Switzerland and/or Austria in a week?

[djgsa]

Hi All.

Looking for some thoughts or ideas

I've been wanting to do Switzerland and/or Austria for quite some time now, but just always seemed to get busy and then the good days are gone by the time I get around to it.

Organised trips always seem to be two weeks or so and I don't have that time, (other trips in the offing).

So maybe a Sunday to Sunday (Monday if a cheeky bank holiday is available)

Is this doable without riding a gazillion miles every day?

I've been researching it and will carry, but wanted to garner some insight from the good folk here who may have done something similar.

Or maybe can recommend a good tour compay thats not gonna fleece me lol

Thanks all

====

Moved.

Richard

 

[glenn2926]

Hi All.

Looking for some thoughts or ideas

I've been wanting to do Switzerland and/or Austria for quite some time now, but just always seemed to get busy and then the good days are gone by the time I get around to it.

Organised trips always seem to be two weeks or so and I don't have that time, (other trips in the offing).

So maybe a Sunday to Sunday (Monday if a cheeky bank holiday is available)

Is this doable without riding a gazillion miles every day?

I've been researching it and will carry, but wanted to garner some insight from the good folk here who may have done something similar.

Or maybe can recommend a good tour compay thats not gonna fleece me lol

Thanks all

We have regularly ridden from Yorkshire to Chamonix over two steady days. This is a similar distance to Switzerland. We have set off early (around 4-5 am) tunnel late morning and down to Troyes. Overnight at the Kyriad because it has secured underground parking. A fairly easy day then to Chamonix.
From now on though I/we will be using the Hull-Rotterdam ferry although this doesn’t make much difference once across the water it does add an extra night to the journey albeit on the ferry each way.
The extra night is far preferable to the horrible journey down the U.K. from Yorkshire to the tunnel and back.

 

[Wapping]

So maybe a Sunday to Sunday (Monday if a cheeky bank holiday is available)

Look at the distances involved:

Switzerland is a big area, as is Austria, but let’s go for…. Um….. Andermatt, as it’s a popular enough destination. It’s roughly somewhere between 800 and 900 kms between Calais and Andermatt, call that 550 miles for cash, straight down the motorways. Doable in a day, there and back? Yes, if you want to.

A week is seven days, less two travelling from Calais and back, less a bit too to get from / back to home, leaves you five days maximum for hooning. Six, if you can do home-to-home with the extra Sunday. Seven if you can find a bank holiday.

Now it’s your turn.

Doable to you? Yes or no?



PS Possibly the only reliable bank holiday, will be the one at the end of August.

 

[JonnyBravo]

Whats your idea of a gazillion?
Piece of piss for me to get to Austria or Switzerland in 2 days, have done the Alps in one but then I will do 600 miles a day or more witihout thinking about it.
Others, maybe not
Two days (with motorway) will get you to the Furka photo spot in Swiss or into somewhere like Nauders in Austria and back - easily
Its about 1000km from Calais and take it from there.

Edit - just noticed your in the West Mids, so factor in another 7 hours just to get from home to France on top accounting for fuel stops, piss stops, coffee stops and the shambles of british passport control

 

[wessie]

When I was working, I would plan my trips around 5 days (Mon to Fri) from work, giving me 9 days with the two weekends. Maybe pinch a Friday afternoon as well so I wake up in France on the first Saturday.
With this time constraint I have done trips to Austria, Dolomites and Switzerland.
For Austria, head down through the Black Forest towards Lake Constance. 2 overnight stops. We did Obernai in Alsace and Kempten in Bavaria last year. Few days in the Tirol/Voralberg using Imst, Landeck etc as a base. On the way home we had a stop near Wurzberg then in the Mosel at Bernkastel Kues. We stopped for 2 days at least at out stopovers as we are retired so had more then 9 days last year but have 1 night and you can easily fit this trip in.
A few years ago, we did Switzerland. We had an overnight at Laon then with a friend then living near Mulhouse. Into Switzerland near Basel, down to Fluhli and over the Panoramastrasse. You could then stay near Giswill, Meiringen etc and spend a few days on the high passes. Return back north via the Rhine Falls and into the Black Forest.

