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2010 RoadRUNNER Five-Country European Tour
Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland
Experience Europe's Old World Charm
August 24 – September 4, 2010
Ride alpine passes and endless switchbacks with striking panoramic views that will leave you breathless. Tour the Hofbräuhaus, one of Munich's oldest and once-royal breweries. Explore the BMW Museum and enjoy a walking tour of downtown Munich. Historic villages, distinctive architecture, and delicious cuisine also await discovery along the way, promising the vacation of a lifetime.
For a truly genuine experience, we'll travel the backroads where the locals ride. This tour is not for beginners. You'll encounter many challenges; the roads are technical, narrow, and curvy. Still, once acclimated to the environment and road conditions, you'll not only have a great time, but you'll return home an even better rider.
Arrival/Departure: Munich, Germany
Duration: 12-day vacation, 9 riding days
Total Distance: 1,400 miles / 2,250 km
Highlights: BMW Museum, Hofbräuhaus, Salzburg, Ankogel Glacier, Dolomite Mountains, Timmelsjoch, Stilferjoch, St. Moritz
Rates: $3,716 – $4,939
Tour Prices Include: airport shuttle service, accommodations, breakfast and dinner, multilingual guides, BMW motorcycle, tour information package, safety tips, road map, all entrance and park fees.
View image gallery for pictures from 5 Country Tour 2009.
For detailed information, please contact us at:
(336) 765-7780 or email us
Tour write ups:
Five-Country Tour 2008 - Dream Vacation
Five-Country Tour - Thrillers in the Mist
Participant Testimonials
2009
When I decided to take a trip by motorcycle through parts of Europe, I had high expectations. Well, the Five-Country tour by RoadRUNNER Magazine not only met, but exceeded all of my expectations. It is very obvious that Christa Neuhauser has done her homework when putting together this tour. I've been to Europe several times, but always as a typical tourist. The trip that Christa organized was marvelous, and one that can only truly be appreciated when traveling on two wheels. The roads, routes and destinations will certainly please the most avid motorcyclist.
Our guide, Peter, did a great job of keeping everyone heading in the same direction without it seeming too structured. Peter's coffee and lunch breaks were also perfectly timed giving your buttocks a much needed break.
Christa's packing suggestions were also spot-on.
If you are looking for a terrific adventure on two wheels in Europe, you can't go wrong with this tour.
Daniel W.
The trip was really good. I have been telling my friends and family how good the food, the accommodations, and the ride was. You did a great job arranging the weather!
Fletcher C.
Imagine my excitement when my husband Eric said, "Honey, we have an opportunity to go on a 10-day, five-country European tour, and I think we should do it." Imagine my apprehension when he said, "And, oh yeah, you'll be doing the tour on the back of my motorcycle." You'd think my biggest concern would be the language barrier, but it turned out to be a luggage barrier. I'd traveled through Europe before, so I knew the language barrier could be overcome. I was more concerned with the fact that Eric told me I could only take as much stuff as would fit in a motorcycle trunk box. We'd done long rides before, but 10 days on a motorcycle in Europe? I had my reservations.
Today, I can't imagine seeing Europe any other way, and I have to thank RoadRUNNER Magazine for making my first overseas motorcycle trip an incredible experience. I guarantee I enjoyed the riding as much as my husband. The roads were incredible, and the scenery was amazing. I was sure I'd take advantage of all the rest days the tour planners built into the schedule, but I found myself not wanting to miss anything. I couldn't wait to see what was around the next bend or in the next little town. The accommodations were fantastic, mostly charming locally owned places where you have the opportunity to experience the favorite cuisine of the locals and enjoy a nightcap with the owner or manager. And, our tour guides were incredibly knowledgeable about the areas we visited, quickly sharing local history and customs and answering our many questions about "who's who" and "what's what" and tirelessly translating everything for us. And, the regular stops they built into each day's ride ensured that everyone was mentally and physically well-rested at all times. (And yes, we had several opportunities to do laundry, so I got over my luggage concerns very quickly.)
My husband is a motorcycle safety instructor. We conduct tours in the States on a much smaller scale, and I know what it takes to pull the details together for those events. It's no small feat for a two- to three-day tour for six riders. I can't fathom what it would take to pull together a 10-day tour for 12 riders and any passengers they may bring along. But, the RoadRUNNER staff had all of the details nailed at all times. They handed us a room key as soon as we walked through the hotel door each night. They also were extremely flexible with schedules and routes to accommodate any special requests the group had.
I couldn't believe how fast those 10 days went. I'd do that trip again without a second thought, and I'd recommend it to anyone who asked.
Amy Trow
Stayin' Safe
2008
Well I am back from the Five-Country Tour. Right off I must say that this was the best thing I have done in years. The whole experience was excellent. The quality of the bikes, the accommodations, the weather, the tour and the mix of people made this tour such an outstanding experience. Perhaps so good that it would be hard to duplicate again!
