19 comments on “Motorcycle travel in Europe

  1. Lane splitting is forbidden in France! Lot’s of biker do it but it’s totally illegal and you’ll be fine if you do so.

  2. I have a question. I’m doing a trip this fall around the Alps by motorcycle. I’m worried about theft of my belongings while taking brief trips through towns. Do you have suggestions? Are my items safe in bags on the bike? Are there public lockers for my belongings? Suggestions would be appreciated.

  3. Thanks for the site and info. I’m planning a trip from The UK to just N of Prague. I’ll have about 4 days in Prague and about two weeks total. I’ve been looking at taking the tunnel and then heading to S of Germany along the Swiss border and the returning using another route. I’ve been looking to stay in some BnB’s but I’m worried about motorcycle security. Is it a problem? Should i only look for places with off street secure parking?

    • Most people will offer you their garage, although I do not think it is necessary when your bike os not visible from the street.
      I wish you a happy time!

  4. Hi!
    Congratulations on the website. It has so much useful information.

    I am planning a trip from the UK to Germany in October this year. I wonder if you might be able to give me some advice? My thoughts are to travel on the overnight ferry from Harwich –> Hook of Holland, then travel through Holland to meet family in Dusseldorf. From there the plan is to travel south to Switzerland and stay in Lucern, where I have more family, before travelling back.

    It is only a short trip. I am from Australia originally, but now live in London. So I am used to travelling long distances, but have never driven in Europe! So any hints, tips and advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!
    Martin B.

    • That is difficult!
      The short time suggests that you will have to use motorways, is that right? I would save the smaller roads for Switzerland. You might travel back through France.
      Are you asking advice on the route?

      • Yes, time is limited to one week, so some motorways will unfortunately need to be used. I would love to spend 3 weeks doing the trip, but unfortunately I don’t have the time.

        However; this is going to be the first of many trips to Europe, so I don’t need to see everything at once! Perhaps this time I will stick to Germany, and save Switzerland for a separate trip?

        I have traveled through Europe before, but never driving on my own (always in a family car, or rail travel). So your advice on route and time-frames, as well as anything interesting to see on the way would be helpful.

        At the moment it looks like:
        Friday – overnight ferry to Hook Of Holland (landing Sat morning).
        Saturday – (Morning) Ride from Hook of Holland to Nijmegen to have lunch with my sister-in-law. (Afternoon) Ride to Sprokhovel (just east of Dusseldorf) to spend the night with family.
        Sunday – perhaps spend the day exploring the area around Sprokhovel.
        Monday – Go down to Nurburgring (possibly do the Nordschleife circuit lap). Stay overnight.
        Tue to Thurs – spend some time exploring the Rhein valley?
        Friday – Ferry back to UK.

        What do you think?

        • From Nijmegen, you could ride just a short trip along the Ooysedijk. You sister-in-law will probably know where it is. You will get a feeling for riding along the dykes in the Netherlands, whcih is special.
          From Tuesday to Thursday, I would explore the Eiffel (the Nurburgring is in the midst of it), and leave the rhine valley for what it is. The Eiffel is full of curvy roads, and famous in the Netherlands and Germany, for motorbike riders.
          For instance, from Berndkasel-Kues to Koblenz is very beautiful (and in Koblenz you will be able to see the Rhine). Stick to the smaller roads, in the Eiffel, and you will have a great time.

  5. Hi, This is Penny from Taiwan and I am planning on riding a 125cc scooter to travel around Europe with my sister. I am wondering if these European countries allow peope travel with scooter? Do I have to pay any tax or insurance to get in these countries? Thanks a million for your time.
    Cheers,
    Penny

    • You don’t have to pay tax, but you must have an insurance for when you would get involved in an accident in which you are the cause. It is called the Green Card in most European countires.
      Firther: you are welcome on your scooter 🙂 I would stay clear of the highways though, and travel on the secondary roads. Which is much more fun anyway.

  6. TA for this – some good photos and info!

    We like camping in France too, municipal campsites are a special (cheap!) feature of this country. In Sweden and Norway, there is a right to camp on pretty much all wild land, and in our country Scotland the same from 2003.

    We’ve had lots of good trips in Germany and especially Czech Republic – as beautiful as Scotland, lots of old vehicle culture, cheap to eat and drink.

    We’re looking at Sweden this summer, on two tiny bikes that are 35 years old. We like scenery, old vehicles, camping, and small roads…we here there are good unpaved roads here. Any advice welcome!

    • You will like Sweden very much! I don’t think any other country has so many classic car-museums per inhabitant as Sweden.

      As to where to go: Sweden is huge. You might take the time to explore the south-part, up until between the big lakes. That is in itself a huge area to explore…

  7. Brilliant website with detailed, specific information and spectacular photos. Will use this site as a reference for researching my European road trip for 2017. If you’re ever riding in Arizona and California, look me up in advance and I’ll gladly share some of my favorite roads with you. Cheers!

  8. Excellent page! Well thought out commentary of an experience rider in Europe, nicely summarising the diversity of cultures, driving/riding styles, varying landscapes and different histories. Thanks for putting up this page.
    Though I am from India, I have driven in a lot of countries in Europe and I agree with a lot of things that have been said on this page.

    From: Krishnendu KES

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

If your e-mail address is linked to an avator on Gravatar, your avatar will show with the comment.