Route 11: A ride around Vipiteno, Dolomites

From Italy into Austria, there’s a host of brilliant riding on the north Italian border

Motorcycling routes in Italian alpine towns

Nothing sums up this corner of the Alps better than the hotel: is it Der Schwarzer Adler or is it La Aquila Nera? Well, it’s both… While we might call it The Black Eagle, the locals are busy hopping back and forth between German and Italian. You see, Vipiteno - or Sterzing as it’s also called - is part of the land that Italy won from Austria in the First World War. That’s good for us because that means great Italian coffee, served with Teutonic efficiency…

Starting from Vipiteno means we can ride some of the best motorcycling roads not only in Italy but also in neighbouring Austria. None is more famous than the Timmelsjoch - or Passo Rombo, to use its Italian name. There is a toll on the Austrian side, but it’s worth it for the immaculate tarmac and the fact they they don’t let lorries or caravans through the toll booths…

Is it the best road on the route? Maybe, though the run down the valley from Landeck in Austria to Matina in Switzerland and the short, twisty climb to Nauders are awesome. And as for the final run back into Vipiteno over the Penserjoch, or Passo Pennes… it’s an outstanding ride - in any language.

MAPS AND DOWNLOADS FOR A RIDE AROUND VIPITENO

Map of motorcycling routes in Vipiteno, Italy

Route 1 (our route): start/finish: Vipiteno/Sterzing. Distance: 230 miles. Riding time: 6 hours. Suggested stops: AM coffee: Timmelsjoch, lunch: Arzl im Pitztal, PM coffee: Resia
Route one map, Route one GPX file
Route 1 plus high road detour map, Route one plus high road detour GPX file

Route 2: Distance: 260 miles. Riding time: 7 hours. Includes Gerlos Pass and Grosslockner Alpenstrasse (both tolls)
Route two map (no tolls), Route two GPX file (no tolls)
Route two (Austrian Vignette), Route two GPX file (Austrian Vignette)

Route 3: Distance: 240 miles. Riding time: 6.5 hours. Includes Monte Croce Carnico
Route three map, Route three GPX file

Please note: This page contains the route files for The RiDE Guide to motorcycle touring in Italy which came free with RiDE magazine in July 2015. These website page are not regularly updated, so please check all critical information before you travel. All route files are in .gpx format. Garmin and BMW users can download the main file, which contains all the routes and our recommended hotels as separate waypoints. TomTom users can download the individual routes and use the Tyre software to convert them. For many routes we also have Google Map links. However, as Google Maps will not plot routes over seasonally closed high Alpine passes (such as Stelvio) when they’re shut, these may not work for every route all year round.