Alps Mountain Routes - Milan

Reception of the tour participants at the hotel. In the evening, our group will meet for a welcome drink, a first dinner together, and the Tour presentation.

We leave our hotel near Hertz Ride's Milan location in Novegro and take the fast way out of Milan, the A8 highway that will lead us to Arona. Our beautiful route starts right there as we move our way up north on Lake Maggiore's west shore, headed to Bellinzona, already in Switzerland. Right before crossing the border, we will have a quick stop by the lake to enjoy a traditional panini and espresso, two Italian traditions that go side by side.

After Bellinzona, we start our ride on the mountains, climbing the great road that will lead us to Gotthard Pass, close to the famous ski resort of Andermatt, our destination for today. At 2,106 meters, the Gotthard will serve as a perfect introduction to the collection of unique mountain passes that are waiting for us during the next few days on the road!

Today is called 'Pass Day', and it will be memorable: the second leg of our journey will take us to Chiavenna, in Italy, through some of the most famous mountain passes of the Alps. Furka, Grimsel, Susten, Oberalp, and Spluga, these are names you won't forget once you ride them. You will be hard-pressed to pick a favorite, as each one has its own character and challenges.

We will ride through charming Swiss villages linking these magical roads in an idyllic alpine setting that looks like a time long past. The Spluga Pass will be our final 'switchback festival' of this long but remarkable day, and we will cross back into Italy as we marvel on yet another unforgettable day. Beautiful Chiavenna waits for our group with a well-deserved typical mountain dinner and a good night's sleep.

The day begins with a slow, relaxed ride across the Valtellina Valley, passing by countless little towns on our way. The slow pace will change as we arrive at Aprica, the first of the two important Italian mountain roads we are visiting today and offering incredible riding pleasure and spectacular views all the way. Gavia, our next pass, is a place of uncontaminated beauty because it climbs steeply in a few kilometers through a narrow and winding road up to over 2,600 meters high.

In the afternoon, we will continue to Bormio, a popular resort known for its thermal waters, and then get close to the Swiss border to end the day in Livigno. This famous Italian town is a duty-free area for historical reasons, and attracts thousands of visitors all year long, making it a lively place to explore on foot and do some shopping as well.

Today is officially a rest day for our group. Livigno is a perfect place to take long and relaxed walks on its pedestrian-only streets, visit some of the many duty-free shops and enjoy a little bit of its acclaimed gastronomy. If walking and shopping is not exactly your cup of tea - or espresso, in our case - we have prepared a fantastic riding option for those who can't get enough of the excellent mountain roads around the area.

We start the day crossing into Switzerland via the Bernina Pass and get to St Moritz and its neighbor villages by the lake before continuing through dream-like roads to Davos. At the top of the Flüela Pass, we stop for lunch and then descend into Italy with still enough time to walk around Livigno before a well-deserved dinner. It's a 200 km loop guaranteed to put a big smile on your face after the ride is over.

Get ready to cross four different countries today: Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Right at the start of our day, the Stelvio Pass is another bucket-list road for us to check. This iconic mountain pass on Italy and Switzerland's border couldn't be left out of the 'Alpine Routes' itinerary, and we will experience first-hand why it is so.

From there, we cross into Austria, exploring picturesque, wonderful backroads and postcard-like little villages. Next is a stop at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Germany's Bavarian Alps, before ending the day back in Austria for a relaxing evening in charming Innsbruck.

The route from Innsbruck to Cortina d'Ampezzo goes through one of Europe's most coveted roads, the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, or Grossglockner High Alpine Road. The name is as impressive as the road itself: the highest paved mountain pass road in Austria goes up to 2,504 meters high and is close to 48 km long. Simply put, it's truly a fantastic ride, more than living up to the expectations.

This exciting day doesn't end there, though, as we still have a great ride ahead of us to Cortina d'Ampezzo, one of the world's most charming ski resorts. It will be the longest day on our tour and one of the most rewarding as well, so we will celebrate this memorable ride with excellent food and great Italian wines in the evening.

We say goodbye to lovely Cortina and head straight into more famous Italian passes on the Sella mountain massifs, with Falzarego and Pordoi being the most famous. The road will take us to Valgardena, a stunning region on the heart of the Dolomites, with plenty of unforgettable views wherever we look around.

In the afternoon, we head north first in the direction of Vipiteno, before turning back south and ride to Bolzano through the pristine Val Sarentino, on more idyllic and forgotten little roads over the mountains. In Bolzano, a typical Italian trattoria will be an authentic gastronomic experience for our senses.

On the last day of our tour, we will leave and descend to the plains crossing the Adamello Natural Park, with a first stop for a quick coffee break at Madonna di Campiglio, a popular ski resort. We are headed to beautiful Garda, the largest Italian lake, offering our group stunning views as we follow the road on its western shore, from Riva del Garda to Salò.  The dramatic change of scenery, from the high mountain passes to the Garda shores' easiness, makes for the perfect way to end a fantastic tour.

Leaving the beautiful Garda behind us, we follow on to Brescia and then back to our starting point, Milan, taking the easy and fastest highway route to avoid the big city traffic. Our farewell dinner will be another perfect combination of great Italian food and wine, one more opportunity to celebrate life, friendship, and beautiful roads on two wheels!

It is time to have breakfast at the hotel, say goodbye to our new friends, and start dreaming about new adventures.