Route recommendations:3 weeks starting in Basel

ben0v
ben0v Posts: 13
edited August 2009 in Tour & expedition
Hi - I thought about cycling up the Rhine from Basel back to UK but looks quite uneventful. Beautiful in places but perhaps too industrial further North.

So Im deliberating a plan b. I have about 3 weeks in the Alps region. Switzerland looks amazing but may be a bit painful on wallet after a while.

I can train/plane back to UK from anyway in Central Europe

Any suggestions?

thanks

Comments

  • xilios
    xilios Posts: 170
    Maybe you can combine the Weser, Fulda and Rhine rivers in southern Germany. You can skip the northern (mostly flat and industrial) parts using trains which are very bike friendly in Germany. And go a bit further south to Freiburg, Lake Constance and surrounding area.
    cheers
    www.bike-journeys.com
  • huuregeil
    huuregeil Posts: 780
    Sod Germany, you're near the Alps, so you might as well do the Alps properly!!! How about...

    Basel - Luzern - Andermatt - Laax - St Moritz - Zernez - Merano - Bolzano - Cortina - Kranskja Gora - Bled. (And countless variations on the way, linking various passes up.)

    About 1000km and a fair bit of climbing. This will be absolutely stunning!!! The Eastern Alps are far nicer (wilder and quieter) than the Western, the Dolomites are simply phenomenal, and Slovenia is super cool, very pretty and very friendly, it's a place I'm really looking forward to going back to. Throughout, you'll have great food, great wine, great scenery. There are cheap flights from Llublijana or Treviso back to the UK, or you could chose to go further down into Croatia, which also looks lovely (but I've not been). Italy is much cheaper tha Switzerland, and you'll be there within about 500km. Slovenia is cheaper still. Also, the SE corner of switzerland is very much less touristy and consequently much cheaper accomodation-wise - very rural and old fashioned. (St Moritz/Davos excepted!)

    If that's too much climbing, the concept of getting our of Switzerland to the South and then aiming East still holds - from Basel, beat down through the alps to Italy. Then you could tour the lakes (Maggiore, Como, Garda) to end up in Slovenia or Croatia - this would be much flatter as you'd skirt the southern side of the alps.

    Would be a fantastic trip, I'm dead jealous!

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