Mediterranean Alps Extreme

The Col de Turini is better known to rally fans than to tourists, and it opens this ride. From there the route climbs through the French Maritime Alps and keeps climbing, taking in the Col du Galibier at 2,642 metres before dropping to the Mediterranean. Eight nights, around 1,700 kilometres, and a very large number of hairpins.

The shape is a crossing rather than a loop. From Vence above Nice the first day works up to Valberg through the Maritime Alps, then Roquebilliere, then over the Apennines into Italy at Vicoforte. Rapallo brings the Ligurian coast and Cinque Terre within reach, linked back towards France by the Via Julia Augusta, the old Roman road along this stretch of coast.

The finish sits among Monaco, Nice and Genoa, with the Gorges du Verdon and Alpe d’Huez also on the route. This is one of the operator’s RIDE4FUN Extreme tours, and that matters. There is no support van, so riders carry their own luggage on the bike, and the accommodation is simpler than on the company’s classic tours. The trade is a lower price and a lighter, less managed way of travelling.

Edelweiss provide the motorcycle, the hotels, a tour guide and the route materials, and riders bring their own riding gear. Flights and fuel are separate. One thing to check before booking: the price on the operator’s page carries a 2024 label, so the current figure is worth confirming rather than assuming. For riders who already know they like Alpine passes and would rather spend the budget on roads than on luggage handling, this is the sharper end of the Edelweiss range.