 

[karlp]

Hi All.

Looking for some thoughts or ideas

I've been wanting to do Switzerland and/or Austria for quite some time now, but just always seemed to get busy and then the good days are gone by the time I get around to it.

Organised trips always seem to be two weeks or so and I don't have that time, (other trips in the offing).

So maybe a Sunday to Sunday (Monday if a cheeky bank holiday is available)

Is this doable without riding a gazillion miles every day?

I've been researching it and will carry, but wanted to garner some insight from the good folk here who may have done something similar.

Or maybe can recommend a good tour compay thats not gonna fleece me lol

Thanks all

====

Moved.

Richard

How fast do you ride - 45mph or 90mph
Motorway or D roads
Mileage per day

 

[Wapping]

Or maybe can recommend a good tour compay thats not gonna fleece me lol

There are several well established tour organisers, up to and including BMW branded tours. To these you can add someone independent, such as Simon Wier, who will make you a bespoke trip. Whether their charges ‘fleece’ you is another matter entirely, not least your perception of value, though I note the ‘lol’ so it’s hopefully more of a joke than a potential massive whinge.

The great thing about UKGSer is that its advice (much of it pretty good to excellent) is free. But those giving it are not a business nor (as might well be the case with a fully organised trip) around to help you directly if things go very wrong, which an organised tour (especially a guided one) should provide. In short, you pays yer money (or not) and makes yer choice.

Organised trips always seem to be two weeks or so and I don't have that time, (other trips in the offing).

There is probably a reason why the organised trips are two weeks or so, as explained in post #3 and elsewhere. Not least, the organisers have to cater for a whole range of punters, completely unknown. You can imagine the outrage if the paid organiser announced at Calais: “Right, it’s now 600 miles of motorway, to be at our hotel by 21:30 or you’ll missing dinner. I hope you all bought your payage blippers”. To some (a very few) it might be a laugh, to others ie. likely the majority, they’d (with some justification perhaps) be turning tail and catching the next Chunnel train or ferry back to England.

As to ‘Other trips in the offing’ resulting in no or reduced time available? That is only curable by you, unless you can find a way to move Switzerland or Austria much closer to home. If you really want to ‘Do the Alps’ then start to cut your cloth accordingly, cut something out of the other trips or wait for 2027…. Or pray realy hard for a dramatic upheaval in the world’s natural and ongoing continental drift.

 

[Neil W]

Do the furthest one you intend to first , day and a half down to Austria and the Grossglockner/Nockalm and then work your way back towards Switzerland popping back and forward over the passes.

 

[Mr Derek]

From West Midlands I'd ride to Harwich and get an overnight ferry to Hook of Holland. Set off refreshed after a night's sleep. Ride as far and as fast as you like. Switzerland is a pretty easy 2 day ride. A day or 2 there then reverse the journey with another overnight ferry home.

 

[clutchspring]

Hi djgsa I go to Switzerland quite a lot .
I can get to interlaken in Switzerland in one go with out any trouble, from North West Leicestershire junction 21 M1 about 800 miles . This year I stayed at Blinnenhorn hotel which is just of the Furka pass , nice hotel free underground bike parking , great evening meals.
Great roads very near by susten , Grimsel ,Nufenepass the old st Gotthard pass .
I enjoyed it , but if you wear to go now you most probably have some passes shut by snow .

 

[Wapping]

From West Midlands I'd ride to Harwich and get an overnight ferry to Hook of Holland. Set off refreshed after a night's sleep.

I am not sure that I necessarily subscribe to that.

West Midlands to Harwich direct is about 185 miles, in three to three and a half hours, non-stop,

West Midlands to Folkestone is about 195 miles in about three and a half hours, non-stop.

In other words, comparable. The roads? Just about on a par with each other in the excitement mode.

Arrive at Calais and stay overnight in, say St Omer, assuming a mid-afternoon train. The sleep there is just as good as a ferry and (very probably) overall cheaper. The next morning you’ll be ahead of where you would be, should you have just rolled off the ferry at the Hook of Holland.

