Hi Im planning a road trip with a pal of mine to Switzerland to complete the Grimsel and Susten pass. We will be travelling through France, Germany, Switzerland and hopefully dip our toes in lake Como Italy if we get time. This will be our first tour and we are planning to do this the end of May. I was wondering if anyone has any advice or tips?
Know a great bike friendly place to stay on Lake Como. Just enjoy and don't try to cover too many miles in every day. If you are planning motorway miles down to Germany it's cheaper to use Belgian motorways as they have no tolls.
Make sure the passes are open. Normally both are closed until June. You need a Carnet for swiss motorways, sadly a yearly fee only. Check on need to carry high viz in france where its illegal to have speed camera alerts on your gps. Carry originals and copies of your docs, passport insurance and vehicle license. Swap copies with your mate along with spare bike keys. Enjoy
Keep the speed limits in Switzerland! On normal roads you have a speed limit of 80km/h. If you exceed this only by 1!!! km/h it costs you already 40SFr equal about 40Euros! Maybe you think about changing your speedometer to km, as it would make it easier to. As I live close to the Alps region, I usually avoid Switzerland as much as possible. I perfer France or Italy much more, as it is much more relaxed regarding the police and the penaltys. Sorry for my bad English...
Second that, why on earth someone would want to go travel to such country where also going to WC will cost you 5 euros. Went there once and I swore I'll never go again. If you want to enjoy mountains try Austria, Italy and the Balkans, you'll get tenfolds back the value of one trip to $witzerland.
Full ack! I was there for business trip and had to spent approx 30€ for a avarage Schnitzel. If you are already in this region in the south of Switzerland I'd propose to have a look on the "Route des grandes Alpes" in France. This road starts at Lac Leman close to Geneve and leads you over some of the most impressive and highest passes of the Alps down to the Cote d'azur, Nice region. We will be there in July already for the second time and im really looking forward to pass this impressive piece of earth.
As you travel already end of May, you should take the closed passes into consideration. Lot of them open earliest in June or even later. Although this page is in german language, you should get a good overview about the actual situation on this site: Wintersperre und Verkehrslage Alpenpässe - Alpen-Motorrad-Guide
All of the above............ and take a puncture repair kit & compressor........plus, don't eat the yellow snow
Open fuel stations on a Sunday in France are limited Unless you blasting down the m-ways, then you will be fine. Switzerland, do not take the baffle out of your exhaust, my mate got a 700£ fine last year at the border, also speeding now in Europe is questionable because the fines are now finding there way to your home address .
Dave, Can u elaborate on fines. what country and how ? I believed that no such data exchange was in effect and only in country hire vehicles were open to his.
Ok let's check out this, is there anyone here who visited $witzerland and didn't get a fine because I got one as well. I was visiting Basel for a day and travelled there in the middle of the night, cops had blocked the motorway and were checking for cars without motorway stickers, paid a 100DM fine plus the sticker. It must be the most policed country in the world, big brother's big brother.
Take some cable ties of varying sizes, always handy for broken pannier mounts, fairing bodges and mirror's etc when you are in the middle of nowhere, shops shut. Electrical tape is useful too. You might want to let your bank know you are going abroad as mine stopped my transactions thinking someone had done my bank card. Quick phone call sorted it out but no fuel in the tank on a Sunday in France was worrying. Most of all though, enjoy it, its great is touring
Do go, but don't go end of May. It's unlikely the passes will be open. Also, you won't want to stop at the Grimsel and Susten. You'll do the Furka too in the same afternoon, and possibly the Oberalp, Gotthard, Luckmanier and others. They all interconnect. I can't remember the last time I paid to use the bog in Switzerland (and seeing as I live here....) Normally, you just rock up to a café, order a coffee or something and avail yourself of the facilities. Same as everywhere really, except that the bogs in Switzerland are generally very clean and don't smell of piss. The best police early warning system is other bikers, who will be sure to let you know that the fuzz are about. This means that it's wisest to travel when other bikers will be about. Yes, speeding can still be a problem. Don't travel at 100 mph on tempting straight roads. Beware the Brunig Pass (which has a lot of traffic anyway and is barely a pass - certainly not an interesting one). Re France: refuelling is improving a lot now that closed French petrol stations seem to take the Maestro card. Beforehand it was all Carte Bleu and unless you're French, you wouldn't have had one of those. I can't be bothered with their hi-vis rubbish - and I doubt the French are either. The last two speeding tickets I got were both in France, in ridiculous places (quiet open country) and at ridiculous times (Wed and Sun afternoon). So you are immune nowhere.
Dunno about the UK, but I have had French and Austrian fines posted to me at home. On my last bike trip to the UK, hurrying to make a tunnel time (needlessly, I suspect), I wouldn't have been surprised to have set off cameras in France, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, not to mention various gatsos in the UK. Some of them I spotted very late; probably too late. I spent the weeks following my return nervously checking my postbox, but nothing ever came...
Never had a problem with fuel in France on any day of the week and I have lived here for 12 years now. Every supermarket has a card operated pump and despite tales of of them not taking UK cards, most of them do and have done for many years now.
