I'm planning a summer hol, 2up riding with the missus, two to three months long, crashing at family and friend's. The idea is to involve 4 ferries or most likely 3 + eurotunnel. We'll go through the following: A Coruña - Madrid - Barcellona - Sardinia - Naples - Genoa - Geneva - Paris Now it's still quite flexible as we depend on other people, also I might add a couple of stops as she certainly isn't an iron butt! One thing's sure: we'll stop for the entire month of July in Sardinia because it deserves to be seen and ridden through it all. Also a couple of weeks in Naples to go down the Costiera Amalfitana and Costiera Sorrentina plus many other exceptional places! Now, this is a first draft, the primordial idea: Please help me to put down a proper route. The rules so far: 1) avoid motorways - unless really necessary. 2) tarmac only - all conditions but no dirt please.
Cool,really jealous of the amount of time you have for this. With that length of trip it will be easy to avoid motorways and for the same reason why do you need a detailed route? Wing it each and every day, i'm sure there will be interesting diversions at every turn. Research the possibility for discovering those diversions. Ride safe and enjoy
Anything south of Rome is pretty shit TBH, Naples isn't nice... We spent 3 days on the Amalfi coast last year, you'll see everything in 3 days but I wouldn't fancy those roads on a bike, mountain/coastal roads that are bumper to bumper with no overtaking opportunities.
You clearly haven't been and REALLY done the south then. The south of Italy is where Italians go for their holidays!
Yeah, my last 4 years have been intense... moving to London by myself, learning a new language, working very hard (for the last 2 years I've done 56 hours of work every week) and I haven't been lucky with my holidays so far: When I went down to Sardinia 2 years ago I got chicken pox, and last year in Naples I got food poisoning Jeez I really need a proper holiday this time... and my girlfriend too! Besides this would be my first big touring experience so I want it to be unforgettable @ Desmoboy: thanks, that's how is going to end up, but for now I need a bit of planning! You never know, maybe some of you knows a hidden marvel somewhere along the route @ Freak: agree to disagree!!! Anything south of Rome is pretty shit? Never heard such a blasfemy Don't know what were your expectations but like El Toro said, it's ridicolously gorgeous down there! Anyway I'm riding 2up, I don't have to go crazy fast every road I take (that I'll reserve it for myself). I'd prefer the routes to be scenic, no matter the speed... but if you really wanna do the Costiera fast you get there before dawn. No overtaking oportunities? False. You clearly didn't notice how the locals ride
At L, stay at Langres at the Hotel de la Poste rather than Dijon. Plus ensure you go to Gex and travel up the Juras to Champagnolle. Great road.
Try and fit this road in. Cluses to Thonon Les Bains - The D902. Its our (me and mates) favourite road. Twisty and fast. Plus Thonon by the lake is pretty.
Time on your hands..so cut across from Genoa to France. Follow Route Napoleon from Grasse. Dip back in to Italy around Susa, over Col du mont Cenis back in to France. Then do St Bernard passes. Then save some more boring Autoroutes, go through Switzerland to Germany and up through the Black Forest. Nothing to recommend from Geneva up in France.
Well I was there in September, Naples, Pompeii, Amalfi etc, Amalfi ok very scenic but it was rammed in September so it'll be unbearable in peak summer, Pompeii apart from the obvious was like Benidorm but without the sea lol
You do realise there is a whole load of Italy further south and east of the bit (and I mean bit) that you are talking about, don't you? :wink: Ps. And that is where Italians go. Not the tourist haunts that you went to. :smile:
No real Switzerland in your route which is a pity as it's all Alp and very beautiful. You'll have some Alps in France but they have a different vibe in Switzerland. Geneva is definitely not one of the best towns in Switzerland - Lausanne is much nicer. The ride back through France will be great fun if you make sure to always ride on the "D" roads, the départementales. They have much less traffic (some almost none), are more scenic, will take you to little villages and less likely to have speed traps (which you can guarantee on the RNs). The more cross country and out of the way you can go in France, the better it will be. France is brilliant for biking.
When in Italy for WDW in 2002 we were heading South to Naples in the week between WDW and WSBk. We only got as far as Orvieto due to my mates regulator dying and stayed there 2 days getting replacement. The old walled town is amazing and if you get the chance go on the tour to the caves underneath that were inhabited by the Etruscans sometime B.C. Fascinating place above and below ground.
You should visit Andermatt in Swtiz. Its a good day to to ride to Zermatt where you can relax and see the Matterhorn.You could hang out in Andermatt for a few days easy. The Stelvio is a days ride there and back, its a long day. Also good place to visit would be Garmish, Germany. You could hang out there for a week easy and do daily ride outs.