I'd like to commend Peter Lintschinger for an excellent job. He was an excellent guide who allowed the group to ride at an invigorating pace. He was patient and most entertaining. He is a good choice for your tours as he is passionate about motorcycling.
I am definitely interested in doing another RoadRUNNER tour, so please keep me informed. In the meantime, I'll be reading you magazine and looking for Robert Smith's articles.
Thanks - Peter H.
What a fantastic trip. The small group of 9 bikes and experienced riders meant we got a lot of riding in and not much waiting around.
I really do thank you for your organization that went into both providing an excellent guide Peter, and arranging all the accommodation, meals, transfers etc. I had no issues at all with the accommodations, it was well above expectations. Food was great, breakfasts superb. The rental bike was brand-new, so no complaints there. And thank you for the golf shirt a great souvenir.
All in all, a really memorable trip. I have over 800 photos to digest yet and a bunch of new friends.
Thanks again Christa, well done.
Regards,
Jim B.
Hi Christa.
We had a GREAT time on this trip! Peter was an absolutely wonderful person to get to know and was a great guide. The accommodations were wonderful as well. We especially liked the Hotel Regina in Serfaus and The Hotel Malita in Arabba. The hotel in Tamsweg treated us like royalty the entire time we were there. The scenery was breathtaking, and the roads were incredible! It was certainly a challenge trying to keep up with Peter and I am definitely a better rider now than before I did this tour. The only low point for me was my German was not very good and I missed having conversation with the locals. We have already decided we are going to go back, and maybe even surprise Peter! I look at the pictures we have and am still in AWE that we were able to do this trip. Thank you for organizing such a wonderful trip. It was the trip of a lifetime for us, and a perfect honeymoon!
Greg M.
I have been on several other tours, Oktoberfest Olio 05 and Italian Idyll 06. YOUR TOUR WAS BY FAR THE BEST! My opinion- call the tour NOTHING BUT PASSES, under that put GERMANY,AUSTRIA,ITALY.(ALPS).Stay two nights in ARABBA. All kinds of passes loop back to Arabba. Let people on free day go on there own, girls had no shopping time and guys had no riding time without the wife. MERAN was nice. Overall PETER and ROBERT were a 10. Staying in the small towns was very nice, you got to see real towns and real people. I liked the idea of walking out of the hotel and walking around town.
If you ever need someone to carry your luggage and ride with you on all your trips, call 24/7.
Thanks,
Ron E.
The tour was just what I was looking for, a familiarization tour with the assistance of a local expert, a taste of riding in the Alps, Austria, Bavaria, and Tyrol, to make way for future plans of riding extensively in Europe. Peter was very professional, a great rider, interesting to listen to about local customs/traits, a great guy, and rarely did I find the pace of the ride too slow. The mix of riders was quite good, but with surprisingly distinct differences in ["safe/fast"] riding characteristics between the Americans and Canadians. Some riders were clearly taking chances during the overtaking/passing times, in blind corners especially, but I saw who these were early on and stayed away from them. The riding of a couple people left me worried about their future, after witnessing their motorcycle operation. Your addition of the 'expert riders only' term into your advertising seemed to do the job, for the most part.
I have traveled the British Isles extensively by bike, so knew the roads would be good, but the scenery was sometimes too good to ride hard, just sit back and take in the views. Brilliant! The operation of cars and bikes by the locals was almost always extremely good, a definite breath of fresh air compared to the driving public on the west coast of Canada.
I am not in any way a vegetarian, but was amazed at the popularity of meat in the German speaking countries, but enjoyed the food very much. Of course, I love beer, and it's very good where we were riding, but again I was surprised at the lack of different types, compared to England for example. Beer distribution is very regional I can see now.
Finally the bike. I chose the GS because I have been contemplating upgrading from my GSPD to a 1200GSA, and wanted to see how I got along with this machine. My GS was the one bike that had issues with it upon pick up at Martin BMW, so much so that Mr. Martin did not want me to ride it. The ESA shock system was not working, so entailed new suspension units being installed. This was ok, as he let me ride a new GSA off the floor for the first short familiarization ride, and I picked it up later. The machine ran and operated brilliantly. I have had considerable seat time on other new GSA's, but living with a bike is the best way to see if it will work. I have decided I will be buying one of these machines.
A great time, probably the best 10 days of riding I've ever had, and this holiday has eclipsed my 2 week vacation ride at the IOM TT races with Edelweiss 10 yrs ago. Well done!!!
Kind Regards, Steve G.
2007
Peter was a wonderful guide. We made friends with him. The hotels were nice, the Hotel in Tamsweg overcharges us for phone use. We had a card for calling from Austria and they charged Al Vance $8.50 and Hal Cockerham $9. This was unfair, as the other hotels in Austria did not charge us when we used our calling card. That was the only complaint. Everyone was nice to us and the food was good.
