First tour - where should we go?
 

Hey all,

A friend and I are starting to plan our first tour into Europe, and thinking about where to go. It would be great if you could give us some ideas as a starting point.

Bikes - I have a SV650s, my mate has a Fazer 600

Time - Thinking from 4 - 19 April

From what I can see, there seems to be three types of European trips:

1. Alps - will the passes be closed still?
2. Towards Spain
3. Eastern Europe

What would you recommend? How far do you think we could get before having to turn back?

Any other hints, tips etc?

Good Luck
 

Hi :mchappy:

I'm sure you will get plenty of good advice and you will have fun whichever way you go, as you probably need 3 to 5 tours to see a good deal of Europe. I fancy south France - Spain - Morocco - Portugal then back via north France for my next trip.

Depends what you want out of the trip, such as culture, historical sites, mountains, lakes, excitement, such as the Nurbergring or just heading south and dossing about on beaches chatting up birds and drinking beer.

Whatever you do, start your trip from this place, as it gets you in the travelling mood and all excited for what's round the corner : www.grd.be

Have a good one.

Cheers


Chris

* Live dangerously, for as long as you can! *

The route to Morrocco sounds interesting on the bike, but I've already done it Hitchiking.

Wouldn't mind going somewhere via Barcelona, though it's a bit out of the way...

Guidance
 

Hi, a very general question but I think in early April it'll be cold enough to be better to head down the Atlantic coast of France, exploring and enjoying as you go. I've heard it can take four days to travel along the Pyrenees from Atlantic to Med. Hey but there's Barcelona. The return trip is an open choice of back through more central parts of France. That could be an incredible trip but I've not checked distances or time. That's up to you. Linzi.

I agree, it's cold in April. Particularly as you get further east. The route along the Pyrenees sounds great. Even in April the Pyrenees can be quite warm. A lot of the high Alpine passes will still be closed in April. I was there last year and they were, and there's been a lot more snow this year I think.

Matt :)

Hi Garthunkle. I've toured the Normandy beaches that time of year and if your lucky, as I was, for good weather the clear nights can give you a couple of degrees of frost. I would avoid the mountains and as linzi says follow the coast south. Good food and drink to be had but it's early in the season so if you're camping do your homework first. have a look on this site for some ideas but it's best to phone to make sure.

Campsites and Caravan Parks Open All Year - UK Camp Site Articles (This is the French page)

If I was you I'd decide at the last minute and go where the sun is East maybe better than south on the day. Good luck. :scooter::scooter:

Dawdle
 

Hi, when I say go down the coast I'd personally travel and explore Brittany and don't underestimat how much there is to see and experience every few kms along such a general route. I leave it to you but the Dordonge and Auverne plus some volcanic region thereabouts are worth spending quality time enjoying. Linzi.

My first bike was an SV650S and it was bloody brilliant! Apart from the rust...

Second vote for the Nurburgring - my fave place in the whole world, and the roads around there are superb, especially the B258 through the Ardennes. The whole area is petrolhead heaven. I've been hooked on the place since the moment I first arrived there. If you want to know anything about the ring (where to stay, where to go, what it's like etc), just ask!

My second preference would be to blast down through France, across the top of Italy and into the Balkans. Slovenia, Croatia. Two weeks might be pushing it for that, but if you took a direct route through France and Italy it can be done. Check it on GoogleMaps and compare to the sort of daily mileage you want to do.

The answer really is - just go anywhere...can I suggest that there are more "types of European trip" than you say.

Eastern Europe is great, but you'll find it cold on the road. You can certainly do it, but the cold on the bike can be wearing. Better go there in warmer times. And it looks as if your bikes may be unfaired? However, it's not too long a journey to Eastern Europe. Spend some time on getting your bikes to carry sufficient camping gear etc. Unless you've done that. I'm assuming for no good reason that you ARE camping.

But who wants to do long road miles when it's not warm? - you say you like climbing, so why not go to Les Gorges du Verdon in France and camp, climb and ride there. Also go to Les Gorges du Tarn - terrific biking country, and climbing too. Great food, wine and nice people. Check through HU for cheap/good/free camping accommodation en route. If you're observant you'll find free wild/discreet camping around Les Gorges...if freebies interest you. If you want to pay for a campsite, I suggest you go to "Camping Municipales" - very nice campgrounds run by the local communities/villages and cheaper and better than the commercial ones. You won't have to shit in the woods like me on my freebies. Or you can find on the Web a few MotoCampings in France -try them en route too.

Then shift to Los Picos de Europa in Northern Spain for more of the same, but different - the people are good too.

Get The Rough Guide for these two fantastic countries and be ready for a lifetime of visiting there. Motocampingfrance

Ride safe -don't get caught!

PS you speak of going "into Europe" as if you were outside of it. You're European too!! Ah les Rosbeefs!!!!:scooter::D

Depends really what the trip is about. If you just want to ride lots of miles on interesting roads then you are probably taking a bit of a risk with the weather in early April and it rules out a lot of mountain roads in both the Alps and the Pyrenees.

If you want to see places enjoy the sights, food etc. then as others have suggested a route taking in the Atlantic coast (Pornic, Les Sables d'Ollone, La Rochelle, Bordeaux) down to Bairritz, then depending on the weather, either go up into the Pyrenees or cross into Spain at the coast and visit Pamplona, Sarragoza and Barcelona then cross back into france and visit Perpignan, Montpellier, Millau (Bridge) and back via Paris. Stick to reasonably sized towns for your overnight stops as a lot of rural France (don't know about Spain) is shut until the Summer.

Thanks for all the advice - v. helpful.

Sounds like the French coast to Spain is the way forward then. Think I might leave the Alps till the summer when the weather is better and I have more experience - and thus get more out of it.

