Roadtrip across Europe - Germany to Greece.

[poikayilsharath]

Hi, Folks,
I am from India, currently stationed in Singapore and I am planning to go on a road trip from Germany to Athens, with my friend in Germany. We plan on renting bikes.
>It would be great if you could suggest some place where I get bikes on rent for pickup at Germany and drop off at athens.
>>Also, I am planning two weeks (15 days) for the trip.
I hold an Indian 2 wheeler & 4 wheeler license. Will this be valid for driving across Europe?

The map below shows roughly what we have in mind I have attached an image also).
See my Map on Google Maps

Karlsruhe (Germany) --> Salzburg --> Bratislava -->Budapest --> Belgrade -->Skopje--> Athens
I am pretty new to long distance biking, and this is my first time in Europe. We are on a shoestring budget also, and plan to camp in tents whenever we can.
I will be very grateful for any and all advise I could get, places that are must go, or avoided, routes, alternate routes, camping/stay tips, gear and paperwork advice

Thanks in advance
Sharath

[Pongo]

First of all, welcome to HU. I'm sure you'll get lots of replies, but before you do anything else you need to check your licence status. Is your licence a full licence for large capacity motorcycles??( over 125cc). Hire companies in Europe will not hire out bikes to anyone who hasn't got a full large capacity motorcycle licence. Secondly you must get an International Driving Permit from India, as hire companies are not always keen on or understand overseas licences, especially if they are in a non European language. If you clear those points then it should be very easy to find a hire company, but chances are you will need to return the bike to source. Harley Davidson do the eagle rider scheme which can be a one way hire, but you need to check if it's possible for your journey.

Good luck!

[PanEuropean]

I wrote a fairly detailed trip report about a ride I made along quite a similar route several years ago, the information there might be of use to you. Here is the link to that post: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-through-59423.

Be aware that in Serbia, the Cyrillic alphabet is used. That might make it a bit more difficult for you to figure things out. You could avoid this problem by moving the southbound portion of your route a bit west, going from Hungary into Croatia, then Bosnia-Herzegovina, then Montenegro, then Albania or Kosovo into Macedonia. I have ridden in all of those countries and they are quite delightful.

I don't recommend you get a huge, heavy bike like a Harley. Better if you try and get something smaller, in the 600 to 1,000 cc range. As you go south, road conditions deteriorate a bit, you would be more comfortable with a smaller, lighter bike, not to mention you would not have the theft worries that come with a Harley.

Be aware that Greece is very expensive, almost on par with Germany. This is in part due to the very high VAT in Greece. The southern Balkan countries (Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania) are all very inexpensive and offer great value (as well as great beauty), so if your budget is tight, you might want to stay out of Greece and spend your time in the southern Balkans.

15 days is kind of short for the length of route you are planning, unless your idea of a good time is to spend all day riding the bike and very little time off the bike enjoying the local culture. If you only have 15 days, and you have not ridden in Europe before, why not just ride out of Germany over to Budapest (as the initial part of your route proposes), then turn around and head back to Karlsruhe via Slovakia and the Czech Republic? Not only would that make for fewer total miles (and thus a more enjoyable trip), it would also avoid the problems that come with trying to organize a one-way rental.

Be aware that each Balkan country requires its own insurance coverage. This can be bought at the border crossings, but for 5 or 6 countries, it will add about 150 Euros to your total trip cost, something to keep in mind if you are on a tight budget.

You have not mentioned what time of year you plan to make the trip - let us know, because that will affect the recommendations that others make to you.

Michael

[poikayilsharath]

Hi Everyone,
Thanks Pongo and Michael for the replies. I am planning to go in June.
About my license, you can ride any class of motobikes with the same license in India its for any 'geared motorcycle'.
My friend suggested I get a german translation of my license document from the german embassy in singapore. I would have to go to India just to get the IDP... as I dont hold a license in Singapore.
Thanks & Regards
Sharath

[PanEuropean]

Originally Posted by poikayilsharath

...I would have to go to India just to get the IDP...

Sharath:

I don't think you would actually have to 'go' to India to get the IDP. If you were to obtain a notarized copy of your Indian driver licence (ideally having it notarized at the Indian Embassy in Singapore), you could then post the notarized copy of the licence, along with the application for the IDP and the associated fee, to whoever it is in India that issues the IDPs.

Normally, governments delegate the task of issuing IDPs to the national auto club. Here is a link that might point you in the right direction - WIAA-International driving license permit

If you were only planning on riding in Germany, your proposal to get a German language translation of your Indian licence would probably be sufficient. But, because you intend to ride in other countries where German is not the official language, I think you would be better off if you had a proper IDP with you.

Michael

[poikayilsharath]

Hi Michael,
Thanks for the info again...
I cant get an IDP through WIAA, so I will have to contact my local authority in charge of this.

I found a bike rental, but they will charge around 500 euros extra for one way trips. So I was thinking of making the route roundtrip.

[Kayjay]

IDP in India you can get from the RTO where you got your Indian License. You need to give them a copy of your flight tickets and copy of your Visas. Am from Gujarat and travelled to London last year on my 350 cc from Vadodara thro the Silk Route
I suggest you hire a small bike ie 400 to 600 cc initially since its your first time. You can hire panniers or saddle bags, helmets gloves etc from the bike rental company. I have a good contact in Germany incase you need one let me know.

[poikayilsharath]

Hi Kayjay,
Thanks for the reply. Do I have to be physically present at RTO office to apply for the IDP?
It would be great if you could share the contact for rental.
My email id is poikayilsharath@gmail.com

Regards
Sharath

[Kayjay]

You do not have to be physically present at the RTO. Shall send contact for rentals in Germany after the India Australia semi finals match today.

[poikayilsharath]

Haha, sure, thank you!
Regards
Sharath

[poikayilsharath]

@Kayjay
Please share the contacts for bike rental in ger .

[Kayjay]

Wherr are you from ?
Yep will send today.

[kawazoki]

Poikay .... I hope you'll use logic when someone advised you to avoid a country like Serbia only for the reason that they use ... Cyrillic.
On someone's recommendation here would mean that no one should have to travel through Russia because they use the same alphabets.

I must add this ....
A man on crutches who's missing half of his leg was bragging that he knew a good orthopedist ...

Safe ride Kawazoki