The Swiss Alps on a motorcycle

Riding through the Swiss Alps means tackling high passes, sudden weather shifts and some of the best‑twistiest roads Europe has to offer. Over 9 days and roughly 3,300 km, alone on the road, I set off from the Netherlands and made my way through glaciers, high ridges and quiet valleys. Some of the highlights included climbs such as the Furka Pass and Susten Pass, where the air thinned and the views stretched out for kilometres. I also rode sections of the TET in both Switzerland and France.

The video below provides a full report of the ride, showing the route, scenery and experiences throughout the entire journey. In the sections that follow, you’ll find the full route, downloadable GPS tracks and information on the roads and accommodation I chose along the way.

• This trip was a solo tour and I tend to drive much more kilometers than when I am riding with friends. The routes are therefore pretty long.
• I traveled first week of October. Recommended for the quiet roads and nice colors of autumn, but also a risk for closed passes and bad weather.
• The first day was a long day, because of the expected rain the second day. A better stop on the route would be Sarrebourg if you want both days to be more of the same length.
• TomTom Rider can't process the Kunkelspass. Just navigate to the start with the alternative route and keep on going untill TomTom picks up the route again. (allways check your TomTom routes in TomTom MyDrive and your TomTom Rider: The route determinaton and calculation is not the same!)
   
• Most offroad tracks (gravel) in Swiss (TET Swiss) are optional and also toll roads. They can be skipped easily.
  • Parkplatz Tätsch: You need to buy a ticket at the parking machine to get a permit to transit
  • Unteralp: You need to buy a permit at the locat tourist office (€ 20,-) to transit
  • Kunkelspass: You need to buy a ticket at the parking machine or via the EasyPark app (€ 7,- for 24 hours) to transit
• Second half of day 8 is mainly (easy) offroad (TET France section 13 & 14). Please download the tracks on the TET France website if you are planning on going offroad, because the routes changes frequently. The route I have supplied for download is an alternative tarmac route.