Alpine passes on your motorcycle

Your alpine motorcycling tour begins

Day 1: 330 km, approx. 6 h ride time

The tour starts at authorised BMW Motorrad retailer Karl Maier in Neufinsing and heads south. The first highlight of the route is marvelling at the picturesque landscapes surrounding Lake Kochel and Lake Walchen. These Bavarian mountain lakes are not only known to motorcyclists for their impressive panorama, but also for the winding roads along their banks. The former race track – Kesselberg – is a pleasure for all fans of great turns and perfect asphalt. Kesselberg is closed to motorcyclists from north to south on weekends. In this case, you can alternatively head along the “Day 1 without Kesselberg” route. After having passed Lake Walchen, the route runs west through Garmisch-Partenkirchen into Ettenwald, past the former palace of King Ludwig II. Across the Austrian border, you are also within close proximity of Lake Plansee. Here, we advise you cruise along the road on the lake's shore at a pleasant pace and enjoy the magnificent view of the crystal-clear water. 

Experience a snaking road across the Alpine pass on your motorcycle

It doesn't take long to reach the next pleasurable section of the route: the road to isolated Namlos valley winds its way through the forests surrounding Reut as if it had been made especially for motorcyclists. After this snake of a road and ahead of the major mountain pass road you will be facing next, we recommended you take a break first. Treibhauscafé is particularly popular with bikers, offering its guests a relaxed atmosphere with straight-forward, home-cooked delicacies. Once you're refreshed, it’s time to head straight to Hahntennjoch Pass. This mountain pass – featuring countless bends and gradients of up to 19% – evokes a feeling of joy in every motorcyclist. The last highlight before you reach your destination is Kühtai valley, heralding a wonderful and comfortable end to the tour in Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol. Similar to Namlos valley, you will head across this isolated valley along a winding road surrounded by mountains. Once you have arrived in Innsbruck, you can switch off the engine to relax and prepare for the following day's ride where there will be plenty to look forward to: one Alpine pass after the next!

A motorcycling tour to the Italian border along the most beautiful Alpine passes

Day 2: 405 km, approx. 7 h ride time

On day two, you need to set off in good time, because you have around 400 kilometres to cover. An entire day packed to the brim with riding pleasure along exciting routes awaits. From Innsbruck, you head straight onto a winding road across Schönberg in Stubaital towards Brenner. The view of Europa Bridge from below is stunning on this route. It illustrates the impressive altitude at which the motorway has been built. Brenner pass heads up to Vipitento, alternately snaking its way to the left and right of the motorway, passing under it as well as running alongside it. 

Along Jaufen pass to South Tyrol

Vipentito is the starting point of the first major mountain pass, Jaufen pass. The state of the asphalt on Alpine passes is predominantly very good, offering plenty of riding fun, and the landscape is also incredibly beautiful. At the highest point of Jaufen pass, there is a small parking facility that is ideally suited for a photo opportunity to mark this special occasion. Edelweisshütte is only 200 metres away, inviting you to a delicious breakfast. When do you ever have the opportunity to enjoy the break of day overlooking the Alps at an altitude of 2,094 metres above sea level with an apple strudel and a cappuccino? After having enjoyed said delicacies, you will ride down into Passeiertal valley. If you are familiar with it, you will already notice the southern Tyrolean accent and the pleasant increase in temperature. You ride past Meran and head to Lana, the starting point of Mendel pass. This road is characterised by ideal conditions, winding bends and smooth inclines. After the snaking spectacle of the Alpine passes, you will be able to stop off at Hofschank Reinhof restaurant in Saint Felix, known for welcoming motorcyclists and its traditional cuisine. 

Perfect asphalt for maximum riding pleasure

After lunch, you will head on to Gampen pass, a road in no way inferior to Mendel pass in terms of its asphalt conditions and riding pleasure. It heads back to Lana, Meran, and rejoins Passeiertal valley before it transitions into Timmelsjoch pass. This is probably the most scenic pass of the entire alpine motorcycling tour and, after countless bends, it ends up at the border between Italy and Austria at an altitude of 2,509 metres above sea level. Once you have passed the toll station, “Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum Crosspoint” awaits at a breathtaking altitude, where you will be able to marvel at countless motorcycling classics. Then you head down Timmelsjoch pass, back to Kühtai valley via Sölden. Just in time for dinner, you’ll arrive back at your starting point after an exciting ride.

Enjoy even more Alpine passes and views across the Alps on your motorcycle

Day 3: 240 km, approx. 4 h 45 min. ride time/Tanzelwurm route: 311 km, approx. 6 h 20 min. ride time

On the third and last day of your motorcycling tour, you will head from Innsbruck towards the west to Fern Pass. This road is also impressive in terms of landscapes, as you pass Fernsteinsee and Blindsee. At Zugspitzblick restaurant, we recommend a quick stop and – as the name suggests – enjoying the impressive view of Zugspitze, Germany's tallest mountain, and Blindsee. Once you have covered the Alpine pass, you head through Ehrwald forest from Austria back to Germany. High above Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the road is a relaxed ride towards Wallgau via Kaltenbrunn. From here you can head to Vorderriss through the nature reserve via a toll station. The minor road winds its way along the turquoise-blue river Isar through the Karvendel mountains. 

Lakes and rivers along the road

The narrow toll road is followed by a major country road leading to Lake Sylvenstein. Like the toll road, this road is similarly impressive, but it is also a wide road with almost perfect asphalt conditions. You can enjoy the pleasant ride as you continue downstream along the river Isar to Lake Sylvenstein. There are some beautiful places to discover along the route and the bridge across the lake and dam in particular are more than inviting photo opportunities. The tour continues via the village of Kreuth to Lake Tegernsee, offering several options to take a lakeside break. We recommend Café Aran, where you can enjoy oven-fresh sandwiches with delicious spreads, combined with legendary coffee right by Lake Tegernsee. If you haven't had enough yet, you can take a detour to Bayrischzell, i.e. ride along Schliersee and across Tanzelwurm. Then you head along the country road past Holzkirchen and back to authorised BMW Motorrad retailer Karl Maier in Neufinsing via Feistenhaar.