 

[GrinningGSer]

Not possible . Swiss passes are slow and require extreme care re fear of speeding . Austrian passes are just slow .The OP’s dream is a good one for anyone , but four days travelling plus three days to enjoy both countries in 7 days is a NO . Sorry .

 

[Wapping]

Where’s Rasher?

 

[GSAHippo]

Hi All.

Looking for some thoughts or ideas

I've been wanting to do Switzerland and/or Austria for quite some time now, but just always seemed to get busy and then the good days are gone by the time I get around to it.

Organised trips always seem to be two weeks or so and I don't have that time, (other trips in the offing).

So maybe a Sunday to Sunday (Monday if a cheeky bank holiday is available)

Is this doable without riding a gazillion miles every day?

I've been researching it and will carry, but wanted to garner some insight from the good folk here who may have done something similar.

Or maybe can recommend a good tour compay thats not gonna fleece me lol

Thanks all

====

Moved.

Richard

Give Tom a call at Global motorcycle tours, he arranged a Switzerland tour for us this year.
We caught a ferry from Hull on the Friday and returned to the uk a week later on the Sunday, excellent trip with good hotels and reasonably priced.
We’ve used Tom for 6 trips now and have never been disappointed. Tom will tailor the trip to your requirements.

Hippo

====

Global Motorcycle Tours - Self Guided Tours 2026

Global Motorcycle Tours specialise in high quality self guided tours with top class hotels, best routes and exceptional customer service.

www.globalmotorcycletours.co.uk

Richard

 

[er-minio]

So maybe a Sunday to Sunday (Monday if a cheeky bank holiday is available)

Is this doable without riding a gazillion miles every day?

Yes doable. If a bit "tight".
If you want to keep it to around 600 to 7/800km a day (at least the long legs) keep in mind a couple days to get there [Monday].
You can do the Swiss rollercoaster in one single day to be fair, make it two if you really want to stop and see things or do the most obscure roads [Weds]
Leaves you Thursday and Friday to foray into Austria (I've only passed it a few times, I know less about it) and about another couple of days to get back to the UK.
If you add the bank holiday, better.

In the past years I would do the swiss rollercoaster on my way back to London from Rome, on the second day of travel (three days Rome to London).
Starting from Milan or around there, Swiss passes and then stop in Nancy or Colmar. Day after -> UK.

You can avoid Austria alltogether and just do Switzerland and part of the alps, or Vosges or, more south, Jura, etc.

 

[djgsa]

Austria is in there as I have friends I'd like to pop and see, plus I want a Kaiserschmarrn lol

 

[djgsa]

Give Tom a call at Global motorcycle tours, he arranged a Switzerland tour for us this year.
We caught a ferry from Hull on the Friday and returned to the uk a week later on the Sunday, excellent trip with good hotels and reasonably priced.
We’ve used Tom for 6 trips now and have never been disappointed. Tom will tailor the trip to your requirements.

Hippo

====

Global Motorcycle Tours - Self Guided Tours 2026

Global Motorcycle Tours specialise in high quality self guided tours with top class hotels, best routes and exceptional customer service.

www.globalmotorcycletours.co.uk

Richard

Brilliant, thank you I'll give them a shout

 

[djgsa]

Not possible . Swiss passes are slow and require extreme care re fear of speeding . Austrian passes are just slow .The OP’s dream is a good one for anyone , but four days travelling plus three days to enjoy both countries in 7 days is a NO . Sorry .

I had a feeling that might be the case, as I would like to take in a site or two and not just whizz past lol. The joys of working forw living lol

 

[Wapping]

Why not fly and hire a bike?

 

[REKMec]

Done Austria a few times and at a serious push it’s (from Yorkshire) two days there and two back flat out but the quality of the ride is tiring and like being on a hamster wheel. Factor in rain and many wet hours at times where you land in darkness.
I myself am due to go there but the last three years nothing has worked out for me and i ended up doing Scotland three times over as a poor substitute .
So, I really is time now I did it as I’ve some exploring to do in Austria regarding finding family. Looks like I’ll be doing it on my own when I get round to it.