Neale, the second guide, was also very good. He took lots of pictures, and was helpful in our travels.
We had some inexperienced riders, but by the end of the trip there riding skills improved. But they were a little scary to start with. People really should have a lot of experience to go on that trip.
Overall it was a wonderful trip and I would recommend it to my friends. Maybe we can go again within the next 5 years.
Carolyn Jessup
We were very impressed with the organization and time put into our 5 Country Tour. It was obvious from the beginning that a lot of planning went into it. Our guides, Peter and Neale, were very impressive and knowledgeable of the area's history and all of the little ins and outs of the trip layout.
Both of these individuals worked well together. They made a very good combination for their first time working together on a tour of this nature.
Overall, we were very pleased with the tour. As I told Neale, my highlight of the trip was the fact that I woke up every morning just delighted to be there in Europe with a great group of people. My highlights after thoughts later were, that all of us were there together on the last night in Bad Tolz enjoying the company of each other, and that no one was lost or injured and that we were one close knit group enjoying our last night together.
We were very impressed with the hotels that we stayed in, especially Christa's friend, at Hotel Regina in Serfaus. She and the staff were very sweet and very helpful during our stay there.
To sum it all up YES we would go on this Tour again. It was absolutely a great trip.
Thelma Johnson & Al Vance
The tour was the trip of a lifetime for me, absolutely wonderful. Peter was an excellent leader and guide, very knowledgeable, personable, and a superb rider. Neale, too, was an excellent choice, personable, with a quirky sense of humor that kept the group engaged, and very capable. Peter and Neale provided great background and insight into the history and characteristics of the countries we traveled through, and the route took us through some of the most scenic and beautiful areas I have ever seen. Accommodations were excellent, and meals, particularly dinners, were delightful, beautifully prepared and served.
I was particularly impressed with Austria -- what a beautiful country! The people we met there were so friendly and helpful. What amazed me most was the cleanliness -- no trash on the streets and roads, everyone took pride in their homes, beautifying them with flowers, neat gardens and yards.
Everywhere we went, we had interesting experiences and adventures, such as when I was "kidnapped" by a sweet little, old Italian lady. She spoke no English, but was so determined to invite us to attend their festival, she dragged me about 3 blocks to the festival tent and found a young lady who spoke some English to explain and invite us to join them. Wish we'd had time to do that, but that would have put us riding on to the next hotel in the dark.
I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone as a mind-expanding and fairly challenging riding experience!
Paula Hines
We had a great time and our tour guide Peter was super. He gets an A++++. Neale was a lot of fun too and really enjoyed the photography part. Our weather was not the best and we were disappointed we could not ride into Switzerland.....but snow in Sept??? Also the food was wonderful. Thank you again, we are looking forward to other rides. We loved the group of people we were with. Keep us posted.
Sincerely, the Harts
2006
Sue Ann G. and Stephen P.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
September 2006
My husband and I recently returned from our vacation on the RoadRUNNER Europe Tour 2006. We consider ourselves to be experienced European riders, having gone on other guided tours as well as motorcycling in Europe on our own. But this tour was exceptional!
To begin with, our tour guides Peter Lintschinger and Uwe Krauss were both delightful, knowledgeable, and a total joy to spend our precious vacation time with. The tour route took us through scenic back roads, challenging switchbacks, majestic overlooks, and "roads less traveled." The pace was set by the competency of the riders (which was fast, thanks to fellow riders Logan and Diane!). We were frequently asked our opinions and choices as to the day's activities. But if Peter says, "Would you like to try this road, ride, restaurant, etc,?" always answer "Yes," as his knowledge of the different places brought us enriching, and often thrilling, adventures.
Our guides understood our needs and tried to provide us with insights into the local culture (who can forget the "traditional family farm" episode?), the sheep dogs constantly trying to keep the herd together and moving - and they did so with humor and goodwill.
At day's end, we stayed in places that were owned and operated by local merchants (we will always remember Mrs. Zitz!) I loved the family heirlooms and antiques throughout the Tamsweg and Lienz Pensiones best. The food, beer, and wine all reflected the local culture - and all were delicious and abundant!
Would I change anything? Yes, to have spent more time touring with this wonderful group of people. We were fortunate to travel with such great riding companions - none of us knew each other prior to the tour, but we all left as friends.
My one criticism is that your marketing and advertising for this tour is too low-key and subtle. We Americans need more "glitz" and "razzle-dazzle" to get our attention to purchase or try something. To that end, please publish my letter so that other riders considering (or even thinking about) going on a RoadRUNNER motorcycle tour, will do so.
Thanks for a superb vacation,
Sue Ann
