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Europe

suttie

James
I am going to ride through Germany, Switzerland, Dolomites, Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic on a rented GS 800 in July.

Anyone got any experience with a web site or company that would have good deals on B & B's or similar places to stay?

I will be by myself, so anyone interested in tagging along, please contact me.

Thanks in advance.
 
http://www.mobikehotel.com/moto/index.php?lang=en

Above link is to some bike friendly places in Europe. Many of those in the Alps are ski lodges in the winter. Resonable rates, most are english speaking, food is very good and many are in the heart of some of the best riding. Stayed in a couple of these when I rode the Alps back in '07 and enjoyed them very much. I was there in the fall so rates were lower. Rates over there are usually per person in a room so if you go double it's a little cheaper.

Anyway, hope this helps. Enjoy, you will have a great time.
 
Thanks so much for the tip, Paul. This is indeed a great site. Great values and interesting places.

Thanks again.
 
I'm sure you won't have any problems finding B & B in these countries. Just look for signs with "Rooms free" ("Zimmer frei"). There are a LOT accomondations you won't find online.

May this is also interesting for you: www.tiscover.com

Btw., Hungary is flat and boring, but Slovakia is awesome! The road (503) between Pernek and Pezinok is still used as a racetrack on some days of the year (start/finish line and numbered curves). Last time there was a Hayabusa without pipes. *ggg

Let me know if you came near to Vienna after 7 July. It would be a pleasure to show you around. Ah .. a canadian motorcyclist lives just 10 minutes away from me. Funny "little" world.

From 19-21 July is the FIM Rally in Bydgoszcz (Poland): http://www.fimrally2012.eu

;)

Best regards from Vienna
Dave
 
Just to clear the air on Hungary some, one of our sons went to school at Budapest Technical University for a semester & we visited him. That area alone is worth a few days at the least. The country is not all flat as portrayed above and a pleasant place to visit! At least then (~1998) it was a destination of choice for many Euro travelers due to $$$ and what it offered to tourists in scenery & history. Hungary has some really awesome(and affordable too) wines & beers of their own,try them. Austria would be a natural for your list given the list you gave?
Lets hope "Global" kicks in with his words of Euro travel wisdom. IMO you don't need a guide as it's really easy to find nice privately owned places to stay in those countries.
 
Of course you will find a lot of history in Budapest (as in every big city in europe). Hungary isn't bad at all, it's nice. As nice as a Sister. But if you like to watch some beautiful girls playing volleyball, you won't watch your sister. ;)

However, maybe lake Balaton would be a nice place to stay. It's big and there are a lot of towns around. The most known is Balatonf??red (we was there on the campground last year) which has many shops and restaurants. But be aware that there are a lot of tourists, especially on weekends. There you may have to search a while for a place to stay.

For me as an austrian, Slovakia and Slowenia are by far more interesting. They are still more "Eastern Europe". Especially if you avoid main roads. Maybe this would be interesting for you too: Tatra Mountains.

If you ride through Czech Republic, you may visit this: http://www.kostnice.cz
Last year we met there 3 guys on her bikes from Sao Paulo (Brazil). It's not big and you have to pay a fee, but I think it's worth a visit.
 
Anyone got any experience with a web site or company that would have good deals on B & B's or similar places to stay?

What do you consider a good deal?

I usually pay €21 to €35 for a room with breakfast (about €32 is the norm) and €45 to €52 for a room with breakfast and great dinner.

Check the first post in the 2nd link below. It has links to lists of motorcycle friendly accommodations.

Get your maps before you leave and buy them with a scale of 1:250 000 or better; 1:200 000 is ideal.
 
+1 on the advice above. Any idea when you will be in Poland? I'll be there from July 15th to the 23rd waving the Canadian flag at the FIM Rally. :ca.
 
Thanks for all your input, folks. Great stuff.

