Explore the Alps by Motorcycle
The Alps are the spiritual home of European motorcycle touring. No other mountain range on the continent offers the same combination of perfectly engineered roads, dramatic elevation changes, and scenery that takes your breath away around every bend. From the famous named passes — Stelvio, Grossglockner, Furka, San Gotthard — to the countless unmarked mountain roads that wind between them, the Alps deliver the kind of riding that reminds you exactly why you bought a motorcycle in the first place.
The Greatest Roads on Earth
The Alpine passes are legendary for good reason. The Stelvio Pass in Italy, with its 48 hairpin bends climbing to over 2,750 metres, is frequently cited as the greatest driving road in the world — and it’s even better on two wheels. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road in Austria sweeps through glacier country with views that border on the absurd. The Furka Pass in Switzerland, immortalised in film, delivers tight switchbacks through a stark, high-altitude landscape that feels like riding on the roof of Europe.
But the real magic of Alpine touring is stringing these passes together into days of continuous mountain riding. The famous Five Passes route — Susten, Furka, Grimsel, Nufenen, and St Gotthard — packs five legendary climbs into a single 150-mile day of endless twists and turns. The Splügen and San Bernardino Passes connect Switzerland to Italy through dramatic gorges and snow-capped scenery. Each pass has its own character, its own rhythm, and its own particular reward at the summit.
The roads themselves are engineering marvels. Decades of investment have produced tarmac that is smooth, well-maintained, and designed to handle the extremes of Alpine weather. The hairpin bends are properly cambered, the sightlines are carefully managed, and the infrastructure — tunnels, galleries, avalanche barriers — speaks to a mountain culture that takes its roads seriously. For motorcyclists, the result is riding that is both technically demanding and supremely satisfying.
Four Countries, One Mountain Range
The Alps stretch across France, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, and one of the great pleasures of Alpine touring is crossing between countries in the space of a single day’s riding. Breakfast in Bavaria, lunch by an Italian lake, and dinner in a Swiss mountain village is entirely achievable — and each border crossing brings a subtle shift in culture, cuisine, and riding character.
The Austrian Tyrol offers broad, sweeping valleys flanked by dramatic peaks, with roads that flow beautifully through the landscape. The Swiss passes tend to be tighter and more technical, climbing through sparse, high-altitude terrain where the air is thin and the views are vast. The Italian side of the Alps brings warmth, colour, and a Mediterranean energy — descending from a Swiss pass into the Italian lakes or the Dolomites feels like riding into a different world. And the Bavarian Alps, around Garmisch-Partenkirchen, provide a perfect introduction — fresco-painted villages, beer gardens, and mountain roads that are accessible and hugely enjoyable.
What to Expect on the Road
Alpine roads are among the best-maintained in the world, but they demand respect. The passes involve sustained climbing and descending, tight hairpin sequences, and variable conditions — warm sunshine in the valley can give way to cold, cloud, or even snow at the summit. Weather changes quickly in the mountains, and waterproofs and layers should always be within reach.
Traffic on the most famous passes can be significant in peak summer, particularly on weekends. The Stelvio and Grossglockner attract large numbers of tourists and sports cars, which can slow the pace. Earlier starts, midweek riding, and local knowledge — which a guided tour provides — make an enormous difference to the experience. Many of the lesser-known passes offer riding that’s every bit as rewarding with a fraction of the traffic.
The pace of Alpine touring varies. Some days involve long, pass-rich routes that keep you in the saddle for hours. Others are shorter, leaving time to explore the towns, take a cable car to a summit viewpoint, or simply sit on a terrace with a coffee and watch the mountains. The variety is part of the appeal.
Beyond the Bike
Alpine culture is rich, varied, and deeply connected to the mountains. Bavarian beer halls and Austrian wine taverns sit alongside Swiss fondue restaurants and Italian trattorias, and the food quality across the region is consistently excellent. Accommodation ranges from characterful mountain inns to four-star hotels in historic towns — Strasbourg’s UNESCO-listed Grand Île, Freiburg’s Gothic old town, and Garmisch-Partenkirchen’s painted facades all provide memorable overnight stops.
The Alps also play host to some of the motorcycle world’s biggest events. BMW Motorrad Days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen draws over 40,000 riders for a festival of stunt shows, ride-outs, beer tents, and legendary parties — combining world-class Alpine riding with the social side of motorcycling in a way that no other event matches.
Best Time to Ride
The Alpine riding season runs from May to October, with the highest passes typically opening in June once the snow clears. June to September offers the best conditions — warm days, long daylight hours, and reliable road access. July and August are warmest but busiest, particularly on the famous passes. June and September provide a lovely balance of good weather and quieter roads. Some lower passes and valley routes are rideable from April, though conditions at altitude remain unpredictable until early summer.
Ride the Alps with Motorrad Tours
Our Alpine tours take in the greatest mountain passes in Europe — from the Stelvio and Grossglockner to the Swiss Five Passes route and the Bavarian Alps. Whether you’re combining Alpine riding with BMW Motorrad Days in Garmisch or tackling a dedicated pass-bagging itinerary, our experienced guides know every road, every shortcut, and every viewpoint worth stopping for. Browse our upcoming Alpine departures below.
