Alps & Dolomites Part 2 Self-Guided Tour

The French half of the Alps and Dolomites route. Eight days from Milan back to Treviglio, seven nights and around 1,115 miles, crossing the great passes of the French Alps and finishing in Piedmont’s Barolo vineyards.

It starts gently along Lake Maggiore to Aosta, and then the serious riding begins in earnest. The Piccolo San Bernardo crosses into France, followed by the Col de l’Iseran at over 9,000 feet, the highest paved pass in the Alps, then the Col du Telegraphe, the Col du Galibier and the Col du Lautaret in a single run to Les Deux Alpes. It is 224 miles and one of the great days on a motorcycle anywhere.

Provence comes next, and with it the Gorges du Verdon, a limestone canyon 2,300 feet deep with a road along its rim, reached by way of the turquoise Lake Saint Croix. The Route des Cretes and the Route Napoleon follow to Grasse, the perfume town above Cannes, then the Col della Lombarda returns the route to Italy and the Langhe hills, where Barolo and Barbaresco are made.

EAGLERIDER supplies the bike and books all seven nights. Fuel, meals and insurance are arranged separately, and prices are quoted in US dollars. Daily distances run from 82 to 224 miles, with the longest falling on the day of the great passes. For riders who have already ridden the Dolomites, or who simply want the French Alps with a good wine region waiting at the end, this is arguably the better half of the pairing.