8 Nations Grand European Tour5-20 July, 2014 — 15 nights, 16 days
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This fabulous tour takes in eight of our European neighbours: France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia and Luxembourg. A fantastic opportunity to ride through ever-changing scenery and to sample different cultures whilst visiting some of Europe’s famous towns and cities. A memorable 16 day tour!
Day 1. Saturday July 5th. Calais to Reims (approx.190 miles)
After an early morning ferry from Dover to Calais, we head out along the old coast road towards Cap Gris Nez where we turn inland for a brief stop in Desvres before taking the minor roads to Arras for lunch. From here we go via Peronne and Laon before arriving at our city centre hotel, the four-star Reims Cathedral. Dinner with wine is included tonight. Day 2. Sunday July 6th. Reims to Nancy (approx. 135 miles) Minor roads today as we cut cross-country and stop at villages such as Givry-en-Argonne and St. Mihiel (on the river Meuse) before arriving at our hotel in the beautiful Stanislas Square in the heart of Nancy. Tonight you are free to eat out. Day 3. Monday July 7th. Nancy to Titisee (approx. 160 miles) First stop today is the lovely town of Luneville with its magnificent Chateau. After that we cross the heights of the Alsace and over the Rhine into Germany. We ride through the northern end of the Black Forest and on to our hotel on the edge of Lake Titisee – a lively German holiday resort town – where you’ll be free to eat out again. Day 4. Tuesday July 8th. Titisee to Garmisch-Partenkirchen (approx. 200 miles) A bit of main road this morning to Messkirch where we hit the country roads across the Alpenstrasse to Garmisch. Tonight’s hotel in centrally situated and dinner with wine is included. Day 5. Wednesday July 9th. Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Lienz (approx. 160 miles) When we leave today we pick up a tiny road which takes us through woodland and national parkland before arriving in Austria via the mountains of Gerlos. We stop at the Krimmler waterfall then take the Felber tunnel to the ski resort of Lienz. You will be free to eat out tonight as the hotel is centrally located. Day 6. Thursday July 10th. Lienz to Ptuj (approx. 200 miles) Today we head to our fourth country of the tour – Solvenia. Once in the mountains we cross into Slovenia near Klagenfurt and then follow the river Drava to Ptuj, your home for the next two nights. Dinner with wine is included tonight. Day 7. Friday July 11th. Day off to explore Ptuj Take a day off and explore Slovenia’s’ oldest city…with its castle, ancient streets and even a large water park! Tonight you will be free to eat out. Day 8. Saturday July 12th. Ptuj to Budapest (approx. 220 miles) Suitably rested we are off to our next country – Hungary. Once over the border we stop in Keszthely, a university and tourist destination at the far end of Lake Balaton. We follow the lake and on to Budapest for our next two night stay. The hotel is centrally located close to the old city centre so you are free to eat out tonight. Day 9. Sunday July 13th. Day off to explore Budapest Another day off to explore the many sights of this wonderful city which stands astride the river Danube – Buda on one side and Pest on the other! Tonight you are free to eat out. Day 10. Monday July 14th. Budapest to Vienna (approx. 180 miles) We head north out of the city and make a stop in one of the resort towns on the Danube – Kesthely or Tihany – before crossing the border into Slovakia. We visit the medieval walled town of Trnava before heading to Bratislava where we cross back into Austria and on to the third of your two night’s stops – Vienna. Once again the hotel is centrally located which means you can wander out and are free to discover the delights of the city for tonight’s dinner. Day 11. Tuesday July 15th. Day off the explore Vienna Another magnificent city…with its Habsburg Palaces, trotting white horses, mountains of cream cakes, waltzes and of course not forgetting Harry Lime and the famous Ferris wheel (Riesenrad)! Day 12. Wednesday 16th July. Vienna to Passau (approx. 170 miles) As we leave Austria behind us we make our way to Germany. We will follow, as close as possible, the path of the River Danube stopping at Durnstein with its prominent ice blue and white monastery tower and castle overlooking the town. Legend has it that Richard the Lionheart was once imprisoned here and managed to escape with the help of his minstrel, Blondel. Our next stop is at Melk, which is home to Austria’s most spectacular monastery. From here we move on and just before Linz we cross the river for a stop in the walled wine town of Enns. We pick up the motorway around Linz and on to Passau in Germany – which stands on the confluence of three rivers – the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz – a town of which Napoleon said “I never saw a town more beautiful”. Tonight’s hotel stands on the river Danube and you are free to eat out. Day 13. Thursday 17th July. Passau to Wurzburg (approx. 220 miles) This morning we once again follow the Danube before joining the motorway (to avoid Regensburg and Nurnberg) which we leave for a stop in Rothenburg. This walled medieval town is considered to be the most visited in Germany and was considered to be the epitome of the German 'Home Town' by Nazi ideologists. From here we follow the river Tauber to Wurzburg where our hotel is centrally located so you are free to eat out. Day 14. Friday 18th July. Wurzburg to Trier (approx. 200 miles) We head west today, via the River Main, south of Frankfurt to the high hills leading down to the Mosel valley. After a stop in picturesque Bernkastel-Kues we follow the River Mosel to Trier. Trier is Germany’s oldest city and is known for its Roman gate and fortress entrance to the city, the “Porta Nigra”. You are once again free to eat out as the hotel is close to the centre and its bars and restaurants. Day 15. Saturday 19th July. Trier to Chamouille (approx. 180 miles) We leave Germany and cross the River Meuse into Luxembourg where we visit the pretty town of Larochette before turning west and into our eighth country – Belgium. We cross the farmlands and then arrive back in France for our final night in the Picardy region and our stay in Chamouille. Our final dinner with wine is included tonight. Day 16. Sunday 20th July. Chamouille to Calais (approx. 150 miles) Chamouille is ideally situated to give you a choice for your last day’s riding. You can enjoy a cross-county meander with a lunch stop in Arras and the final 60 miles on motorway or pick up the AutoRoute at Laon and stay on it until you arrive at Calais for your crossing back to Dover. Total mileage: Approx. 2365 Please ensure you have read our Terms & Conditions CLICK HERE NOW TO BOOK YOUR TOUR! Back to tour list > |
Prices
Rider sharing a double room £ 1,995 ......................................... Rider & Pillion £ 3,895 ......................................... Solo rider, single room £ 2,645 ......................................... Price Includes:
N.B. If you do not require the ferry crossing, deduct £100 per motorcycle. 
Thank you for the best tour that we have done to date!! We did not want to come home! The hotels were good, the food was good and the tour itself was very interesting. We had a wonderful time with a great crowd of people and have made some very good friends with whom we will keep in touch. |