It strikes me that I will need to revamp my trip plans. Nice problem. I will definitely consider the FIM rally and also Luckies suggestion to meet a fellow Canadian in Vienna.

So you know, my interests on this trip are twofold - biking through neat roads and also to see cities I have long wanted to visit - Budapest, Prague and Berlin.

The challenge i have now is there are too many places to see, and not enough time!!
 
Holly, what goes on at the FIM Rally?

BTW, I grew up in Hamilton and played a few rounds at Ancaster G & CC as a teenager.

Small world.

Cheers
 
The FIM rally is totally unlike anything we have on this side of the pond! I am the official Canadian delegate. You have to be sent by your FMN (national association which is part of the FIM--AMA in the US, CMA in Canada) you can't just sign up. It is getting close to the deadline, so if you are at all interested you need to pm me and I need to get busy on getting you accreditation.

If you check the website, there are some optional tours that you can go on the day before the official rally stuff starts. When you arrive at the rally, you find that the campground is set up so each country has it's own spot! The first year I went, I was the lonely tent surrounded by several east European countries. The rally fee includes 3 square meals a day!
915591578_c2ryp-S.jpg

The first official day, the countries are lined up, and ride one at a time into the center of town (police escort, it was kind of funny having several police bikes in front of and behind my one bike) then stop in front of a reviewing stand while they play your national anthem. All the bikes are then put into the parc ferme and you spend the rest of the day watching the bikes arrive and exploring the town.
The second day is the one which I found really unusual. Large buses arrive and everyone is loaded onto to them and taken to a local tourist destination. Everything is paid for and you spend the day doing the tourist thing. For example, in Vienna last year they had guided tours arranged in at least 15 different languages. The last day is the Parade des Nations, where the bikes are decked out in national flags and you ride somewhere--last year is was nearly 1000 bikes parading 40km into Vienna on a Friday. We were quite the traffic disruption! People line the streets to watch. Go to YouTube and search for FIM rally to see the effect. I've only been to the last 2, so you might see our flag being waved if you don't blink. There is also 1 US delegate, so again don't blink as he goes by!
Waving the flag in Belgium:
919902372_k3FaM-S.jpg

Waving the flag in Austria:
i-4MhhSvM-S.jpg


Luckies is an Austrian who kindly loaned me a pristine bike to ride to the reviewing stand! Do meet him if you can--great guy.

Oooh, best golf course in the country--lucky you!
 
The challenge i have now is there are too many places to see, and not enough time!!

Time? You're trying to see too much at once. Depends what you want to do; get the t-shirt or really experience the tour.

I've been touring there 17 years straight (soon to be 18) and I have a lot more to see.
 
Time? You're trying to see too much at once. Depends what you want to do; get the t-shirt or really experience the tour.

I've been touring there 17 years straight (soon to be 18) and I have a lot more to see.


+1, each trip is only a way to touch the surface and pique ones curiosity for the next. This year will be week 25 and 26 in the Alps region, and I see new stuff every time, and have stuff on my bucket list to see, that has been there for a long time.

just another excuse to return, in my book.
 
Hi folks.

A comment or two.

I have signed up for the FIM Rally. I'll be booking accommodations over the next few days and planning my schedule. So I'll let Lucky know when we could hook up.

Most importantly, though, I wanted to let you know that I am now convinced that I need to return for another bike trip.

So thanks for that, guys.

Cheers
 
I rode in the Alps last September and was impressed by the fact that many many hotels and cafes had "Bikers Welcome" signs out front.

I hope you are taking John Hermann's book as a guide.
 
Budget estimate advice sought

I would like advice how to budget a European tour.

I will spend next summer's vacation visiting my daughter in Berlin. I do not know yet how long my trip will be. Also, money is an object and I cannot blow most of the travel budget on an expensive guided tour, especially since my wife does not ride and will do something else while I ride. I hope that I can take 3 weeks for the trip and ride for 1 week of it. Timeframe will be between June and September. I assume that July and August will be the high season.

http://www.rental-motorcycle.com/europe/germany/munich_rental.html has some decent prices.

