Eastern Alps Explorer

Eight nights across Austria, Italy and Slovenia, guided, over two thousand kilometres from a single Alpine base.

The format is the operator’s own idea and a good one. Rather than changing hotels every night, the tour rides out from one base and returns to it, which means luggage stays unpacked and the route each day can be chosen for the roads rather than for where the next bed is.

The Eastern Alps are the ground, and they are the right place for a first Alpine tour: the three countries meet within a short ride of each other, the passes are high without being intimidating, and the variety across a week is considerable. Austria brings the Grossglockner and the Tyrolean valleys, Italy the Dolomites, and Slovenia the Vrsic and the Soca valley, which sees a fraction of the traffic the Austrian and Italian passes do. Over two thousand kilometres across eight riding days is a steady pace rather than a hard one, with the daily distances short enough to allow stopping.

A full support vehicle, handpicked hotels with a private room and no single supplement, and the guiding are all included, and the holiday is UK Package Travel protected; the full inclusions were not itemised on the operator’s page and are worth confirming at booking. The price shown is the starting rate, with the operator quoting up to £4,195 depending on the machine and the room. Late spring to early autumn is the window, since the high passes carry snow outside it. No single supplement on a motorcycle tour is unusual and worth noting, since solo riders on most tours either pay extra or share. The tour is designed for pillions as well as riders, which not every Alpine itinerary is.