a mix of moving on and having 2-3 days in one place, in 2010 we did 2 nights near Martigny (avoid the town, we were in tiny village nearby) and rode that mont blanc loop, moved onto Andermatt for 3 nights, and then had 2 nights in the black Forest on the way home (and a day off the bikes in the Spa's of Baden Baden) - all in a ten day trip, self employed back then, these days (if it were not for pesky kids!) I would go for 11-12 days rather than 9 or 10 just to have a more leisurely 3 days each way and a few days in two locations, or go the full 2 weeks off work and 15/16 days and add a third location.

 

[Wapping]

I'll ask AI to come up with a route plan and compare against the Swiss Alps.

One tip, particularly anywhere mountainous, is to stay (where possible) in a place on a crossroads or T-junction. Why? Because you then have a choice of directions to take when you leave and / or return. There’s several posts on ‘Where is best to stay in the Dolomites?’

As to WW1 sites to visit in the Dolomites? Google is your friend.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

That sounds great tbh, we're interested in visiting the war sites and saving a few pennies along the way. Our original plans were to head to lake Como if possible.

I'll ask AI to come up with a route plan and compare against the Swiss Alps.
Appreciate your thoughts.

You can get to Lake Como from the Dolomites - they’re both in Italy

Better to get some proper Michelin maps out on the kitchen table

 

[wessie]

You can get to Lake Como from the Dolomites - they’re both in Italy

Better to get some proper Michelin maps out on the kitchen table

although the best way to get from the Dolomites to Como is through Switzerland. Head from Nauders through the Inn Valley to Zernez, St Moritiz and down into the northern end of Lake Como. It was Top Gear's best road, until they went to Romania.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

although the best way to get from the Dolomites to Como is through Switzerland. Head from Nauders through the Inn Valley to Zernez, St Moritiz and down into the northern end of Lake Como. It was Top Gear's best road, until they went to Romania.

Anything is possible

After the Dolomites I like to traverse down to Tarvisio and cross the wee Border point (single track road, by a wonderful river) and into Slovenia, do the Vrsic pass and into the Julian Alps

 

[wessie]

Anything is possible

After the Dolomites I like to traverse down to Tarvisio and cross the wee Border point (single track road, by a wonderful river) and into Slovenia, do the Vrsic pass and into the Julian Alps

Paso di Predil past the lake. Done it and Vrsic couple of times. The road south from Bovec is also a good one. Follows the lower part of the Soca and Idrijca rivers to Postojna

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

Paso di Predil past the lake. Done it and Vrsic couple of times. The road south from Bovec is also a good one. Follows the lower part of the Soca and Idrijca rivers to Postojna

Yep
Done all those with Micky and on my own
Slovenia is lovely and worth a visit