I think this trip is going to be a mix of biking as well as exploring, so don't want to be on the bike all day, every day.

Don't mind about camping, but think it might be more fun going down the hostel route, meeting people our age etc.

3rd vote here.

The 'Ring is a must see for any petrolhead. The whole area is like a ghost town when it's shut so if you're not camping, I'd stay in the hostel at Cochem which is maybe half an hour away, along a fantastic country road but roads like this are fairly easy to find in the Eifel/Mosel/Hunsruck area anyway. Take a torch if you go into town at night as it's a very dark walk back.

Anyway, don't plan it to death. Decide where you'll stay the first night and decide where next when you wake in the morning. Enjoy.

Hostels - great. I specially recommend the hostel (auberge de jeunesse) at wonderful Chartres. Near the fire station.

Bring big chains for your bike as usual. Chain it to something.

Hi, if you are visiting the 'Ring' , Koblenz is definately worth a visit. Where the Rhine and the Mosel meet. It will be cold touring in April and i would suggest using the many Hostels in Europe which is also a great way to meet people. Andy

Good luck with your Black Sea trip BTW, Andy. Some Turkish guys did it a couple of years ago. It's on HU somewhere. Paulo was the bloke.

Check out "Karaban the Inflexible". !!!!

Having taken all your fantastic advice, I put together this rough route.

Google Maps

What are your initial thoughts? What are we missing out?

Could we make it to Italy as well in the 16 days, without pushing it?

Normandy is a great place to start. Go and see the American cemetary at Colville and then on to >Mont St michel and then keep heading South until it warms up and you think it is time to come back.

We went 2 up from Denmark on an FZ6 last year so your bikes are good enough.

Stev

hi sounds like you got a plan .we went france /Spain and the Pyrenees in early may .some camp sites are not open that early,keep your plans flexible formula one hotels cheap have a safe trip

go sarf m8
 

We did portsmouth to Bilbao to cut out the boring French bit, but the 18 hour not 24 two night version is best. Pico mountains for 2 nights (Great), north spain and portugal still cheap and fantastic roads. Down to Lisbon, cutting across the bottom corner and back via Spain, Pirenese and back to Bilbao...... best holiday ever and just 6 months after passing my test.... oh yes all this on a Goldwing with my missus (approx 500kgs in all)
:funmeteryes:

"The boring French bit"? :stormy::eek3: And you live in.......Manchester? Hmmmm!!!!!!!!!

France and northern Spain? Why not do something less common?
I would go to Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia.

It's always hard first trip. If I could convince you somehow to go east and see croatia, montenegro etc. It's been my favourite trip so far, and the beer is cheaper:) I would. But see where you want to see. I'm always torn between going somewhere more off-the-beaten track, and trips like yours eating rich french food and generally over-indulging:)

A couple thoughts on your map:
a) A lot of big cities on your route. They can be a lot less fun on a bike. Most my best experiences have come in small towns and taking routes avoiding the major metro areas. Maybe keep 1 or 2 you really want to see, but skip others. You also tend to get drawn onto freeways etc. if you aim for big towns...
b) On your route, i'd try to get a little further east, see some of the alps, not far out of your way, dolomites even better!
c) Nimes and Avignon both great, i'd scout through them if you can!
d) You consider the plymouth to spain ferry if you wanted to start there. Normandy is nice though, tough call. You could cut a huge amount of distance and either see a bit more of places outside france, or allow you to meander along a little slower. I think it's still running?

Good luck anyway...

The first European trip I did was on an SV650S. I had only passed my test about 8 months before and up until leaving my only biking experience had been trips of 50 miles or so on local roads, so it was a huge effort for me particularly as I was doing the trip alone. With great enthusiasm and a delusional belief that I was already an experienced traveller just because I was planning a trip(!!!), I had planned for months ahead and had arranged to visit a friend who was now living in Torrevieja, just south of Alicante.

However, I distinctly remember waking on the morning I was leaving and I was suddenly looking for any excuse in the world not to go. The fear factor was incredible and I seriously had second thoughts and was quite prepared to lose my ferry costs, such was my fear. The shame of telling my friends I had bottled it were too much though and I set of to Rosslare (Southern Ireland) for the ferry to Roscoff (France). All the way there I was still trying to think of a plausible reason that would allow me to turn back and go home. On arrival in Rosslare I saw the ferry and thought to myself that if I didn't go I would regret it forever. After finding my cabin on the boat I went for a couple of beers and had a fairly early night.

The next morning I arrived in France....and that's when the real sense of adventure hit me. It was absolutely amazing. What followed was the most incredible 3 weeks of my life. I followed the west coast of France through La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Lourdes, then cut across the Pyrenees and into Spain. I then headed towards Reus and down the east coast of Spain and as every mile passed I loved it more and more. After staying with my friend for a week I then headed north in a homeward direction. This time I went through central France, stopping off in Poitiers to meet up with an ex-girlfriend for a couple of days. I then spent a couple of days tripping around some of the Normandy battlefields and the saddest and most difficult part of the trip was arriving at Cherbourg to get the ferry home. I genuinely didn't want to go.

This route was not demanding but it gave me a fantastic overview of European travelling, and each year since then I have become more and more adventurous culminating in a trip to Poland in 2008. Wher I will go this year is still undecided but I will most certainly be heading to Euroland again and cannot wait for the time to come. If you want more info on the route I took then let me know and I'll didg out my old map which had the route marked on it.

Wherever you go, enjoy it.....it really will be the most incredible experience.

Good Luck
Chris

Thanks for the great tips and advice.

Would love to see your route. Very much open to any suggestions you may have. I'm leaving on Sunday, and as I am one of those (much hated) investment bankers, I have had absolutley no time to plan anything!