Europe's Finest Roads (Self Guided Tour)

Six nights from Mieming through Bavaria, Alsace and the Black Forest, self-guided with the routes supplied. The title is a large claim and the itinerary makes a reasonable case for it, though the appeal here is as much the towns as the tarmac.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber comes first, the best preserved medieval town in Germany, walled and almost entirely intact. Heidelberg follows, which has the longest pedestrianised street in the world and a ruined castle above the Neckar. Obernai is next, across the border in Alsace, where the half-timbered villages and the wine route are the draw.

The riding gets serious on the way home. The Black Forest leads into Switzerland with the Rhine Falls, the largest waterfall in Europe, then Feldkirch. The Hahntennjoch at 1,894 metres and the Kaunertal Glacier Road both feature on the return to Mieming, and the glacier road in particular is a long, steep and little-known climb that deserves more attention than it gets. Neuschwanstein and the Odenwald are also on the route.

Edelweiss include a choice of motorcycle, accommodation at whichever of three tiers is picked from guest houses to four star superior, and the route materials. There is no guide. Flights are separate and the inclusions are not itemised in full on the operator’s page. Prices are per person for 2026 with extensions available at either end. For a rider who wants medieval towns and wine villages as well as mountain passes, this covers more ground culturally than the purely Alpine self-guided options.