The hotels mentioned here seem pretty reasonable: http://www.mobikehotel.com/moto/index_en.php?lang=en A bonus is that some prices include breakfast and dinner. I wonder if the breakfasts are big.

What do I expect? I expect basic accommodations for a bargain price. I do not care for fancy hotels; I prefer B&B because it is cheaper and I feel like I am in the country and not a franchise chain. I do not mind sharing a bathroom down the hall.

I like camping and wonder if I should pack my camping gear. How is camping in the Alpine areas?

I lived in Paris in the 1970's and saw a lot of western Europe's tourist sites. I would like to just ride for my solo part of this trip. Tourist stuff I will do with my wife before or after the bike rental.

I ordered John Hermann's book "Motorcycle Journeys through the Alps" and expect it will be good. Hopefully it will include a lot of budgeting information.

Honestly, if the price is too high I will have to forego riding during my European vacation. That's why I want to start planning (and saving) now. Thanks for advice.
 
I hope that I can take 3 weeks for the trip and ride for 1 week of it. Timeframe will be between June and September. I assume that July and August will be the high season.

I like camping and wonder if I should pack my camping gear. How is camping in the Alpine areas?

Yes, mid July and August is when Europeans go on vacation, so room rates will be higher and roads will be more crowded. I am there every year from the end of May till the beginning of July...for a reason.

Since you only plan to ride one week, make the most of it. Therefore, I would not bother camping which takes up set-up and take-down time daily.

Where do you plan to ride? I can give you some addresses to very reasonable rooms that are more than just nice. And breakfasts are usually quite filling, enough that I usually do not have lunch (I prefer to ride).

Get maps of areas you plan to ride in, in advance. I have a listing of which ones to look out for on my link below. A GPS cannot show you where the really good roads are.
 
Motorcycle Rental near Munich

Here is another rental option near Munich that my friend has used every year since 2010. It is a short train ride from Munich Airport and the owner will pick you up at the train station. The unlimited kilometers is a bonus if you ride a lot. Note: a 400 km day in the twisties is a long one and a 650 km day on small back roads can be quite tiring.

Motorrad Team Maier
 
The hotels mentioned here seem pretty reasonable: http://www.mobikehotel.com/moto/index_en.php?lang=en A bonus is that some prices include breakfast and dinner. I wonder if the breakfasts are big.
Thanks for advice.

In my somewhat limited experience with breakfast in Europe- which (for me) includes Italy, Germany, Sweden and Norway- it's typically a pretty light "meal"- which could consist of anything from just bread and honey or fruit, to bread or crackers, fruit, and some meats (cold cuts or smoked fish). Possibly with cheeses, or spreads, or maybe yohgurt. IME it's like a little mini smorgasbord. It's a pretty light meal, as such- but typically a great way to begin the day. There MIGHT even be cereal or museli/granola in some places.

The other guys with more experience can offer their perspectives on this- but this is what I personally have found in my travels, limited tho they may have been thus far.
 
I ordered John Hermann's book "Motorcycle Journeys through the Alps" and expect it will be good. Hopefully it will include a lot of budgeting information.

We used Hermann's books (in various editions) in 1996, 2000, and 2002. It (they) were a wonderful resource - in fact, for the 2002 tour when I had a month in the Alps, I read the book, noted all the passes I wanted to ride, marked them on a big map, and connected them to make my route. Make sure you have a later edition; while road info changes slowly, it may be that lodging and popularity info changes more quickly.

Honestly, if the price is too high I will have to forego riding during my European vacation. That's why I want to start planning (and saving) now. Thanks for advice.

I recommend Stefan Knopf at Knopf Tours in Heidelberg as a source for a rental bike. His stock is not new, but is well-maintained and way cheaper than renting newer machines from a dealer.
 
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